Trump and Harris trade jabs at Al Smith Dinner, though Harris wasn’t there
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
(NEW YORK) — A presidential election tradition dating back to 1960 brought some laughs in New York City on Thursday night, but for the first time in 40 years, only one candidate will be on the dias.
Former President Donald Trump spoke at the New York Archdiocese’s annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner at the New York Hilton, where he was joined by his wife Melania Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris announced last month that she could not attend due to a conflicting campaign event but appeared at the dinner in a video.
“She is going to be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election,” a campaign official told ABC News on Sept. 23.
The vice president campaigned in Wisconsin on Thursday.
Trump alternated between making jokes about Harris and some of the other attendees and the regular lines that he uses while campaigning, but he did acknowledged the event’s tradition of self-deprecating jokes and said one was coming before admitting, “Ah, I got nothing.”
Harris appeared in her video with “Saturday Night Live” character Mary Katherine Gallagher, played by Molly Shannon as an awkward Catholic school girl who dreams of being a superstar.
Harris asked Mary Katherine for advice on how to address the Catholic gathering.
“Is there anything that you think that maybe I shouldn’t bring up tonight?”
“Um, well, don’t lie,” Mary Katherine replied. “Thou shalt not bear false witness to thy neighbor.”
“Indeed, especially thy neighbor’s election results,” Harris said.
Trump chastised Harris in a Truth Social post before the event for not showing up.
“They didn’t give me the option of a video message, nor would I have done it. This is very disrespectful to everyone involved,” he said adding that Harris should lose the Catholic vote over this.
After Harris’ video played, Trump repeated that sentiment.
“It’s been a long tradition for both Democrat and Republican candidates for president of the United States to attend this dinner. Always. It’s a rule. Otherwise, bad things are going to happen to you from up there,” he said. “You can’t do what I just saw on that screen. But, my opponent feels like she does not have to be here, which is deeply disrespectful to the event and in particular, to our great Catholic community. Very disrespectful.”
Later, mentioning the charity behind the dinner, Trump took another shot at Harris, saying, “I guess you should have told her the funds were going to bail out the looters and rioters in Minneapolis, and she would have been here, guaranteed.”
Since 1960, the black-tie event has hosted both the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates and allowed them to “share self-deprecating humor” and raise money for the archdiocese’s charitable organizations.
It is named in honor of Alfred E. Smith, the former New York governor who was the first Catholic to be nominated to a major party’s presidential ticket.
The last time a presidential candidate could not attend the dinner was in 1984, when Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale bowed out.
The event was emceed by comedian Jim Gaffigan, who currently plays Gov. Tim Walz on “Saturday Night Live.”
Trump confirmed his attendance in a Truth Social post on Sept. 23, not long after Harris’ campaign announced she would not show up.
“It’s sad, but not surprising, that Kamala has decided not to attend,” he said in the post.
In the same post, Trump accused Harris of being anti-Catholic and repeated past claims, without evidence, that the administration was persecuting Catholics. President Joe Biden is the second Catholic president in American history and attends mass weekly.
In the past, the presidential candidates have roasted each other and appeared to be in good spirits throughout the night. However, things were different in 2016, the last time both of the presidential candidates attended the event in person.
Trump was booed during his 2016 Al Smith dinner speech for repeatedly attacking Sec. of State Hilary Clinton.
During Clinton’s remarks, the Democratic nominee made some self-deprecating jokes about her stamina and paid speeches, before turning her attention to Trump, where she jabbed him on everything from his temperament to his ties to Russia.
Trump did not laugh or appear to be amused by his opponent’s jokes.
ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead. Via Flickr
(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.
Here is a running list of the people Trump has selected, or is expected to select, to serve in his administration.
Nov 14, 2024, 9:14 PM EST – Marianne Williamson praises RFK Jr., calls out Democrats over health policy
After wishing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. congratulations for his nomination as health secretary, former Democratic presidential candidate and progressive Marianne Williamson told ABC News the Democratic Party has a “profound lack of understanding of people’s health concerns.”
“I agreed with and campaigned on a lot of things Bobby Kennedy has to say, just as I have disagreed with other things,” Williamson said.
“But I recognized the malicious way the system sought to remove him from the conversation, due to a problem not within him but within it,” she added.
Williamson said that she suggested the Democratic Party “announce its own root cause food and health platform as an alternative” after Kennedy endorsed Trump.
“I offered the policies I had developed during my own campaign. Their disinterest displayed a profound lack of understanding of people’s health concerns, and how proactively creating health is a critically needed complement to treating the symptoms of sickness,” Williamson said.
Nov 14, 2024, 8:57 PM EST – Trump says he will tap Gov. Doug Burgum to lead the Department of the Interior
Trump made another cabinet announcement Thursday evening, saying North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will be tapped to be the Secretary of the Interior.
Speaking of energy policy, Trump said, “We’re going to slash energy costs. We’re going to get your energy bills in half, and that’s going to bring down the cost.”
Teasing the announcement, which he said will formally come Friday, Trump revealed Burgum will lead the Department of the Interior.
“He’s going to head the Department of Interior and he’s going to be fantastic,” Trump said.
Nov 14, 2024, 8:57 PM EST – Trump praises Elon Musk and RFK Jr. during gala address
During his address at the America First Policy Institute’s annual gala, Trump praised his newly announced cabinet members, Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Vivek Ramaswamy.
“He launched a rocket three weeks ago, and then he went to Pennsylvania to campaign because he considered this more important than launching rockets that cost billions of dollars. Elon Musk, what a job he does,” Trump said of Musk, who he appointed to spearhead the new Department of Government Efficiency with Ramaswamy.
Speaking of RFK Jr., who was tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Trump said, “I guess if you like health and if you like people that live a long time, it’s the most important position.”
Nov 14, 2024, 8:33 PM EST – Introduced by Sylvester Stallone, Trump takes the stage at AFPI gala
President-elect Donald Trump is at Mar-a-Lago Thursday evening for the America First Policy Institute’s annual gala.
He was introduced to the stage by “Rocky” actor Sylvester Stallone.
Nov 14, 2024, 8:06 PM EST – Burgum says there’s been ‘a lot of discussions’ when asked about potential Cabinet role
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum told reporters at Mar-a-Lago that there have been “a lot of discussions” when asked about a potential Cabinet role.
Asked about possibly being “energy czar,” Burgum responded, “There’s been a lot of rumors about that. But I think the key thing is not the role.”
“It’s not about any specific role,” he later added, saying the incoming Trump administration will be “very focused on trying to solve problems, and the nexus between energy and inflation and the nexus between energy and national security are key.”
When asked about conversations about interior secretary, Burgum said, “There’s been a lot of discussions about a lot of different things.”
“Nothing’s true until you read it on Truth Social,” he said.
Sources close to Burgum suggest he hoped to get the nod for secretary of state, for which Trump nominated Sen. Marco Rubio.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Nov 14, 2024, 6:44 PM EST – Trump expected to speak at AFPI’s Mar-a-Lago gala tonight
Trump is expected to speak at America First Policy Institute’s annual gala at Mar-a-Lago tonight.
Trump was seen attending AFPI’s festivities at his club Wednesday night, after returning from his visit to the White House.
The think tank has been quietly building policy proposals and infrastructure for a second Trump presidency. It houses hundreds of former Trump administration officials and staffers.
Nov 14, 2024, 6:33 PM EST – Trump taps another attorney for DOJ
Trump said he has selected Dean John Sauer as solicitor general, in his fourth announcement of the day.
The Department of Justice position requires Senate confirmation.
As Trump’s defense attorney, Sauer argued for presidential immunity in front of the Supreme Court earlier this year, in which the high court granted broad immunity for official acts.
He marks the third attorney who has worked on Trump’s criminal cases nominated for a DOJ position.
Nov 14, 2024, 6:25 PM EST – Doug Collins tapped for secretary of veterans affairs
Trump announced he has nominated former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins for secretary of veterans affairs.
Collins is a veteran who currently serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command, Trump said in a statement.
“We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need,” Trump said.
The position requires Senate confirmation.
Nov 14, 2024, 6:23 PM EST – Trump picks his defense attorneys for Justice Department posts
Trump announced he has selected Todd Blanche for deputy attorney general and Emil Bove for principal associate deputy attorney general.
Both represented Trump during his hush-money trial in Manhattan earlier this year, when he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The high-ranking Justice Department positions require Senate confirmation.
Nov 14, 2024, 5:18 PM EST – Senate Judiciary Dems ask House Ethics Committee for Gaetz report
Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have officially asked the House Ethics Committee to release its report on Matt Gaetz, including all other relevant documentation, in a letter shared by the office of Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin.
“The sequence and timing of Mr. Gaetz’s resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report and findings,” the letter signed by the 11 Democratic senators stated. “We cannot allow this critical information from a bipartisan investigation into longstanding public allegations to be hidden from the American people, given that it is directly relevant to the question of whether Mr. Gaetz is qualified and fit to be the next Attorney General of the United States.”
Durbin’s office said in a press release there is “substantial precedent” for the committee to release preliminary findings and reports after members have left and/or resigned from Congress.
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.
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Nov 14, 2024, 5:11 PM EST – Trump nominates former SEC Chair Jay Clayton for Manhattan US attorney
Trump has nominated his former SEC chair, Jay Clayton, as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the president-elect announced on social media.
The position requires Senate confirmation.
Clayton was one of the candidates who interviewed for the attorney general job, as ABC News previously reported.
The longtime corporate lawyer would enter the role with little-to-no experience prosecuting criminal cases.
Prior to running the SEC, Clayton worked almost exclusively as a corporate attorney, with the exception of a two-year clerkship and a brief internship for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Clayton spent most of his career at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell, where he represented hedge funds, wealthy investors, large banks, and massive corporations such as Deutsche Bank, UBS, and Alibaba Group. Clayton represented Goldman Sachs during the 2008 financial crisis and Barclays when it purchased Lehman Brothers’ assets out of bankruptcy.
-ABC News’ Peter Charalambous
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.
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
Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead via Flickr
(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump continues to announce his picks for top jobs inside his administration, most recently naming nominees for energy secretary and to helm the Federal Communications Commission.
Meanwhile, fallout continues for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s choice to serve as attorney general. The House Ethics Committee was investigating Gaetz for alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Calls are growing for the panel to release its report on Gaetz, who resigned from the House last week.
Trump announces Matt Whitaker as NATO ambassador
In a statement Wednesday, President-elect Trump announced former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker as ambassador to NATO.
Whitaker was an active member of Trump’s 2024 campaign.
“Matt is a strong warrior and loyal Patriot, who will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended,” Trump said.
Gaetz, Vance meet with senators on Capitol Hill ahead of House Ethics Committee meeting
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, is meeting with senators on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning alongside Vice President-elect JD Vance — hours before the House Ethics Committee is set to discuss its report on Gaetz.
The fate of the Gaetz report is in the hands of the committee, which has a reputation for being tight-lipped. It’s not clear if the committee will vote on whether to release the report.
GOP Sens. Josh Hawley and Lindsey Graham met with Vance and Gaetz Wednesday morning.
Graham told reporters that the meeting went well and that Gaetz deserves a fair nomination process.
“Here’s what I told him, no rubber stamps and no lynch mob. I’m not going to be part of a process that leaks information that shouldn’t be leaked,” Graham told reporters. “I’m not going to legitimize the process to destroy the man because people don’t like his politics. He will be held to account in the confirmation process. He deserves a chance to make his argument why he should be attorney general.”
Hawley was walking into the meeting when he told reporters that in his view, Congress should move forward with Gaetz’s confirmation process and respond to the allegations against him.
“Do the hearing and let him respond to everything under oath in public,” Hawley told reporters before entering the meeting.
-Allison Pecorin, Julia Cherner, Hannah Demissie
What to know about Dr. Oz
President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that heart surgeon-turned-TV-host Dr. Mehmet Oz would lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
So is he a real doctor? What would he be in charge of in the role? And what are some of his past controversies?
Read more here about what to know about Oz, his medical career and some medical claims he’s made that have come under fire.
Lara Trump said she would ‘absolutely’ accept Senate appointment to fill Rubio seat if asked
Lara Trump, Republican National Committee co-chair and daughter-in-law of President-elect Trump, said Wednesday morning on Fox and Friends First that she would “absolutely” accept an appointment to the U.S. Senate to replace Sen. Marco Rubio Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chooses her.
DeSantis will need to appoint someone to replace Rubio, who has been nominated to be Trump’s secretary of state. Rubio has not resigned from the Senate yet and like all Cabinet picks, is not confirmed yet — although his confirmation process is expected to go smoothly.
“I would be honored … to serve as the next senator from my state — right now, I’ve lived here for three and a half years — of Florida. Absolutely,” Lara Trump said.
Later, she added that DeSantis would “choose the best person for this position.”
“If he asks me to do it, yes, absolutely. It would be an honor,” she said.
-Oren Oppenheim
Stephen Miller indicates Trump would use recess appointments for Cabinet
Stephen Miller, President-elect Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff of policy, joined Hannity on Tuesday evening where he discussed a wide range of topics including several of Trump’s day one missions — including recess appointments to his Cabinet.
Asked if some Cabinet appointments were to become troublesome if Trump would use the recess appointment process, Miller said he would.
“Yes, the president has won a mandate, and he will use all lawful constitutional means to fulfill that mandate on behalf of the people who voted for him in record numbers,” Miller said.
Indicating that immigration will be a priority, Miller said mass deportations will occur immediately.
“It is going to be at light speed,” Miller said. “The moment that President Trump puts his hand on that Bible and takes the oath of office, as he has said, the occupation ends, liberation day begins.”
Miller added that Trump will “immediately sign executive orders sealing the border shut, beginning the largest deportation operation in American history, finding the criminal gangs, rapists, drug dealers and monsters that have murdered our citizens and sending them home.”
-Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim
Trump is the ‘decision-maker,’ his press secretary replies when asked about her role
Karoline Leavitt gave her first interview since being chosen as President-elect Donald Trump’s press secretary last week.
Asked if there would be daily press briefings during her appearance on Fox News, Leavitt punted to Trump.
“It’s certainly something I’ll discuss with President Trump. Ultimately, he is the decision-maker, as you know, that was the way in his first White House. It was the way on our campaign, and I will defer to him,” Leavitt said.
She didn’t address whether they’d knock traditional media aside for right-side broadcasters or podcasters, as some news outlets have indicated.
“We hope there will be decorum, certainly, and we will try to instill that. But we’re not shy of the hostile media,” she said. “We’ve dealt with that now in the campaign for the last year. Nobody does it better than President Trump.”
Explaining that the most effective communication methods might include “bringing different voices into the press briefing room” and vaguely stating that it might also “include some different rules,” she added: “Ultimately, it’s about serving the American people and getting President Trump’s message across to them.”
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Trump picks Linda McMahon for education secretary
President-elect Donald Trump announced he is nominating Linda McMahon, a former World Wrestling Entertainment executive and the former Small Business Services secretary, to lead the Department of Education.
McMahon, who served as Trump’s Small Business Services administrator for two years, has no teaching or experience but served one year on the Connecticut State Board of Education.
Her appointment must be approved by the Senate.
ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa and Soo Rin Kim
Texas land commissioner offers 1,400 acres to Trump for ‘deportation facilities’
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham is offering the incoming Trump administration 1,402 acres the office has purchased along the Texas-Mexico border to be used for a mass deportation operation, according to a letter on Tuesday to the president-elect.
Buckingham said she’s offering the land “to be used to construct deportation facilities.”
“My office is fully prepared to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or the United States Border Patrol to allow a facility to be built for the processing, detention, and coordination of the largest deportation of violent criminals in the nation’s history,” Buckingham wrote.
The move shows that despite the governors of border states California and Arizona pledging to not aid the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans, the incoming administration will have allies in Republican-led states.
Buckingham said she is “100% on board” with the incoming administration’s promise to deport criminals in an interview with Fox News, which was the first to report the news.
The plot of land is in Starr County, about 35 miles west of McAllen, Texas. The Texas General Land Office purchased it from a farmer in October to facilitate Texas’ efforts to build a wall.
“It’s essentially farmland, so it’s flat, it’s easy to build on,” Buckingham told Fox News. “We can very easily put a detention center on there — a holding place as we get these criminals out of our country.”
-ABC News’ Armando García
House Ethics Committee to meet behind closed doors Wednesday
The bipartisan House Ethics Committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday afternoon to discuss its report on the investigation of former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who resigned from office last week after Trump chose him as his nominee for attorney general.
It’s not entirely clear if the committee will hold a vote on whether to release the report.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller, John Parkinson and Will Steakin
Dr. Oz picked as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator
Dr. Mehmet Oz has been selected to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Trump announced.
The agency is within the Department of Health & Human Services. The position requires Senate confirmation.
Trump indicated that Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on chronic diseases.
Oz, a former heart surgeon turned TV talk show host, unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022, losing to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman.
Fetterman told reporters Tuesday that as long as Oz protects Medicare and Medicaid, he’s open to confirming him.
“He’s not my first choice and certainly, Trump was definitely not my first,” Fetterman said. “We’re going to have to work with these individuals, and if he’s about protecting and preserving Medicaid and Medicare, then, I don’t know why that’s controversial.”
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Hannah Demissie
Trump says he’s not reconsidering Gaetz nomination
President-elect Trump attended Tuesday’s SpaceX launch in Texas, joining Elon Musk– SpaceX CEO and now a close ally of Trump’s.
Trump was asked by a reporter if he was reconsidering the nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general.
“No,” he said.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Dr. Oz picked as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator
Dr. Mehmet Oz has been selected to serve as the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service, Trump announced.
The agency is within the Department of Health & Human Services. The position requires Senate confirmation.
Trump indicated that Dr. Oz will work closely with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to take on chronic diseases.
Oz, a former heart surgeon turned TV talk show host, unsuccessfully ran for Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022, losing to Sen. John Fetterman.
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa and Soo Rin Kim
Vance arranging meetings for Gaetz and Hegseth on Capitol Hill this week
Vice President-Elect JD Vance will make the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, arranging meetings between key GOP senators and Trump’s Cabinet nominees — attorney general pick Matt Gaetz and defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth — a source familiar with the plans confirmed to ABC News.
In a statement to ABC News, Trump’s transition team said it is working quickly to ensure the president-elect’s nominees get through their confirmation process. The statement also said that former Rep. Doug Collins, Trump’s pick for veterans affairs secretary, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, who was nominated as U.N. ambassador, will also visit the Hill.
“President Trump’s incoming administration is moving at an accelerated schedule in order to make good on getting key nominees confirmed in order to start delivering for the American people. Rep. Collins, Rep. Gaetz, Pete Hegseth, and Rep. Stefanik will all begin their meetings this week with additional Hill visits to continue after the Thanksgiving recess,” said Trump-Vance transition spokesman Brian Hughes.
Senators on Capitol Hill have told ABC News that they plan to meet with Vance and Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Republican Sens. John Kennedy and Mike Lee told reporters that they would meet with Gaetz and Vance on Wednesday.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Allison Pecorin
Trump nominates Howard Lutnick as commerce secretary
Trump has announced Howard Lutnick as his commerce secretary pick.
The appointment requires Senate confirmation.
CEO of investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald, Lutnick has been serving as co-chair of the Trump Transition team alongside Trump’s former Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon, spending the past two weeks at the Trump Transition War Room he has set up at Mar-a-Lago recommending and vetting potential candidates for Trump’s administration officials.
Lutnick has frequently joined Trump on the campaign trail and hosted numerous fundraisers for Trump alongside some of the major Republican donors like John Paulson, Duke Buchan and Woody Johnson.
The billionaire businessman was also vying for the job of treasury secretary, sources said, competing against investor and hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, who has also been considered a top contender for the role.
Lutnick’s aggressive push to be tapped as Trump’s treasury secretary as he spent hours with the president-elect nearly every day as a co-head of the transition team had frustrated some close to Trump, sources said.
Elon Musk has been a close ally of Lutnick, publicly endorsing him for the treasury spot recently and often seen together at events, including at the AFPI gala last week.
He had donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee in 2017 and most recently donated $5 million to pro-Trump super PAC Make America Great Again Inc.
Lutnick has been a vocal advocate for cryptocurrency, speaking at the annual Bitcoin Conference in Nashville earlier this year where Trump and RFK Jr. also spoke.
-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
Nearly 100 House Dems urge release of Gaetz draft report
Nearly 100 House Democrats urged House Ethics Committee leadership on Tuesday in a letter to immediately release their draft report of allegations into “serious misconduct” by former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.
In the letter — which was led by Illinois Democratic Rep. Sean Casten and sent to committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Susan Wild, D-Penn. — the members wrote that “given the seriousness of the charges against Representative Gaetz,” withholding any findings of their investigation might “jeopardize the Senate’s ability to provide fully informed, constitutionally required advice and consent regarding this nomination.”
“Representative Gaetz’s abrupt resignation from Congress should not circumvent the Senate’s ability to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities,” the letter, signed by 97 Democrats, stated.
Speaker Mike Johnson has insisted the report should not be publicly released, as Gaetz is now a former member of the House. He has also stressed that the same principle should apply to potential access for senators reviewing the nominees.
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray, Lauren Peller and John Parkinson
Speaker Johnson denies discussing Gaetz draft report with House Ethics chairman
House Speaker Mike Johnson denied that he has discussed the details of the draft ethics report on Matt Gaetz with House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest, and further denied that President-elect Donald Trump or Gaetz have pressured him to bury the report.
“I haven’t talked to Michael Guest about the report. I talk to all my colleagues but I know where the lines are. I have no idea about the contents of the report,” Johnson told reporters as he walked back to his office after his news conference this morning.
Despite persistent questions, Johnson maintained his position that Gaetz’s resignation from the House last week should put an end to the ethics inquiry.
“My job is to protect the institution and I have made very clear that I think it’s an important guardrail for our institution that we not use the House Ethics Committee to investigate and report on persons who are not members of this body,” Johnson declared. “Matt Gaetz is not a member of the body anymore.”
Johnson denied that Gaetz or Trump had pressured him to block release of the draft report, repeating that the speaker “has no involvement” in the ethics report and “can’t direct the ethics committee to do anything.”
“I’ve simply responded to the questions that have been asked of me about my opinion on whether that should be released. Matt Gaetz is no longer a member of Congress and so we don’t issue ethics reports on non-members,” he said. “I think it’s an important guardrail for us to maintain for the interest of the institution so that’s my position.”
“I wouldn’t have that conversation with [Gaetz]. Because that’s not appropriate for us to do that,” Johnson continued. “President Trump respects the guardrails of our institution as well, and I’m very guarded about those things. So neither of those gentlemen would breach that.”
-ABC News’ Jay O’Brien, John Parkinson, Lauren Peller, Isabella Murray
Musk backs Gaetz for AG amid allegations: ‘Gaetz will be our Hammer of Justice’
Billionaire Elon Musk is throwing his support behind Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general, as allegations continue to surface surrounding what witnesses told the House Ethics Committee regarding the former congressman.
“Matt Gaetz has 3 critical assets that are needed for the AG role: a big brain, a spine of steel and an axe to grind,” Musk wrote on X. “He is the Judge Dredd America needs to clean up a corrupt system and put powerful bad actors in prison.”
“Gaetz will be our Hammer of Justice,” he added.
Musk also directly addressed the allegations against Gaetz, stating that he considers them “worth less than nothing.”
Musk’s public support for Gaetz comes as the billionaire continues to play a large role in Trump’s transition, as ABC News has previously reported.
Speaker Johnson says he hasn’t discussed Gaetz ethics drama with Trump
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Monday he has not talked to Trump about a draft report on the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into former Rep. Matt Gaetz — as members on both sides of the aisle call on the speaker to release the draft despite Gaetz’s resignation and the committee’s lack of jurisdiction over former members.
“I have not discussed the ethics report with President Trump. And as you know, I’ve spent a lot of time with him,” Johnson, R-La., said. “He respects the House and the parameters, and he knows that I would not violate any of those rules or principles, and so it has not been discussed.”
The speaker also said he hasn’t discussed the report with Trump’s advisers.
“They’re busy filling the Cabinet,” he said. “This has not been a subject of our discussion.”
Johnson reiterated his position against the release of the draft report. He also brushed off the fact that there is some precedent for its release following a member’s exit from Congress, saying the House is now in a “different era.”
“I’ve made this really clear. There’s a very important principle that underlies this, and that is the House Ethics Committee has jurisdiction over members of Congress — not former members, not private citizens, not someone who’s left the institution,” he said. “I think that’s a really important parameter for us to maintain. I think it’s important for the institution itself.”
Johnson said that he would not support a private viewing of the report for senators under the “same principle.”
-ABC News’ John Parkinson, Isabella Murray and Lauren Peller
Top Dem on House Ethics Committee says Gaetz report should be released
The top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee — Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild — told reporters Monday that she believes the committee’s report on former Rep. Matt Gaetz should be disclosed to the public.
“You either are going to disclose it or you’re not going to disclose it. So, and there’s plenty of precedents in the Ethics Committee to disclose the report even after a member has resigned,” Wild said.
Wild, who is leaving office at the end of this session, said it’ll take “one or more” Republicans to join Democrats on the committee to achieve a majority vote to release the report.
Asked if that’s a possibility, Wild said she hasn’t talked to all of the members and doesn’t know, but she stressed that all eight members of the ethics panel now have access to the draft report.
“I believe there will be a unanimous Democratic consensus that it should be released,” she added.
Wild said there is a scheduled committee meeting on Wednesday, but said it “remains to be seen” what the chairman’s agenda is.
“But I believe we should vote on whether we are to disclose it [Gaetz report] or not, and we’ll see what happens after that,” she said.
House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., told reporters Monday that he has read the Gaetz report but declined to comment further due to the confidentiality of the committee.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller, John Parkinson and Isabella Murray
Trump nominates Sean Duffy as transportation secretary
Trump announced Monday he is nominating former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy for transportation secretary.
The position requires Senate confirmation.
“He will prioritize Excellence, Competence, Competitiveness and Beauty when rebuilding America’s highways, tunnels, bridges and airports,” Trump said in a statement. “He will ensure our ports and dams serve our Economy without compromising our National Security, and he will make our skies safe again by eliminating DEI for pilots and air traffic controllers.”
Duffy co-hosts “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business and is a Fox News contributor.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
Trump to attend SpaceX launch on Tuesday: Sources
Trump is expected to attend Tuesday’s SpaceX launch in Texas, multiple sources told ABC News.
SpaceX said it is planning to hold the sixth integrated flight test of its Starship megarocket from its Starbase in Cameron County, Texas, on Tuesday afternoon.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who will co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency, has rarely left Trump’s side since the election — appearing in family photos with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and even traveling with him to New York for Saturday’s UFC fight.
Trump frequently marveled at the intricacies of the SpaceX rocket launch while on the campaign trail.
“It was so exciting, so I’m watching it, and this monstrous thing is going down, right and it’s coming down, it’s first of all, doing all sorts of flips up in the air,” Trump said at his last campaign rally of the cycle in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa and Katherine Faulders
How Democrats could force the Ethics Committee to release the Gaetz report
All eyes will be on the House Ethics Committee’s expected closed-door meeting this Wednesday — but it’s possible that Congress can go around the committee entirely to release the panel’s findings on former Rep. Matt Gaetz.
According to House rules, any member of Congress can go to the floor and tee up a vote on a “privileged resolution” that would force the Ethics Committee to release its report on Gaetz, within two legislative days.
The member would only have to argue that not releasing the report impacts the “dignity” or “integrity” of the House or “reputation” of its members.
The action would be unusual, but not unprecedented. In the 1990s, Democrats repeatedly tried to force the Ethics Committee to divulge information about investigations into then-Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Those efforts came up short because Republicans closed ranks around Gingrich and the majority. But Gaetz is incredibly unpopular on Capitol Hill, and it would only take a handful of Republicans — along with all Democrats — to pass the resolution.
“If you’re a member of Congress, do you really want to be in the business of defending Matt Gaetz?” former Rep. Charlie Dent, R-Pennsylvania, who led the Ethics Committee, said to ABC News on Monday.
The Ethics Committee was investigating allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use against Gaetz, who resigned last week after being named Trump’s pick for attorney general.
If the Ethics Committee doesn’t vote to release its findings on Wednesday, expect more Democrats to raise the possibility of forcing a floor vote — one that would force Republicans on the record about Gaetz.
-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel
Hegseth flagged as potential ‘insider threat’ by Guardsman who was ‘disturbed’ by ‘Deus Vult’ tattoo
The National Guardsman who in 2021 pegged Pete Hegseth as a potential “insider threat” clarified in an interview with ABC News that his complaint targeted a “Deus Vult” tattoo on the Fox News host’s arm, not a cross on his chest, as Hegseth has repeatedly claimed.
As Reuters and The Associated Press first reported, Sgt. DeRicko Gaither sent an image of the “Deus Vult” tattoo to Maj. Gen. William Walker shortly before President Joe Biden’s inauguration. The phrase, which translates to “God wills it,” has since been co-opted by white nationalist groups.
“This information is quite disturbing, sir,” Gaither wrote in the email to Walker, who has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment. “This falls along the lines of (an) Insider Threat.”
Hegseth — Trump’s pick for defense secretary — claimed in his book, “The War on Warriors,” that he was removed from service ahead of Biden’s inauguration because fellow servicemembers had flagged a tattoo of the Jerusalem Cross on his chest as a white nationalist symbol.
But Gaither clarified in a text message to ABC News that his complaint targeted the “Deus Vult” tattoo, despite “the narrative that has been out there.”
“Just so we are clear. This has NOTHING to do with the Jerusalem Cross tattoo on his chest,” Gaither said. “This has everything to do with the ‘DEUS VULT’ Tattoo on his inner bicep.”
Gaither, who confirmed the contents of his complaint to ABC News, emphasized that “this wasn’t then and isn’t now a personal attack towards Pete Hegseth.”
“The information received and [the] email sent on January 14th was the protocol that had to be followed because of the position assignment that I was assigned to,” explained Gaither, who was at the time assigned as the Guards’ head of security. “The protocol was followed and would be followed again if this issue involved any other service member, myself included.”
Hegseth fired back at the initial coverage of this matter in the AP by claiming it was “Anti-Christian bigotry.”
“They can target me — I don’t give a damn — but this type of targeting of Christians, conservatives, patriots and everyday Americans will stop on DAY ONE at DJT’s DoD,” Hegseth wrote on social media on Friday.
-ABC News’ Nathan Luna and Lucien Bruggeman
Homan says he’s headed to Mar-a-Lago to put ‘final touches’ on deportation plan
Incoming “border czar” Tom Homan said Monday that Trump’s new administration is already working on a plan to deport undocumented immigrants and that he’s headed to Mar-a-Lago this week “to put the final touches” on it.
Speaking on Fox News’ America Reports, Homan reiterated his plan to “take the handcuffs of ICE” and ramp up arrests.
“ICE knows what they’re looking for. They just never go arrest them, because Secretary Mayorkas has told them [to] tone down the arrests,” Homan said.
Homan also repeated his claim that ICE will “arrest the bad guys first.” He said that under the Biden administration, the removal of “criminal aliens” has decreased 74%. ABC News has not independently verified the accuracy of that claim.
Homan acknowledged during the interview that a mass deportation plan will require significant resources and that he doesn’t know what the current ICE and Customs and Border Protection budgets are, though added that Trump is “committed” to getting the funding for his plan.
-ABC News’ Armando García
‘Dangerous’: Caroline Kennedy weighs in on RFK’s views on vaccines
Caroline Kennedy weighed in on her cousin Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s views on vaccines during remarks on Monday after he was announced as the nominee for Health and Human Services secretary.
“I think Bobby Kennedy’s views on vaccines are dangerous, but I don’t think that most Americans share them. So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” she said at the National Press Club of Australia.
“You know, I grew up with him,” she added. “So, I have known all this for a long time and others are just getting to know him.”
Kennedy added that her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, had fought for affordable health care, and that her family was proud of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act, which she said was built on Sen. Kennedy’s work.
“I would say that our family is united in terms of our support for the public health sector and infrastructure and has greatest admiration for the medical profession in our country, and Bobby Kennedy has got a different set of views,” Caroline Kennedy said.
–ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim
Trump transition live updates: Ethics Committee expected to meet on Gaetz: Sources
President-elect Donald Trump continues to announce his picks for top jobs inside his administration, most recently naming nominees for energy secretary and to helm the Federal Communications Commission.
Meanwhile, fallout continues for former Rep. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s choice to serve as attorney general. The House Ethics Committee was investigating Gaetz for alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. Calls are growing for the panel to release its report on Gaetz, who resigned from the House last week.
‘Dangerous’: Caroline Kennedy weighs in on RFK’s views on vaccines
Caroline Kennedy weighed in on her cousin Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s views on vaccines during remarks on Monday after he was announced as the nominee for Health and Human Services secretary.
“I think Bobby Kennedy’s views on vaccines are dangerous, but I don’t think that most Americans share them. So we’ll just have to wait and see what happens,” she said at the National Press Club of Australia.
“You know, I grew up with him,” she added. “So, I have known all this for a long time and others are just getting to know him.”
Kennedy added that her uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy, had fought for affordable health care, and that her family was proud of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act, which she said was built on Sen. Kennedy’s work.
“I would say that our family is united in terms of our support for the public health sector and infrastructure and has greatest admiration for the medical profession in our country, and Bobby Kennedy has got a different set of views,” Caroline Kennedy said.
–ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim
House Ethics Committee expected to meet to discuss Gaetz report
The House Ethics Committee is expected to meet on Wednesday and discuss its report of Rep. Matt Gaetz, multiple sources tell ABC News.
While the meeting can still be cancelled, sources said the committee could potentially take a vote on whether to release the report.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Will Steakin
‘Morning Joe’ co-hosts say they met with Trump on Friday
MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski said on Monday morning that they had met with President-elect Donald Trump on Friday at Mar-a-Lago.
The goal of the meeting, they said, was to “restart communications” among the liberal-leaning morning show hosts and the incoming administration.
“Last Thursday, we expressed our own concerns on this broadcast, and even said we would appreciate the opportunity to speak with the president-elect himself. On Friday, we were given the opportunity to do just that. Joe and I went to Mar-a-Lago to meet personally with President-elect Trump. It was the first time we have seen him in seven years,” Brzezinski said.
Scarborough said the hosts and Trump did not “see eye to eye on a lot of issues, and we told him so.”
“What we did agree on was to restart communications,” Brzezinski added, noting that Trump seemed “cheerful” and “upbeat.”
Bridget Bennett for The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The race for the White House is heading into the final stretch with most polls showing Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump neck-and-neck in key states with just about two weeks to go.
Elon Musk’s PAC pays out 3rd $1 million check to voter
Elon Musk’s America PAC said late Monday that it handed out a third $1 million check to a voter who has signed its petition backing the Constitution.
The PAC said in a post to X that the check was given to Shannon Tomei from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, posting a photograph of Tomei holding the check.
“Every day until Election Day, a person who signs the petition will be selected to earn $1M as a spokesperson for America PAC,” it added.
Musk shared the announcement and congratulated Tomei. In other posts, he has been urging people to register to vote in Pennsylvania — a crucial battleground state in next month’s presidential election.
The first two winners were announced during a town hall in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, over the weekend, with Musk handing over the checks to the winners on stage. It’s unclear how the third check was delivered.
Musk has thrown his weight behind former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, describing Trump as the only candidate “to preserve democracy in America.”
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim
Harris takes jabs at Trump’s dance moves, calls him ‘increasingly unstable’
Vice President Kamala Harris and former Rep. Liz Cheney capped off their battleground tour in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in their bid to appeal to moderate Republicans and independents.
During the final event on Monday, Harris continued to draw a contrast between herself and former President Trump and even poked fun at his dance moves during his campaign rally last week.
Harris, who called Trump’s onstage dancing a “solo dance,” said that it was proof that the former president is “increasingly unstable.”
“What we see about him in public, whether it be his rallies or, as you said, the — what would it be called? — just a solo dance? I don’t know,” said Harris, drawing laughter from the crowd.
“I think it does lead us, and it should lead us, to observe that he is increasingly unstable,” Harris said.
Harris was referencing Trump’s town hall in Oaks, Pennsylvania, last week where two medical emergencies in the crowd interrupted the event, which eventually turned into what his campaign at the time called an “impromptu concert.”
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
Tim Walz reacts to ‘Daily Show’ appearance with Jon Stewart while fundraising in NYC
Fresh off his taping of the “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Gov. Tim Walz told a crowd at the Standard Hotel in New York City on Monday night that the experience was “great” but that the comedian’s monologue at the start of the show was filled with what he considered “doom.”
“I’m like, ‘Quit with the doom.’ You know?” Walz said.
“Yes, Donald Trump is horrible, and the stakes are incredibly high, and women’s lives are at risk, and they demonize immigrants. And then he goes to McDonald’s to try and distract us, even though, the day before that, he said, you know, ‘We need to do something against the enemy from within,’” he went on.
“But there’s an antidote to this,” he concluded, explaining that there was more than enough positivity in the support he has been receiving as he campaigns in battleground states.
At the fundraising event, Walz was introduced by New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Hochul told the crowd that she got to know Walz when they were both representing red districts as Democrats in Congress.
She said that she gives Vice President Kamala Harris “a lot of credit” for choosing Walz as a running mate, whom she called “a genuine human being.”
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray
Trump recalls assassination attempt while courting religious voters in North Carolina
At a Believers and Ballots event in North Carolina Monday, former President Donald Trump worked to court religious voters.
Trump talked about his spiritual journey with the crowd as he emphasized a faith background we don’t often hear him talk about.
“But as I look back at my life’s journey and events, I now recognize that it’s been the hand of God leading me to where I am today,” said Trump.
The former president reflected on the assassination attempt made against him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania over the summer.
“My faith took on new meaning on July 13 in Butler, Pennsylvania, where I was knocked to the ground, essentially by what seemed like a supernatural hand,” Trump said.
“I would like to think that God saved me for a purpose, and that’s to make our country greater than ever before,” he added.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa
Judges in Michigan and North Carolina reject challenges to overseas votes
Judges in Michigan and North Carolina on Monday ruled against legal challenges that attempted to disqualify votes cast by eligible American voters overseas.
Republican plaintiffs claimed that election offices in those two states, as well as in Pennsylvania, had created loopholes that would allow ineligible people to vote through overseas absentee ballots.
In Michigan, the judge dismissed one of three suits filed, calling it in his opinion “an 11th-hour attempt to disenfranchise these electors.”
In North Carolina, the judge denied a request by plaintiffs to set aside the ballots of overseas voters until a time at which their individual eligibility could be verified. Superior Court Judge John Smith wrote in that instance that there was “absolutely no evidence that any person has ever fraudulently claimed that exemption and actually voted in any North Carolina election.”
His ruling also stated conclusively that, “This court has weighed the hypothetical possibility of harm to plaintiffs against the rights of the defendants and finds that on balance the equitable discretion of this court should not be invoked to treat an entire group of citizens differently based upon unsupported and speculative allegations for which there is not even a scintilla of substantive evidence.”
A ruling on a similar lawsuit in Pennsylvania is expected soon.
-ABC News’ T. Michelle Murphy and Ivan Pereira
Trump spends millions on anti-trans ads despite lack of voter interest
Donald Trump and his Republicans allies are aggressively pushing anti-trans messaging in the final stretch of his campaign — despite the fact that transgender issues are among the least important issues motivating voters to head to the ballot box, according to a Gallup poll.
The Trump campaign and Republican groups have spent more than $21 million on anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ television ads as of Oct. 9.
Additionally, in recent months, Trump-aligned political groups have flooded the airwaves with ads disparaging policies that support the transgender community.
Despite the small size of the transgender population in the U.S., these issues have played a key role in many Republican campaigns on both the state and federal levels.
Trump’s own political agenda, titled Agenda 47, is laden with transgender-based proposals, including a ban on transgender participation in women’s sports, an end to gender-affirming care funded by federal or state dollars, and more.
ABC News has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on his ad spending.
-ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca and Soo Rin Kim
Walz to travel to Kentucky, North Carolina and Pennsylvania later this week
After Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz campaigns in Wisconsin on Tuesday (where he’ll be joined by former President Barack Obama for a rally in Madison), he’ll remain out on the trail this week.
On Wednesday, Walz will speak at an evening fundraiser in Louisville, Kentucky.
On Thursday, he will spend the morning making political stops in Durham, North Carolina — just a week after he visited the city with former President Bill Clinton. He’ll then make local stops in Greenville, North Carolina, in the afternoon and hold a rally in Wilmington that night.
On Friday, Walz will campaign in Philadelphia, where he’ll speak at a fundraiser in the city around noon.
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray
Harris says she wakes up in middle of night from election stress
Harris said she finds herself waking up in the middle of the night from the stress of the final days of the election, when asked how she handles stress and anxiety during a discussion in Michigan on Monday.
“You know, I wake up in the middle of the night, usually these days. Just to be honest with you,” Harris told Maria Shriver, who moderated the discussion between the vice president and former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney in Royal Oak. “But I work out every morning. I think that’s really important to just kind of, you know, mind, body and spirit.”
“Say more about that,” Shriver pressed Harris.
“I work out, I try to eat,” Harris responded. “You know, I love my family, and I make sure that I talk to the kids and my husband every day.”
“My family grounds me in every way,” she added.
The exchange started with Harris making something clear: She’s not taking edibles.
“Everybody I talked to says, you know, I have to turn off the news, I can’t read anything, I’m meditating, I’m doing yoga. I’m so anxious. I just don’t even know. I’m eating gummies, all kinds of things, you know?” Shriver said to Harris, asking, “What are you doing?”
“Not eating gummies,” Harris said to laughs from the crowd.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie
Liz Cheney makes a case for conservatives to back Harris
Vice President Kamala Harris participated in a series of moderated conversations with former Rep. Liz Cheney in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin on Monday.
In those appearances, Cheney made a case for conservatives to vote Democrat in the upcoming election and support Harris’ bid for the White House.
“What I would say is that if people are uncertain, if people are thinking, ‘Well, you know, I’m a conservative, I don’t know that I can support Vice President Harris,’ I would say, I don’t know if anybody is more conservative than I am,” said Cheney, who was the third-ranking member of the House Republican Conference from 2019 to 2021.
Cheney also warned Republicans considering voting for Trump that Congress would not be a check on him.
“For anybody who is a Republican who is thinking that, you know, they might vote for Donald Trump because of national security policy, I ask you, please, please study his national security policy,” Cheney said. “Not only is it not Republican — it’s dangerous. And without allies, America will find our very freedom and security challenged and threatened.”
“And one final point on this: Don’t think that Congress can stop him,” Cheney added.
In Malvern, Pennsylvania, Cheney said she thought there would be Republican voters who would cast their ballots for Harris — even if they did not reveal it publicly.
In Michigan, she went further, encouraging voters to do just that, saying, “If you’re at all concerned, you can vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody, and there will be millions of Republicans who do that on Nov. 5, vote for Vice President Harris.”
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, Will McDuffie and T. Michelle Murphy
Trump pushes false claims that Democrats are trying to cheat in election
Rallying in Greenville, North Carolina, on Monday, Trump launched baseless claims about possible fraud in the 2024 election — despite earlier in the day saying he hadn’t seen evidence of it.
At one point during the rally, Trump turned to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley to ask him about election security.
“He’ll stop the cheating. He’s going to stop the cheating,” Trump said to Whatley. “Are they cheating? Michael, they’re trying, but are they? They’re not going to get away with it, right? … They got away with it in plenty of places.”
Earlier in Asheville, North Carolina, Trump told his supporters that he hasn’t seen any evidence of cheating in the election thus far, but added, “I know the other side and they are not good.”
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Soo Rin Kim
More than 1.5M have voted early in battleground Georgia
The office of the Georgia Secretary of State announced Monday that more than 1.5 million voters have voted early in person in Georgia as of Monday afternoon.
“Georgia voters know we’ve made it easy to cast a ballot. It’s really that simple,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a statement.
In-person early voting started in the key battleground state on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
As of Monday afternoon, more than 15 million early votes have been cast nationally, including almost 5 million in-person early votes, according to an analysis by the Election Lab at the University of Florida.
-ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim
Harris reiterates she worked at McDonald’s after Trump stunt
On her way to her moderated conversation in Michigan, Harris was asked if she had worked at a McDonald’s while deplaning Air Force 2.
“Did I? I did,” she said.
Her past experience at McDonald’s has become a fixation of Trump’s, who over the weekend worked the fryer at one of the chain’s restaurants in the Philadelphia area.
Trump has claimed Harris never worked at the fast food giant. Harris, in introducing herself to voters this campaign, has told the story of working there between her freshman and sophomore years at Howard University in an effort to contrast her working-class roots with Trump’s background.
-ABC News’ Gabrielle Abdul-Hakim
Cheney gives Harris backup on abortion
Harris got backup on a hot-button cultural issue from an unlikely source Monday — conservative former Rep. Liz Cheney.
Cheney — who has broken with Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot — still boasts a conservative record. But Monday, she waded into an issue that Democrats hope will help them win over voters on Election Day.
“I think there are many of us around the country who have been pro-life but who have watched what’s going on in our states since the Dobbs decision and have watched state legislatures put in place laws that are resulting in women not getting the care they need,” Cheney said, referencing the Supreme Court decision that scrapped federal abortion protections.
“In places like Texas, for example, the attorney general is talking about suing, is suing, to get access to women’s medical records. That’s not sustainable for us as a country, and it has to change.”
The remarks, made in a Philadelphia suburb, were notable as Harris looks to cement support among suburban female voters.
Harris works to earn Pennsylvania’s Republican votes alongside Liz Cheney
Harris is doing a series of moderated conversations with former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney in suburban cities in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin on Monday.
While in Pennsylvania, Harris and Cheney worked to pick off Republicans disaffected with their party’s nominee who may vote for the vice president and focus on the dangers Trump poses to the country and to democracy.
“There are months in the history of our country which challenge us, each of us, to really decide when we stand for those things that we talk about, including, in particular, country over party,” Harris said.
Cheney, a staunch Trump critic who endorsed Harris in September despite their party and policy differences, said “every single thing in my experience and in my background has played a part” in her supporting Harris.
“In this race, we have the opportunity to vote for and support somebody you can count on. We’re not always going to agree, but I know Vice President Harris will always do what she believes is right for this country. She has a sincere heart, and that’s why I’m honored to be in this place.”
Read more about Harris and Cheney’s events here.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow
Trump appears on The Undertaker’s podcast
Trump continued his alternative media outreach effort by sitting down for a podcast interview with retired pro wrestler Mark Calaway, also known as “The Undertaker.”
During the podcast, Trump repeated his anti-trans rhetoric, promising to not allow “men playing in women’s sports” as Calaway brought up his teenage quarterback daughter.
“You don’t want to go and wrestle a guy like if you were doing that, because people do that — like your father — right? He’s a little too much to handle,” Trump said to Calaway’s daughter, who was present for the interview, after Calaway asked him about Title IX..
“I will get rid of it fast. Men playing in women’s sports is insane,” Trump said.
Republicans have invested heavily in ads targeting the transgender community this cycle.
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
Walz on what he’d do differently from the Biden admin and appealing to voters
Tim Walz joined ABC’s “The View” on Monday, where he discussed what he would have done differently than the Biden-Harris administration — a questioned that Harris herself struggled with in her own appearance on the talk show.
The governor said that he wished one of their ticket’s proposals — an expansion on Medicare — “would have been proposed sooner.” He argued their campaign is focusing heavily on things like the care economy and child care affordability.
Walz also discussed how they can appeal to men and Black voters, two voting blocks where Trump is having success.
“As as vice president says, we have a responsibility to earn the votes from everyone and not make the assumption that men or women are going to be with us. I hear oftentimes about the Black community. Why would we assume that they were with us, unless we’re putting out proposals that positively impact their life?” Walz said.
He argued that they are trying to make voters aware of their proposals on housing, child care, small businesses and more.
Trump won’t denounce violence against FEMA workers during North Carolina stop
Trump toured devastation caused by Hurricane Helene just outside Asheville, North Carolina, and later delivered remarks to the press where he began by slamming the job from the White House for their hurricane response, continuing to push false claims about FEMA assistance in the wake of violence against FEMA workers.
“The power of nature. Nothing you can do about it, but you got to get a little bit better crew in to do a better job than has been done by the White House. It’s been not good. Not good. I’m here today in western North Carolina to express a simple message to the incredible people of the state, I’m with you, and the American people are with you all the way,” Trump said.
Later, he pushed false claims about the allocation of FEMA assistance, once again falsely saying that money dedicated to hurricane relief was going to offer assistance to migrants unaffected by the storm.
“FEMA has done a very poor job … They had spent hundreds of millions of dollars doing other things, things that I don’t think bear any relationship to this money, there was, they were not supposed to be spending the money on taking in illegal migrants, maybe so they could vote in the election. Because that’s what a lot of people are saying. That’s why they’re doing it,” Trump falsely said.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Soorin Kim
Sen. Bernie Sanders to join Biden in New Hampshire
In a strategic visit to boost Democrats’ presence in the purple state ahead of the election, President Joe Biden will be joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Tuesday in New Hampshire to talk about lowering the cost of prescription drugs, a senior administration official told ABC News.
The president is also expected to stop by a New Hampshire Democratic Party campaign office to support Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the official said.
The economy and costs are a top issue to voters in New Hampshire, polling shows, and Sanders, who made the high price of U.S. health care a central point of both his presidential campaigns, is a popular figure in the state, which neighbors his own.
Sanders and Biden will discuss new data on savings brought about by the administration’s hallmark Inflation Reduction Act, the senior official said. The act implemented significant price caps for Medicare enrollees, including a $35 cap on insulin already in effect and a $2,000 cap on out-of-pocket drug costs that kicks in in 2025. The White House estimates the caps will bring about cost savings of $400 per year for nearly 19 million seniors.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Tim Walz to join ABC’s ‘The View’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Vice President Harris’ running mate, will join ABC’s “The View” on Monday.
His interview comes after Harris herself appeared on the show as part of a media blitz earlier this month.
Walz recently quipped on Trump’s visit to a McDonald’s on Sunday as part of his mockery of Harris’ past employment there. Walz said he took “full responsibility” for the campaign stop after he once joked he couldn’t imagine the former president working a McFlurry machine.
Harris, Cheney to make the case to disaffected Republican voters
Harris is stumping with former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney on Monday in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. The two will hold a moderated conversation in each of the “blue wall” states.
Cheney endorsed Harris in early September, warning Trump posed a threat to democracy after what happened on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Donald Trump was willing to sacrifice our capitol to allow law enforcement officers to be beaten and brutalized in his name and to violate the law and the Constitution in order to seize power for himself,” Cheney said at her first joint appearance with Harris earlier this month.
“I don’t care if you are a Democrat or a Republican or an independent, that is depravity, and we must never become numb to it,” she continued. “Any person who would do these things can never be trusted with power again. We must defeat Donald Trump on Nov. 5.”
Trump to survey hurricane damage before rally in North Carolina
At noon, Trump will survey devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in Asheville, North Carolina.
He’ll later hold a 3 p.m. rally in Greenville before a 6:30 p.m. meeting with faith leaders in Concord.
Trump has criticized the Biden-Harris response to the storm, and spread misinformation about the federal government’s recovery efforts and assistance. Such misinformation, Biden and other officials have said, is harming those who need assistance and resulting in threats against FEMA workers.
Polls show close race between Harris, Trump
The latest polling averages from 538 show the two candidates running even in key swing states Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Trump, meanwhile, has a slight lead over Harris in Georgia and Arizona.
Overall, 538’s national polling average shows Harris ahead by just 1.8%.
