Election 2024 live: Trump completes swing state sweep with Arizona; Republicans inch closer to House majority
Result brings Trump’s final electoral vote total to 312, compared to Kamala Harris’s 226
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump has officially clinched Arizona, the final state to be called in the 2024 election, handing the Republican a clean sweep of all seven swing states.
The result brings Trump’s final electoral vote total to 312, compared to Kamala Harris’s 226.
Trump earlier announced that two of his former cabinet members – former UN ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – would not be invited to serve in his administration this time around.
Trump announced the decision on Truth Social on Saturday evening, days after announcing that Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, would serve as chief of staff.
With results still coming in from the election, control of the House is still up for grabs, but Republicans already reclaimed control of the Senate.
Three Senate Republicans are vying to replace Mitch McConnell as the chamber’s leader: John Cornyn, John Thune, and Rick Scott. The election will be held November 13.
Earlier Saturday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced President Joe Biden and Trump would meet at the White House this week, setting in motion transition plans between the administrations of the two longstanding political enemies.
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Democratic strategists say their warnings about having Harris campaign with Liz Cheney were ignored
Trump reveals two former senior members of his administration will not be returning for his second term
Donald Trump has announced just one Cabinet member as his transition to the White House is underway.
He tapped Susie Wiles, his campaign manager, to serve as chief of staff, making her the first woman with the title.
But now, he has named two former Cabinet members who will not be returning to his administration.
Read the full story.
Trump reveals two former members of his administration will not be returning
The president-elect’s administration ‘is currently in formation,’ he wrote
Kamala Harris’ niece posts photo of the vice president with her great nieces after election defeat
“Back to where it all began only a few months ago. My eternal gratitude to everyone who showed up. We love her so much,” Meena Harris wrote.
The vice president is pictured laughing, with her hair pulled back into a bun wearing a Howard University-emblazoned sweatshirt, as she plays Connect Four game with her two great-nieces.
Tucker Carlson accuses Senate Republicans of staging ‘coup’ ahead of internal leadership vote
Former Fox News host and Trump ally Tucker Carlson claimed Senate Republicans are staging “a coup” against Donald Trump as three Senators vie to replace Mitch McConnell.
Republicans reclaimed control of the Senate on Tuesday night, leaving the door open for someone to replace McConnell, the chamber’s longest-serving party leader, who plans to step down at year’s end.
At least three Republicans are vying for the top spot — John Cornyn of Texas, Rick Scott of Florida, and John Thune of South Dakota who serves as the Senate minority whip — NBC News reported, and Carlson took issue with two of them.
Read the full story.
Tucker Carlson angrily accuses Senate Republicans of plotting ‘coup’ against Trump
‘Two of the three candidates hate Trump and what he ran on,’ the former Fox anchor claims
The Trump transition has begun — and it’s off to an unorthodox start
One Trumpworld veteran who spoke to The Independent on condition of anonymity said the pick is an indicator of the president-elect’s respect for and trust in Wiles, who took over his political operation when he was in the veritable wilderness, reeling from the backlash to January 6th. The source described Wiles as a rare person who has the ability to say “no” to Donald Trump.
Andrew Feinberg reports:
The Trump transition has begun — and it’s unorthodox
Supporters and administration hopefuls have been flocking to Mar-a-Lago in the days since Trump’s win, Andrew Feinberg reports, as the first members of the new White House team are announced
Who could be in Trump’s attorney general?
Several people have been named as potential attorney generals for Donald Trump’s administration – a critical position that will spearhead Trump’s campaign of revenge against his political enemies.
Here are some contenders:
Ken Paxton
Former senator Paxton has been Texas attorney general since 2015.
Perhaps one of the more well-known state attorney generals, Paxon has made a name for himself fighting for Texas’s strict abortion ban, aggressive anti-immigration policies and defeating his own set of impeachment charges.
Earlier this year, Trump called Paxton “talented” and told reporters he was considering him for attorney general.
Mike Lee
Utah senator Lee is a Trump critic turned ally. He refused to endorse Trump during the 2016 Republican primaries but changed his tune in 2020 and 2024. He led the effort to acquit his impeachment charges and supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Having become a close confidant of Trump in recent years – even launching an X account dedicated to sharing MAGA views – Lee could also be a top contender for AG.
Mike Davis
Davis is a conservative and former law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch who has made a splash within Trumpworld. He recently wrote on X that he wants to “drag their dead political bodies through the streets, burn them, and throw them off the wall” – seemingly referring to Democrats.
Trump described Davis as “tough as hell” and said he wanted him “in a very high capacity” in his administration during a rally.
Tucker Carlson back Rick Scott in Senate leadership election
Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host and deeply loyal Trump ally, angrily ranted about upcoming Senate majority leadership elections being unfair to the president-elect and endorsed Florida Senator Rick Scott.
Carlson accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of engineering a “coup” by calling for the election to be held on Wednesday, November 13 – a quick turnaround from Election Day.
“What the hell is going on in the US Senate?” Carlson wrote on X. “Hours after Donald Trump wins the most conclusive mandate in 40 years, Mitch McConnell engineers a coup against his agenda by calling early leadership elections in the senate.”
Carlson claimed that two of the three candidates “hate Trump”. That includes Senator John Cornyn of Texas and Senator John Thune of South Dakota.
“[Cornyn] is an angry liberal whose politics are indistinguishable from Liz Cheney’s,” Carlson said.
He advocated for Scott to become the next leader and told followers to call their senators to “demand a public endorsement”.
Gavin Newsom prepares fight against Trump measures
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday called a special legislative session so the state could prepare for potential conflicts with the Trump administration.
“The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle,” he said in a statement. “California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared to fight in the courts, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive.”
The state, which frequently sued to protect various policies challenged by the Trump administration, reportedly began preparing for a potential Trump win over the summer, with the attorney general’s office pre-writing briefs and planning potential legal strategies.
Trump announces inaugural committee
Trump has tapped his longtime friend, Steve Witkoff, and Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler to co-chair his inaugural committee, a press release from the Trump–Vance campaign said.
Witkoff is a real estate investor. He spoke at the Republican National Convention before Trump.
Loeffler is a Senator from Georgia and Trump ally. She repeated Trump’s false claims of voter fraud during the 2020 election. She has repeatedly defended the former president even when confronted about the Hollywood Access tape recording.
Trump transition plan faces road block with ethics code
President-elect Donald Trump reportedly has not submitted a mandatory ethics pledge stating he will avoid conflicts of interest and other ethical concerns while in office – something that could hold up the presidential transition process.
Trump’s transition team has privately created its own ethics code but it does not contain the language necessary to address how the former president will address conflicts of interest during his term, according to The New York Times.
That code was supposed to be due October 1.
Trump’s team has also reportedly delayed signing and handing in other required documents which prevents the transition team from participating in national security briefings or gaining access to other federal resources.
Pelosi slams Bernie Sanders for comments about Democrats abandoning working class
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she does “not respect” Bernie Sanders’ remarks that Democrats have “abandoned working-class families”.
The newly re-elected Vermont senator said in a statement after Donald Trump sailed to victory that “it should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party, which has abandoned working-class people, would find that the working-class has abandoned them.”
“While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change,” he said.
In an interview with The New York Times, Pelosi said she “completely disagreed”.
“Kamala Harris ran ahead of Bernie Sanders in Vermont,” she said, before reiterating that the purpose of the Democratic party was to go to bat for “America’s working families.”
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