Matt Gaetz withdraws from consideration as Donald Trump’s attorney general

(WASHINGTON) — Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected John Thune to be the next Republican leader, succeeding Mitch McConnell in a position he’s held for 17 years.

With McConnell announcing his intent to step aside earlier this year, Thune, the current Republican whip, was running against Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas senator and former Republican whip and Sen. Rick Scott, a Florida Republican who just won reelection to his second term.

Scott was eliminated after the first round of voting by secret ballot on Wednesday before the final round.

Ahead of the vote, Republicans gathered behind closed doors for over two hours Tuesday evening to hear arguments from Thune, Cornyn and Scott, as well as other senators who are running for down-ballot leadership positions. Any other candidate who might wish to throw their name in the running for party leadership would have been permitted to do so during the meeting.

It was described by senators in the room as “energetic” but not a debate.

When the meeting was over, Thune told reporters that Tuesday night was an opportunity for the conference to hear from the candidates.

When asked specifically about the whip count, Thune remained vague.

“You never know until the voters vote,” Thune said.

Cornyn kept quiet leaving the room, “I’ll make my pitch to my colleagues, not to you.”

Even before the Tuesday meeting, the candidates were beginning to make their closing arguments and working to assert their loyalty to Trump, whose influence could certainly sway the outcome of the race.

Cornyn wrote a letter to colleagues Tuesday, obtained by ABC News, in which he repeatedly touted his commitment to Trump’s agenda and confirmation of his Cabinet selections.

“It’s imperative that Republicans hit the ground running to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda for the American people,” Cornyn wrote in the letter, citing GOP success across the House, Senate, an White House.

Scott, meanwhile, has made appearances on cable news outlets in recent days and touted his endorsements from a number of Trump-aligned outside influencers, including Elon Musk and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He’s tried to position himself as the most Trump-aligned candidate.

And Thune, who perhaps has had the iciest relationship with Trump among the contenders, also made clear he’s been in regular contact with Trump’s team, and he’s made public statements supporting Trump proposals, including potential changes to Senate operating procedure.

Trump has not endorsed a candidate in the leadership race, opting instead to insist that whichever candidate is selected will support his use of recess appointments, which would allow him to temporarily fill federal vacancies without Senate approval.

All three candidates have signaled their willingness to use that strategy to quickly fill out Trump’s Cabinet.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump has vowed, if he’s elected, to conduct a large-scale deportation operation that some immigration and military experts agree is theoretically possible but also problematic, and could cost tens — even hundreds — of billions a year.

In FY 2023, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers conducted 170,590 administrative arrests, representing a 19.5% increase over the previous year, and more than any year of the Trump presidency.

Should he win a second term, Trump has promised to exponentially increase this work and suggested deporting all of the estimated 11 million people living in this country without legal immigration status.

His team, at various points, has suggested starting with “criminals,” though they have provided few specifics about who would be prioritized.

One cost estimate: $88B – $315B a year

A new report from the American Immigration Council, an immigration rights research and policy firm, estimates that to deport even one million undocumented immigrants a year would cost over $88 billion dollars annually, for a total of $967.9 billion over more than ten years.

The report acknowledges there are significant cost variables depending on how such an operation would be conducted and says its estimate does not take into account the loss of tax revenue from workers nor the bigger economic loss if people self-deport and American businesses lose labor.

A one-time effort to deport even more people in one year annually could cost around $315 billion, the report estimates, including about $167 billion to detain immigrants en masse.

The two largest costs, according to the group, would be hiring additional personal to carry out deportation raids and constructing and staffing mass detention centers. “There would be no way to accomplish this mission without mass detention as an interim step,” the report reads.

Trump campaign official agree one of the biggest logistical hurdles in any mass deportation effort would be constructing and staffing new detention centers as an interim solution.

Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, has repeatedly said that should Trump win the White House, his team plans to construct facilities to hold between 50,000 – 70,000 people. By comparison, the entire U.S. prison and jail population in 2022, comprising every person held in local, county, state, and federal prisons and jails, is currently 1.9 million people.

The American Immigration Council report estimates that to deport one million immigrants a year would require the United States to “build and maintain 24 times more ICE detention capacity than currently exists.”

There are currently an estimated 1.1 million undocumented immigrants in the country who have received “final orders of removal.” Those individuals, in theory, could be removed immediately by ICE agents, but because of limited resources ICE agents have instead focused lately on those people who have recently arrived or who have dangerous crimes

“I think it is possible that they could execute on this. The human resources would be the hardest for them to overcome. They would have to pull ICE agents from the border if they want to go into cities,” Katie Tobin, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who served as President Joe Biden’s top migration adviser in the National Security Council, told ABC News.

ICE agents currently help Customs and Border Patrol agents on the border, carrying out expedited deportations of new arrivals who have recently crossed into the country illegally and provide logistical support to the Department of Homeland Security.

A new mandate to round up and deport individuals who have been living in the country for some time could mark a significant change for the law enforcement agency.

The American Immigration Council report estimates that to carry out even one million deportations a year, ICE would need to hire around 30,000 new officers, “instantly making it the largest law enforcement agency in the federal government,” the report reads.

Trump campaign: Deportation cost less than migrant costs

The Trump campaign has argued the cost of deportation “pales in comparison” to other costs associated housing and providing social services to recent migrants. “Kamala’s border invasion is unsustainable and is already tearing apart the fabric of our society. Mass deportations of illegal immigrant criminals, and restoring an orderly immigration system, are the only way to solve this crisis,” Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for Trump’s campaign, told ABC News in a statement.

Trump has promised to mobilize and federalize National Guard units to help with the deportation effort, which would likely be a first for the military.

Under U.S. law, military units are barred from engaging in domestic law enforcement, although Trump has proposed invoking the Insurrection Act, a sweeping law, that could give him broader powers to direct National Guard units as he sees fit.

“We don’t like uniform military in our domestic affairs at all,” William Banks, professor at Syracuse University and Founding Director of the Institute on National Security and Counter Terrorism, told ABC News in a phone interview. “The default is always have the civilians do it. The cops, the state police, the city police, the sheriffs,” he went on.

Using the military for domestic law enforcement would be a fundamental shift, one which Banks argues too few Americans have considered or grappled with.

“It would turn out whole society upside down … all these arguments about him being an autocrat or dictator, it is not a stretch,” he said. For example, uniformed military officers are not trained in law enforcement and if they were asked to conduct civilian arrests there could be significant civil liberties conflicts and violations.

In order to, target and deport immigrants whose have not received “final orders of removal” but whose cases are still pending, Trump has discussed using another rare legal maneuver to himself broad authority to target and detain immigrants without a hearing, specifically invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law last used during World War II to detain Japanese Americans.

Trump would also need other nations to accept deported individuals and allow deportation flights to land back on their soil.

Katie Tobin, a scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who served as President Joe Biden’s top migration adviser on the National Security Council, told ABC News, “Last time the Trump administration did not hesitate to threaten punitive action to countries that didn’t cooperate with them on immigration, but there are some practical issues there in terms of just how many flights a country like Guatemala or Colombia can accept per week.”

There would likely be less tangible and more indirect costs of a mass deportation effort as well. Inevitably there would be ripple effects throughout the economy. In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrant households paid $46.8 billion in federal taxes and $29.3 billion in state and local taxes, according to the report, and “undocumented immigrants also contributed $22.6 billion to Social Security and $5.7 billion to Medicare.”

The human toll

Experts also predict that if a future Trump administration were to follow through with some large, initial and highly visible deportation operation, a significant number of individuals and families would likely choose to self-deport in order to avoid family separations or having to spend time in a military-style detention center.

The authors of the American Immigration Council report argue that the effect of a mass deportation program, as described by Trump and his advisers, would “almost certainly threaten the well-being” of even those immigrants with lawful status in the United States and “even, potentially, naturalized U.S. citizens and their communities.”

“They would live under the shadow of weaponized enforcement as the U.S. went after their neighbors, and, as social scientists found under the Trump administration, would be prone to worry they and their children might be next,” the report says.

In recent interviews and conversations with reporters, Trump’s running mate Ohio Sen. JD Vance has dodged the question of whether a future Trump administration would separate families during a new deportation effort or in detention centers along the border.

“If a guy commits gun violence and is taken to prison, that’s family separation, which, of course, is tragic for the children, but you’ve got to prosecute criminals, and you have to enforce the law,” Vance told reporters in September when visiting the border.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — After a sweeping victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5, President-elect Donald Trump is now set to become just the second ever to serve nonconsecutive terms in office.

Trump has wasted no time in moving to assemble his team for a second term in the White House — naming Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser and Tom Homan as his “border czar,” among other positions.

Inauguration Day is Jan. 20.

Nov 14, 2024, 4:22 PM EST – Trump nominates RFK Jr. for HHS secretary

Trump officially announced he has selected Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Health and Human Services secretary.

“For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health,” he said in a statement, adding that Kennedy will “restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency.”

The position requires Senate confirmation.

Kennedy is an anti-vaccine activist who founded the Children’s Health Defense, a prominent anti-vaccine nonprofit that has campaigned against immunizations and other public health measures like water fluoridation.

Nov 14, 2024, 2:34 PM EST – JPMorgan Chase CEO not joining Trump administration

Trump said JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon will not be invited to be a part of his administration, after Dimon had already repeatedly indicated that he doesn’t intend to join the second Trump administration.

“I respect Jamie Dimon, of JPMorgan Chase, greatly, but he will not be invited to be a part of the Trump Administration. I thank Jamie for his outstanding service to our Country!” Trump said on social media Thursday.

A few weeks ago, Trump falsely posted on his social media that Dimon had endorsed him. Dimon, through his spokesperson, immediately refuted the claim.

-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Kelsey Walsh and Lalee Ibssa

Nov 14, 2024, 1:32 PM EST – Blumenthal says he knows 5-10 GOP senators considering voting against Gaetz

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., told reporters Thursday he “can name between five and 10 Republicans who are seriously considering voting against” Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general.

Blumenthal said the senators are also “insisting that there be a vote,” after Trump has urged the incoming GOP Senate majority to embrace recess appointments to install members of his Cabinet.

“Republicans, as well as Democrats, are absolutely aghast at the idea that we would allow a recess appointment of the top judicial officer in the United States of America; that is absolutely abhorrent to the powers and traditions of the United States Senate and the Constitution,” Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal, who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has also demanded that the House ethics report on Gaetz regarding allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use be released following Gaetz’s resignation from Congress.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Benjamin Siegel and Hannah Demissie
 

Nov 14, 2024, 12:32 PM EST – Gaetz resignation letter read on House floor

On the House floor Thursday afternoon, the clerk read a resignation letter from Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz regarding his immediate departure from Congress, following Trump’s nomination of him for attorney general.

“I hereby resign as a United States representative for Florida’s 1st congressional district, effective immediately. And I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of attorney general in the Trump administration,” the House clerk read from the letter, which was submitted on Wednesday.

In light of Gaetz’s resignation, the new House breakdown is 220 Republicans, 213 Democrats and two vacancies.

-ABC News’ Lauren Peller

Nov 14, 2024, 12:04 PM EST – Thune says he doesn’t know if Gaetz will be confirmed until they start the process

When asked if he believes Matt Gaetz could be confirmed as attorney general, the incoming Senate majority leader told ABC News he doesn’t know until they start the Senate confirmation process.

“I don’t know until we start the process, and that’s what we intend to do with him and all the other potential nominees,” Sen. John Thune said. “None of this stuff’s formal yet, but you know, when it is, we expect our committees to do their jobs and provide the advice and consent that is required under the Constitution.”

Gaetz, who had been under a House ethics investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, resigned from Congress on Wednesday following his nomination for attorney general by Trump. Sources told ABC News the committee was preparing to meet this week to deliberate over whether to release a final report on the matter.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who currently chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, has called for the report’s release, saying Gaetz’s resignation raises “serious questions” about its contents.

“We cannot allow this valuable information from a bipartisan investigation to be hidden from the American people,” Durbin said in a statement Thursday.

House Ethics Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., refused to discuss the confidentiality of the investigation into Gaetz.

“What happens in ethics is confidential,” Guest told reporters Thursday.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Isabella Murray, Lauren Peller, Arthur Jones II and Mariam Khan

Nov 14, 2024, 11:46 AM EST – Mayorkas committed to a ‘smooth transition’ for incoming DHS secretary

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he is committed to a “smooth transition” at the department he leads.

“I am committed to a smooth transition to ensure that the incoming Secretary and their team understands the challenges that we face on the homeland, and to ensure that the team understands, appreciates and is in a position to advance the capabilities that we have developed and strengthened to address those challenges successfully,” Mayorkas said on a conference call with reporters on a separate topic on Thursday. “The transition team has not landed here at the Department of Homeland Security.”

He said the department is still implementing President Joe Biden’s policies.

“We are no different than any administration that perceives us in so far as we have a president now and we are executing the policies of this president. The president-elect will determine what policies to promulgate and implement, and that is, of course, the president-elect’s prerogative.”

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was nominated by Trump for the DHS secretary position, which requires Senate confirmation.

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

Nov 14, 2024, 11:28 AM EST – Nikki Haley says she spoke with Trump transition team, did not want position

In an episode of her online radio show, SiriusXM’s Nikki Haley Live, on Wednesday, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley claimed that Trump’s transition team spoke to her asking for advice about who should be in Trump’s cabinet, although she said she made it clear she did not want to take a position in the administration.

She also indicated that the way Trump handled saying she would not be in the administration was “shallow.”

“I had no interest in being in [Trump’s] cabinet. He knew that,” Haley said.

Haley said Trump confidant (and incoming special envoy to the Middle East) Steve Witkoff spoke to her saying he “wanted a truce between me and Donald Trump. And I told him at the time, there was no truce needed, that I had — that Trump had my support, there was no issues [sic] on my end,” Haley said.

“And at that point he was like, ‘What do you want? Tell me what you want. Is there anything you want?’ And I said, ‘There’s nothing I want.’ And there wasn’t anything I wanted.”

She said that later that she spoke directly with Trump transition director Howard Lutnick to give advice.

ABC News has reached out to the Trump transition team about Haley’s claims.

-ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim, Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Hannah Demissie

Nov 14, 2024, 6:59 AM EST – DeSantis says he’s instructed Florida’s secretary of state to make a schedule for upcoming special elections

With both Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz being tapped for President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on X on Thursday morning that he’s instructed Florida’s secretary of state to make a schedule for the special elections to replace them.

“Congratulations to the Floridians being appointed to key positions in the Trump Administration: Senator Marco Rubio, Congressman Matt Gaetz, and Congressman Mike Waltz,” DeSantis wrote on X. “I’ve instructed Secretary of State Cord Byrd to formulate and announce a schedule for the upcoming special elections immediately.”

However, DeSantis’ post did not mention anything about when these elections could happen.

Nov 13, 2024, 9:25 PM EST – Trump considering his lawyer for deputy attorney general: Sources

President-elect Donald Trump is considering his top defense attorney for the second highest position in the Department of Justice, sources tell ABC News.

Todd Blanche, who represented Trump in the hush money case and in both of Jack Smith’s federal probes, is being considered as the deputy attorney general, multiple sources said.

Blanche had been widely speculated to join Trump in the federal government in some form.

The position would need Senate confirmation.

-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders

Nov 13, 2024, 7:20 PM EST – Gaetz already resigned from Congress, Speaker Johnson says

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s pick for attorney general, offered his resignation from Congress earlier Wednesday — effective immediately, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced.

Johnson said the resignation took him by “surprise” but that the Florida congressman did so to “start the clock” on the process for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to call a special election to fill his vacancy.

“We’re grateful for that so we move forward,” Johnson said.

The move slims the new House GOP majority.

Johnson did not weigh in on the House Ethics Committee probe into Gaetz that will now cease with no report released, as Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress.

-ABC News’ Lauren Peller and Isabella Murray

Nov 13, 2024, 3:31 PM EST – Trump nominates Matt Gaetz as attorney general

Trump has nominated Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general, he posted on his social media.

Gaetz was seen traveling with Trump in the motorcade Wednesday during the president-elect’s visit to Washington, D.C.

The role is a Senate-confirmed appointment.

Trump called Gaetz a “deeply gifted and tenacious attorney” who will “end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department.”

Gaetz is an explosive selection by Trump to be the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government, leading the very same executive branch of government that spent years investigating allegations regarding the Florida congressman. Gaetz was informed that the DOJ would not seek charges just last year. He has long denied any wrongdoing.

Gaetz faces an ongoing probe by the House Ethics Committee for the same allegations, related to sex trafficking and obstruction of justice.

Gaetz has been down in Mar-a-Lago almost daily since Election Day, helping make suggestions and input on other administration selections, sources told ABC News.

-ABC News’ Will Steakin

Nov 13, 2024, 3:20 PM EST – Tulsi Gabbard tapped as director of national intelligence

Trump announced that former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is his pick for director of national intelligence.

“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength,” Trump said in a statement.

The role is a Senate-confirmed appointment.

Gabbard, who once ran for president as a Democrat, had a prominent role as part of Trump’s 2024 campaign team.

Nov 13, 2024, 3:06 PM EST – Marco Rubio announced as secretary of state pick

Trump has officially announced Florida Sen. Marco Rubio as his nomination for secretary of state.

“Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom,” Trump said in a statement. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.”

The role must be confirmed by the Senate.

November 13, 2024, 2:23 pm EST – Biden, Trump had ‘substantive meeting and exchange of views’: White House

President Joe Biden and Trump had a “substantive meeting and exchange of views” during their nearly two-hour Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, according to the White House press secretary.

“They discussed important national security and domestic policy issues facing the nation and the world,” Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters during a briefing following the meeting. “President Biden also raised important items on Congress’s to-do list for the lame duck session, including funding the government and providing the disaster supplemental funding the president requested.”

Biden also reiterated that “we will have an orderly transition and a peaceful transition of power,” she added.

On the national security discussion, ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan if Biden made the case for the U.S. not to walk away from Ukraine, and how the message was received.

“I will only note that President Biden reinforced his view that the United States, standing with Ukraine on an ongoing basis, is in our national security interest,” Sullivan responded, adding that “standing up to aggressors and dictators and pushing back against their aggression is vital to ensuring that we don’t end up getting dragged directly into a war.”

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

November 13, 2024, 11:37 AM EST – The battle for Trump’s treasury secretary

As Trump continues to round out his cabinet, the job of treasury secretary remains in flux, with the co-chair of Trump’s transition team actively vying for the job, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

Howard Lutnick is looking to be tapped as treasury secretary, sources said, a move that comes as investor and hedge fund manager Scott Bessent is also a top contender for the role.

Bessent traveled to Mar-a-Lago as recently as Friday to meet with Trump about the job, the sources said.

Lutnick, on the other hand, spends hours with Trump nearly each day, presenting candidates for top roles in the administration. As such, the move by Lutnick to attempt to get a cabinet position for himself has frustrated some close to Trump.

Sources caution the job is still in flux and neither man could get the job — with the potential for other candidates to emerge.

One potential dark horse for the job, one source told ABC News, is former Trump administration trade representative Robert Lighthizer, who Trump sees as an aggressive advocate for his tariff-heavy approach to international trade.

-ABC News’ Jonathan Karl, Olivia Rubin and Katherine Faulders

November 13, 2024, 11:32 AM EST – Trump and Biden meet in Oval Office

President Joe Biden and Trump are meeting in the Oval Office, resuming a tradition that Trump himself flouted in 2020.

Biden spoke first and called for a smooth transition. Trump then said politics is tough but the transition will be smooth.

They did not answer questions.

November 13, 2024, 11:06 AM EST – Trump announces senior White House staff

Trump announced his senior staff on Wednesday, bringing back some of his well-known names from his first term and those who helped on his campaign.

Dan Scavino, one of Trump’s long-time allies, was named assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff. Stephen Miller was named assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff, a move reported earlier this week.

James Blair, the Republican National Committee political director and campaign aide, has been named assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs. Taylor Budowich will serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. He was a senior member of several of Trump’s PACs.

November 13, 2024, 9:50 AM EST – Trump struggles with attorney general decision, Musk sits in on interviews for key positions: Sources

President-elect Donald Trump is moving quickly to install loyalists and allies into his administration. But he’s struggling with making a decision on one of his top law enforcement positions: attorney general, multiple sources told ABC News.

Trump interviewed multiple candidates for attorney general on Tuesday, but he came away unsatisfied, sources with knowledge of the conversations told ABC News.

Trump interviewed Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Monday, and sat down with lawyers Jay Clayton and Bob Giuffra about the post, sources said. No final decision has been made, sources said.

Notably, billionaire Elon Musk has been involved in — and sitting in on — interviews with potential attorney general candidates, the sources said.

In a sign of how quickly other positions are moving, Pete Hegseth — the Fox News host selected as the nominee for Defense Secretary — was just called Monday and interviewed for the position Tuesday, a source familiar told ABC News.

Within hours, Trump made his choice, sources added. Several Republicans on Capitol Hill and even some Trump allies described being “caught off guard” by the pick.

-Katherine Faulders, Will Steakin, Rachel Scott, John Santucci

November 13, 2024, 5:30 AM EST – Illinois, Colorado governors announce state-level coalition to resist Trump policies

Democratic Govs. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis of Colorado will be the co-chairs of a new “non-partisan” coalition of the nation’s governors committed to protecting the “state-level institutions of democracy” ahead of Donald Trump’s incoming presidency.

Governors Safeguarding Democracy, or GSD, will be overseen by governors and supported by a network of senior staff designated by each leader while being supported by GovAct, an organization “championing fundamental freedoms.”

GovAct is advised by a bipartisan board that includes former Republican and Democratic governors and senior officials like former GOP Gov. Arne Carlson of Minnesota, former Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts and former GOP Gov. Bill Weld of Massachusetts.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

November 12, 2024, 7:59 PM EST – Gov. Kristi Noem picked for Homeland Security secretary

Trump confirmed he has picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to be his Homeland Security secretary.

Trump said in a statement that Noem will work closely with “border czar” Tom Homan and “will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries.”

The role requires Senate confirmation.

November 12, 2024, 7:47 PM EST – Trump announces Department of Government Efficiency led by Musk, Ramaswamy

Trump has announced that billionaire Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential candidate and ally of the president-elect, will lead a new Department of Government Efficiency.

“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies,” Trump said in a statement.

The Department of Government Efficiency is not a new government agency. Trump said it will “provide advice and guidance from outside of government” and “partner” with the White House and Office of Management and Budget to drive structural government reform.

Trump has previously said Musk would take a role in his administration as head of a new “government efficiency commission.”

November 12, 2024, 7:27 PM EST – Trump nominates Pete Hegseth for defense secretary

Trump has nominated Pete Hegseth to be his defense secretary.

Hegseth is currently a host of “Fox & Friends” as well as an Army combat veteran.

“Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy,” Trump said in a statement.

The role requires Senate confirmation.

November 12, 2024, 5:57 PM EST – Trump picks John Ratcliffe for CIA director

Trump announced that John Ratcliffe is his pick for director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The role requires Senate confirmation.

Ratcliffe was a former director of National Intelligence during Trump’s first term.

“I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation’s highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, adding that Ratcliffe “will be a fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans.”

November 12, 2024, 5:55 PM EST – Trump names attorney Bill McGinley as his White House counsel

Trump has named attorney Bill McGinley as his White House counsel, his transition team announced.

McGinley served as the White House Cabinet secretary during Trump’s first term and has served as general counsel at the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

“Bill is a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement,” Trump said in a statement.

The White House counsel is appointed by the president.

November 12, 2024, 5:27 PM EST – Trump taps friend and donor Steve Witkoff as special envoy to the Middle East

Trump has tapped his longtime friend and donor Steve Witkoff as his special envoy to the Middle East, the president-elect’s transition team announced.

Witkoff, along with former Sen. Kelly Loeffler, has been leading the inauguration efforts.

Witkoff has held multiple fundraisers for Trump throughout the election cycle and accompanied him to numerous campaign rallies. He was also golfing with Trump during the alleged second assassination attempt in West Palm Beach earlier this year.

-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Kelsey Walsh and Lalee Ibssa

November 12, 2024, 4:42 PM EST – Trump expected to tap Kristi Noem for DHS secretary: Sources

Trump is expected to soon announce he has chosen South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his next secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, according to sources.

The role requires Senate confirmation.

Noem was on the short-list to be Trump’s running mate, but her chances dimmed as she fended off controversy over accounts in her book about killing her dog that she claimed was showing aggressive behavior.

She also faced backlash after her spokesperson said a claim she made about meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and an account of an interaction with former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley were “errors.”

She is a loyal Trump ally who will work closely with Trump’s new border czar Tom Homan and new deputy chief of staff for policy, Stephen Miller. CNN was first to report the news of Noem as the secretary pick.

-ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. Rachel Scott, Katherine Faulders and Luke Barr

November 12, 2024, 3:25 PM EST – DeSantis must call for special elections to fill Waltz’s impending vacancy

To replace Florida Rep. Mike Waltz in the U.S. House following his selection to serve as Trump’s national security adviser, state statute requires Gov. Ron DeSantis to call for a special primary and then a special election in Florida.

The special elections to fill the House seat differ from Florida’s way of filling Senate seats. State law mandates that DeSantis appoint an individual to fill any Senate vacancy.

Waltz currently represents Florida’s solidly red 6th Congressional District, one that hasn’t been represented by a Democrat since 1989. DeSantis himself was the congressmember for the northeastern Florida seat ahead of Waltz.

ABC News has not yet reported a projection for who will have control of the House, but Waltz’s impending vacancy could impact Republicans’ numbers as they head toward a GOP “trifecta” in Washington.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

November 12, 2024, 2:01 PM EST – Trump nominates Mike Huckabee to be Israeli ambassador

Trump announced he has nominated former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel.

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years,” Trump said in a statement. “He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”

The role, which will need to be confirmed by the Senate, will be a key appointment as tensions remain high in the Middle East.

November 12, 2024, 1:37 PM EST – Trump officially announces Waltz as national security adviser pick

Trump has officially announced his appointment of Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser.

The president-elect highlighted Waltz’s military background in a statement on the appointment, noting that he is the first Green Beret to have been elected to Congress and served in the Army Special Forces for 27 years.

“Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Trump said in a statement.

The national security adviser is appointed by the president without confirmation by the Senate.

-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Kelsey Walsh and Lalee Ibssa

November 12, 2024, 11:50 AM EST – Will Trump’s administration picks impact House control?

While control of the House has not yet been projected by ABC News, Republicans are inching toward maintaining their slim majority.

But already, Trump has picked several lawmakers to serve in his administration: Rep. Elise Stefanik for United Nations ambassador and Rep. Mike Waltz for national security adviser.

Speaker Mike Johnson, asked about the issue on Tuesday, said he’s spoken to Trump about it several times.

“We have a really talented Republican Congress … Many of them can serve in important positions in the new administration. But President Trump fully understands, appreciates the math here and it’s just a numbers game,” Johnson said. “You know, we believe we’re going to have a larger majority than we had last time.”

The speaker added: “I don’t expect that we will have more members leaving, but I’ll leave that up to him.”

November 12, 2024, 11:39 AM EST – Billionaire John Paulson says he’s not a candidate for Treasury role

Billionaire John Paulson said Tuesday he does not plan to formally join the administration as the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, though he said he intends to remain actively involved with Trump’s economic team.

“Although various media outlets have mentioned me as a candidate for Secretary of the Treasury, my complex financial obligations would prevent me from holding an official position in President Trump’s administration at this time,” Paulson said in a statement.

“However, I intend to remain actively involved with the President’s economic team and helping in the implementation of President Trump’s outstanding policy proposals,” he added.

-ABC News’ Beatrice Peterson

November 12, 2024, 11 AM EST – Johnson teases Trump visit to the Capitol

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed that Trump is expected to visit the U.S. Capitol to celebrate a potential Republicans “trifecta” on Wednesday morning before he sits down in the Oval Office with President Joe Biden later in the day.

“Well, I’ll say I didn’t intend to break this as news this morning,” Johnson quipped as he held a press conference with House Republican leadership.

“He wanted to come and visit with House Republicans, so we’re working out the details of him gathering with us potentially tomorrow morning, before he goes to the White House,” Johnson said. “And that would be a great meeting and a moment for all of us, there’s a lot of excitement, a lot of energy here. We’re really grateful for President Trump leaving it all on the field to get reelected.”

ABC News’ John Parkinson, Isabella Murray and Lauren Peller

November 12, 2024, 11 AM EST – House Republican leadership say they’re ready for Day 1 under Trump

Returning to Washington on Tuesday, Speaker Mike Johnson and other top House Republicans took a victory lap on last week’s election results.

While ABC News has not yet projected House control, Republicans are three seats away from clinching the 218 needed for a majority.

Johnson said they are monitoring outstanding races closely but are confident they will have a “unified” government come January.

“This leadership will hit the ground running to deliver President Trump’s agenda in the 119th Congress, and we will work closely with him and his administration to turn this country around and unleash, as he says, a new golden age in America,” Johnson said at a press conference on the Capitol steps.

Read more here.

November 11, 2024, 11:22 PM EST – Trump’s new ‘border czar’ issues warning to sanctuary states and cities

President-elect Donald Trump’s newly picked “border czar” Tom Homan addressed his forthcoming deportation plan and state leaders who have objected to sweeping immigration policies.

During an appearance on Fox News on Monday, Homan issued a warning to so-called “sanctuary” states and cities to “get the hell out of the way” of the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans.

“I saw today numerous governors from sanctuary states saying they’re going to step in the way. They better get the hell out of the way. Either you help us or get the hell out of the way, because ICE is going to do their job,” he warned, referring to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he formerly served as director.

“I’ll double the workforce in that sanctuary city. We’re going to do our job despite the politics. We’re doing it. So get used to it, because we’re coming,” Homan said.

When asked if he plans to deport American citizens, Homan said, “President Trump has made it clear we will prioritize public safety threats and national security threats first, and that’s how the focus would be.”

-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim

November 11, 2024, 8:48 PM EST – Trump expected to tap Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state: Sources

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce his intention to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for secretary of state, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Rubio, 53, has served in the Senate since 2011. He is currently the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Foreign Intelligence, and he also sits on the chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee.

Several long-serving State Department officials tell ABC News they respect Rubio’s extensive foreign policy experience and view him as unlikely to overly politicize the secretary of state role.

The secretary of state is appointed by the president with the consent of the Senate.

-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Shannon Kingston

November 11, 2024, 7:00 PM EST – Trump asks Rep. Mike Waltz to be his national security adviser: Sources

Trump has asked Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to be his national security adviser, multiple sources said.

Waltz was at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, sources said.

Waltz is a former Green Beret and China hawk who emerged as a key surrogate for Trump, criticizing the Biden-Harris foreign policy record during the campaign.

The Florida Republican sits on the Intelligence, Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees.

He has supported aid to Ukraine in the past but has demanded “conditions,” including increased spending from European allies, additional oversight of funds and pairing the aid with border security measures.

Waltz, who has visited Ukraine, was a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s policy towards Ukraine, criticizing the White House and allies for not providing Ukraine with more lethal aid — such as MiG fighter planes — earlier in the conflict.

Before running for elected office, Waltz served in various national security policy roles in the Bush administration, Pentagon and White House.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Benjamin Siegel, John Santucci and Katherine Faulders

November 11, 2024, 6:06 PM EST – Volunteer-run effort on RFK Jr.’s website crowd-sourcing ideas for Trump admin appointments

A volunteer-run effort on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s website has begun crowd-sourcing ideas for appointments in Trump’s administration.

A website titled “Nominees for the People” gives anyone the chance to submit names of people they’d like to see join the administration.

“President Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. want your help nominating people of integrity and courage for over 4,000 appointments across the future Trump administration,” the website reads.

Stefanie Spear, a Kennedy spokeswoman, told ABC News that the crowd-sourcing effort is “a grassroots initiative run by volunteers,” and is not actually spearheaded by Kennedy, although the page uses the “mahanow.org” URL that Kennedy’s official campaign website adopted after he exited the race.

“We’ve always offered space on our website to our grassroots movement,” Spear said.

This post has been updated to reflect that the crowd-sourcing effort is a volunteer-run effort.

-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik

November 11, 2024, 5:55 PM EST – Trump’s ‘border czar’ says mass deportation strategy will be a main priority

Former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan, Trump’s newly announced “border czar,” said his main priority will be overseeing and formulating Trump’s long-vowed mass deportation strategy while consolidating decisions related to border security.

“Everybody talks about this mass deportation operation. President Trump talks about. I’ll oversee that and come up with a strategy for that,” Homan said during a lengthy interview with his hometown television station WWNY on Monday.

Homan said Trump’s mass deportations is “going to be a targeted enforcement operation, concentrating on criminals and national security threats first.”

He acknowledged that the deportations would be costly but argued the policy would “save the taxpayers a lot of money.”

Homan said he does not plan to “separate women and children” but acknowledged that deporting alleged criminals would result in breaking up families.

“When we arrest parents here, guess what? We separate them. The illegal aliens should be no different,” Homan said.

Homan also said worksite enforcement — an aspect of immigration policy focused on unauthorized workers and employers who knowingly hire them — is “going to get fired back up.”

“Under President Trump, we’re going to work it and we’re going to work it hard,” he said.

-ABC News’ Peter Charalambous

November 11, 2024, 5:46 PM EST – Melania Trump skipping meeting with Jill Biden: Sources

Melania Trump is not expected to travel to Washington with President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, two sources told ABC News.

First lady Jill Biden had extended an invite to Melania Trump for a meeting, according to the sources. In 2016, Michelle Obama had hosted Melania Trump at the White House.

The Trump campaign declined to comment. The first lady’s office confirmed to ABC News that a joint invitation was extended to the Trumps to meet at the White House though declined to comment beyond that.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, John Santucci and Molly Nagle

November 11, 2024, 4:26 PM EST – RFK Jr. advising Trump transition on health decisions: Sources

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to broadly advise Trump and the transition team on health-related appointments and has been in discussions to possibly fill a major role in the next administration, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

While sources caution that a role has not been finalized, RFK Jr. has been discussed as a potential candidate for the next secretary of Health and Human Services. But other roles are also on the table, including a broad “czar”-like position that would advise on policy and personnel decisions in other health arenas, the sources said.

RFK Jr. has been in active discussions with the transition team since Trump’s election victory last week. He’s been spotted at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club multiple times and has been engaging in presentations which include candidates for specific Cabinet and health-related jobs, sources said.

He has spent hours with the co-heads of Trump’s transition team — billionaire Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon — in addition to others at Mar-a-Lago such as Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr.; investor and donor Omeed Malik; Tucker Carlson; and Del Bigtree, RFK Jr.’s former campaign spokesperson who produced a documentary called “Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe.”

-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Olivia Rubin and Will McDuffie

November 11, 2024, 3:30 PM EST – Lee Zeldin named to be EPA administrator

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

“Lee, with a very strong legal background, has been a true fighter for America First policies,” Trump said in a statement. “He will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet. He will set new standards on environmental review and maintenance, that will allow the United States to grow in a healthy and well-structured way.

Zeldin, who also ran for New York governor against Andrew Cuomo in 2022, confirmed he had been offered the job via a post on X.

“It is an honor to join President Trump’s Cabinet as EPA Administrator,” he wrote. “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI. We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.”

-ABC News’ John Santucci, Rachel Scott and Katherine Faulders

November 11, 2024, 3:06 PM EST -RFK Jr. suggests he’ll gut NIH, replace 600 employees

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. indicated over the weekend that he would fire 600 employees at the National Institutes of Health, replacing them with a new cohort of workers as he seeks to dramatically reshape America’s health agencies.

Speaking at the Genius Network Annual Event in Scottsdale, Arizona, Kennedy described his role vetting people for Donald Trump’s new administration.

“We need to act fast, and we want to have those people in place on Jan. 20, so that on Jan. 21, 600 people are going to walk into offices at NIH and 600 people are going to leave,” Kennedy said, according to a video of his remarks posted on YouTube.

November 11, 2024, 3:06 PM EST- Trump expected to announce Stephen Miller as deputy chief of staff

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to announce Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner and one of his senior advisers, will become his deputy chief of staff for policy, multiple sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

It’s not clear when Trump plans to formally announce the job, the sources said.

Miller worked in the first Trump administration and played a key role in crafting immigration policies — including those that resulted in thousands of families being separated at the border.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, John Santucci and Katherine Faulders

November 11, 2024, 3:00 PM EST – Trump picks Elise Stefanik as UN ambassador

President-elect Donald Trump selected Rep. Elise Stefanik to be his U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, multiple Trump officials told ABC News.

“I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement to ABC News.

Stefanik, a Republican congresswoman from New York’s 21st District, was elected last week to her sixth term in the House. She will inherit a role Nikki Haley held for two years in the first Trump administration.

-ABC News’ Rachel Scott, Katherine Faulders and John Santucci

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