Trump returns to DC, taps Gaetz for AG
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President-elect Trump returned to Washington on Wednesday for the first time since winning a second term, as triumphant Republicans celebrated election victories in the House and Senate and promised big changes to how the country is run. Trump knocked the wind out of the nation's capital by tapping controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to lead the Department of Justice as his attorney general. But first... Trump met with President Biden in the Oval Office, both men smiling broadly as they sat by the fireplace. Biden congratulated Trump and said he looks forward to a "peaceful transition." Trump famously denied Biden a customary welcome visit to the White House in 2020, as he claimed Biden's victory was illegitimate. "Politics is tough, and in many cases it's not a nice world, but it is a nice world today," Trump said. BREAKING THIS AFTERNOON: - Trump's nomination of Gaetz is certain to be met with backlash and opposition research dumps from Democrats — and possibly even some Republicans — in the Senate, where he'll face confirmation. In a statement, Trump said Gaetz would end the "weaponization of our Justice system." Gaetz is a polarizing figure and one of MAGA world's proudest agitators. His nomination appeared to catch Senate Republicans off guard. The Hill's Al Weaver was with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), who responded: "Holy cow." Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told The Hill's Alexander Bolton: "I'm sure we'll do our job and vet the nominee."
- Trump tapped former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be his Director of National Intelligence. Gabbard ran for president as a Democrat in 2020, but she backed Trump in 2024. She was a lieutenant colonel in the Army and was deployed to war zones in the Middle East and Africa.
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TRUMP ADDRESSES HOUSE REPUBLICANS |
Trump also visited Capitol Hill, where he gave a pep talk to House Republicans, who appear to have won a bare majority in the lower chamber. Trump endorsed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for another term, even as some hardline conservatives considered protesting his leadership. "I'm with him all the way," Trump said. And he joked about House Republicans voting to give him a third term. "I suspect I won't be running again, unless you do something," Trump said. "Unless you say, 'He's so good, we have to just figure it out.'" House Republicans currently have 219 seats to 211 for Democrats, with five races still too close to call, according to Decision Desk HQ. Republicans need 218 seats for a majority, and Trump has already nominated three members to serve in his administration, so they'll be shorthanded for several months until those special elections play out. Even when House Republicans are at full capacity, they might only have the slimmest majority possible, so governing could be a challenge. |
TRUMP'S DEFENSE PICK SURPRISES WASHINGTON |
Trump's pick of Pete Hegseth to be his secretary of Defense was met with backlash from Democrats and some head-scratching among Republicans. "Wow," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) replied upon learning of the pick. "I'm just surprised, because the names that I've heard for secretary of Defense have not included him." Hegseth, who is 44, is a decorated war veteran who earned two bronze stars for service in Afghanistan and Iraq. But he's also a Fox News anchor, which adds a combustible political element as he seeks to get confirmed by the Senate. Hegseth has spoken at length about purging the "woke" elements from the military. Many conservatives rallied to defend the pick, saying the Pentagon was a mess under Biden and that it needs a disruptive element to set it back on course. John Noonan, who has been a foreign policy adviser to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), wrote for the National Review: "The secretary of defense role is a political appointment, and it is political in nature. To be successful is to understand politics and all the strange little levers and pulleys and gears that make Washington spin. He understands politics and has keen political instincts." Either way, the Department of Defense is bracing for big changes under Trump. The Wall Street Journal reports that one of Trump's draft executive orders would allow him to oust generals en masse. |
TRUMP'S LATEST PICKS HAVE EYE ON DISRUPTION |
Trump tapped tech entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead an advisory group focused on cutting federal spending and reducing the size of the government. The group is called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, in reference to an Internet meme and bitcoin that Musk has embraced. It's unclear whether DOGE will be an official part of the administration or merely an outside advisory group. More nominations ... |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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Senate Republicans elect Thune as new leader
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Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) as their new leader, closing the book on Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) run as Senate GOP leader, which started in 2006. Via The Hill's Alexander Bolton: "Thune is well liked among his Senate Republican colleagues, and his affable, humble approach to managing the conference has earned the trust and confidence of fellow GOP senators." Thune defeated Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and withstood a late charge by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who had been endorsed by big names in MAGA world, including Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk. The rest of the Senate GOP leadership team will look like this: - Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) will be majority whip, the No. 2 in Senate GOP leadership.
- Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) will be Senate GOP conference chair, the No. 3 spot.
- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-Va.) will be the No. 4 Republican in the Senate, serving as chair of the Senate GOP's Policy Committee.
- Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) will be vice chair for Capito.
- Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will take over as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 2026 cycle.
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34 days until electors vote in their states. 51 days until new Congress begins. 54 days until Congress counts the electoral votes. 68 days until Inauguration Day. |
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Shellshocked Dems regroup on Capitol Hill
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The atmosphere on Capitol Hill was more subdued on the Democratic side. Via The Hill's Mychael Schnell and Mike Lillis: "House Democrats returned to the Capitol on Tuesday, dejected and licking their wounds after an election drubbing a week earlier that will put Donald Trump back in the White House and Republicans in control of all the levers of power in Washington next year." House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) tried to take responsibility for the party's inability to reclaim the the House, telling his conference "the buck stops with me." The Democratic caucus did not see it that way, an indication that Jeffries will win an easy victory for minority leader in the party's leadership elections next week. "He stood up there today and said, 'It's all on me.' And the whole caucus started booing [as if to say], 'This is not on you,'" Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said as he left the meeting. "I just felt like he'd been stewing over this. …. Like: 'We lost, I'm the top person. It's on me. And then the caucus did exactly what I wanted them to do: 'Oh, no. This is not going to go down like this. You're not [to blame].'" Democrats have been debating who or what is to blame for their stinging rebuke at the ballot box. - One Democratic National Committee member, Lindy Li, has made waves for questioning how Vice President Harris's campaign spent the enormous mounts of money it raised, calling the operation a "$1 billion disaster."
- Several news outlets have reported Harris's campaign ended $20 million in debt, although post-election filings won't be public until Dec. 5.
Other potential culprits include the Democrats' cultural move to the left and the embrace of academic progressivism, economic headwinds, and a failure to adequately address illegal immigration. |
💡 Perspectives: • The Hill: Here's what's standing in the way of Trump getting whatever he wants. • Intelligencer: Dems were crushed in 2004 too, but it didn't last long. • Rolling Stone: Blue-anon conspiracies explode. • The Liberal Patriot: Cross-pressure voters are underrepresented in the Democratic Party. |
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