Trump Transition Live Updates: President-Elect Wants Matt Gaetz for Attorney General
Mr. Trump also confirmed that Senator Marco Rubio was his choice to be secretary of state and said he had offered Tulsi Gabbard the job of director of national intelligence after visiting Biden in the White House. Senate Republicans elected John Thune of South Dakota as their leader in the chamber.
Where Things Stand
President-elect Donald J. Trump continued his flurry of personnel announcements by making his most surprising decision yet, saying on Wednesday that he would nominate Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida to be his attorney general, putting one of his fiercest defenders in line to be the country’s top law enforcement official.
The announcement came as Mr. Trump made a triumphant return to the seat of American power that he grudgingly left four years ago, meeting in the Oval Office with President Biden and observing a decades-old tradition that he defied four years ago when he refused to accept his 2020 loss.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic leader, in a statement tonight concedes that his party will not take back the House majority, though The Associated Press has yet to officially make the call. The Republicans are one seat from maintaining a majority with 11 races still to be called.
“While we will not regain control of the Congress in January, falling just a few seats short, House Democrats will hold Republicans to a razor-thin majority. That is unprecedented in a so-called presidential wave election,” Jeffries said.
Meanwhile, across Capitol Hill, Speaker Mike Johnson has won the Republican nomination for a second term as his party's leader, though in order to keep the gavel he will still need to win a majority of votes on the House floor in January. Ultraconservatives did not run a protest candidate against Johnson, and he won the nomination unanimously by voice vote.
In other Justice Department news, the special counsel, Jack Smith, has asked to put on hold his appeal of the dismissal of Trump’s classified documents case in Florida until Dec. 2. Smith wants to assess how to proceed in the case now that Trump has been re-elected, triggering a department policy against pursuing prosecutions against a sitting president.
Last week, a judge in Washington granted Smith’s request to freeze all proceedings in the other federal case Trump is facing — the one in which he is accused of plotting to overturn the 2020 election.
Maya C. Miller
Reporting on House RepublicansRepresentative Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, praised the choice of Gaetz for attorney general and said his nontraditional résumé would be a refreshing change.
“He is a disrupter, and the Department of Justice needs massive disruption,” Roy said of Gaetz. “I think that’s why the president nominated him.”
The director of the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, Dr. Mandy Cohen, expressed concern about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s role in the next Trump administration, saying on Wednesday that if given wide sway over health matters, he might use his newfound power to spread misinformation and sow distrust.
Even if Mr. Kennedy is not appointed to a high-level position, such as secretary of health and human services, he appears likely to have a role at the White House. If so, he would “have a lot of influence in things,” Dr. Cohen said in an interview with The New York Times.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, said Gaetz is “not a serious candidate,” and compared him to the disgraced fabulist who was expelled from the House last year, saying, “If I wanted to make a joke, maybe I would say now I’m waiting for George Santos to be named.”
Murkowski added that if Trump wanted to get his nominees through, he needed to pick serious candidates.
“It’s his right to name those who he wants to have serve in his cabinet — we get that. But it is also our role to determine whether these individuals have what it takes in these departments, and it is up to us to confirm them. That’s why I think it is really important that we don’t roll over on that role of advise and consent and we move through the nomination process. If we get good candidates, we will be able to move through the nominations process, hopefully, really readily and that’ll be good for the president, good for him to get his team. But when you put forward picks that are really going to generate controversy, and not just controversy on one side of the aisle, it is going to take longer."
Maya C. Miller
Reporting on House RepublicansRepresentative Max Miller, Republican of Ohio, told reporters that many members of the G.O.P. conference were shocked at the choice of Matt Gaetz for attorney general, but mostly out of happiness that the Florida Republican might no longer be a member of the chamber. For years, Gaetz has instigated battles within the party that culminated in his successful effort to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speaker's post last year.
Miller said the House would be a more functional place without Gaetz.
Senate Republicans reacted with alarm and dismay to President-elect Donald J. Trump’s decision to nominate Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, for attorney general, and several said they were skeptical that he would be able to secure enough votes for confirmation.
“He’s got his work really cut out for him,” Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, said, chuckling as she spoke.
Aaron Dimmock, a retired Navy officer and aviator who unsuccessfully challenged Matt Gaetz in the Republican primary for his Florida congressional seat, has filed to run for the seat again in 2026 — a sign that Dimmock could be preparing to run in a special election should Gaetz be confirmed as Trump’s attorney general. Dimmock, who was backed by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, lost to Gaetz by 45 points in the primary.
The tight Pennsylvania Senate race between Senator Bob Casey, the Democrat, and David McCormick, the Republican, has prompted a “legally required statewide recount,” according to a news release from the Pennsylvania Department of State. Results of the recount will not be published until Nov. 27, the department said.
Vice President-elect JD Vance had repeatedly said while campaigning last month that the attorney general would be the second most important job in a second Trump administration. He also said that he and Trump would “clean house” at the F.B.I. and the Justice Department, and would fire those people who were responsible for Trump’s first impeachment — which Vance characterized as “fake.” That line drew enthusiastic applause from supporters on the campaign trail.
transcript
Biden Meets Trump at the Oval Office
President Biden welcomed President-elect Donald J. Trump back to the White House and spoke about a smooth transition between the two administrations.
“Well, Mr. President-elect and the former president and Donald, congratulations and looking forward to having, like we said, smooth transition. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated — what you need. And we’re going to get a chance to talk about some of that today. So, welcome, welcome back.” “Thank you very much. And politics is tough and it’s in many cases not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today. And I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth. It’ll be as smooth as it can get. And I very much appreciate it, thank you.” “You’re welcome.”
Politics always involves a measure of performance. And on that score, few moments rival the one on Wednesday morning at the White House, when President Biden and President-elect Donald J. Trump pretended in public to like and respect each other — for a total of 29 seconds.
They shook hands despite years of animus and recriminations. Mr. Trump has called Mr. Biden “crooked” and a “communist,” and has vowed to investigate his actions in office. Mr. Biden has said Mr. Trump is a “dictator” who tried to steal an election and would “sacrifice our democracy” in his pursuit of power.
Gaetz not only voted with about 150 of his Republican colleagues to overturn Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election. He also took part in what prosecutors have suggested was a dry run for the “Stop the Steal” efforts that year, protesting the results of a hotly contested Senate race in Florida with members of the Proud Boys and other Trump supporters.
Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine and a moderate in the G.O.P., said she was “shocked” by Trump’s nomination of Gaetz — and expressed relief that the Senate maintains the ability to block him.
“I was shocked by the announcement — that shows why the advise-and-consent process is so important,” Collins said, adding that “I’m sure that there will be a lot of questions raised at his hearing.”
Senator Todd Young, Republican of Indiana and another moderate, dodged questions about Gaetz, pivoting to say he was excited that Trump had picked Senator Marco Rubio as his nominee for secretary of state.
When Matt Gaetz attended Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan earlier this year, he adopted language that Trump himself used to call out the Proud Boys during a presidential debate. “Standing back and standing by, Mr. President,” Gaetz wrote on X.
Democrats decried Gaetz’s nomination as Trump’s worst pick, calling it a litmus test for whether Republicans will stand up to the president-elect to safeguard the institutions of federal government, or simply let him run roughshod over everything.
“The key question is whether they will have the backbone and respect for justice — it’s that simple,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut said of Senate Republicans. “This nomination will probably be the first test of their integrity.”
At least one Senate Republican indicated he would view Gaetz’s nomination favorably.
“He’s smart — clever guy,” Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said of Gaetz, adding: “I usually support presidential picks to be in their cabinet. I’ve done that for both sides. That’s my disposition.”
Maya C. Miller
Reporting on House RepublicansRepresentative Michael Guest, Republican of Mississippi and chairman of the House Ethics Committee, told reporters that any congressional ethics inquiries into Gaetz would end if he is confirmed by the Senate and resigns from Congress. He said Gaetz’s case was “not unique” and the committee “regularly” closes investigations when members resign, retire or lose their re-election bids. He said the committee would not rush out a report prior to Gaetz’s Senate confirmation hearings.
“The Ethics Committee will put a report when the investigation is finalized,” Guest said.
“I’ve got to believe that the president is at peace with his selection, and this is who he wants to lead the Department of Justice for the next four years.”
“He’s got his work cut out for him,” Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, said regarding Gaetz’s nomination.
In picking Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota to lead the Homeland Security Department, President-elect Donald J. Trump tapped a rancher and staunch ally who will be expected to make every effort to enforce his stricter border control and immigration measures, including mass deportations.
If she is confirmed, Ms. Noem, 52, a second-term governor who was re-elected in 2022, will oversee Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency that is responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws, among many other agencies, including the Secret Service. Ms. Noem previously served as South Dakota’s lone representative to the House for four terms.
Since the spring of 2021, Matt Gaetz has been under investigation over what the House Ethics Committee said were allegations including he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use and accepted impermissible gifts under House rules.
Gaetz has denied the allegations as political payback and said they are built on lies.
“The lawful, consensual sexual activities of adults are not the business of Congress,” he wrote in a letter posted to social media in September.
Gaetz was seen riding with Trump’s motorcade this morning after the president-elect addressed House Republicans in a closed-door meeting.
Senator John Cornyn of Texas, asked about Gaetz, says: “I don’t know the man other than his public persona.” He said the Senate would do its job, but asked if either Gaetz or Gabbard could get to 51 votes in the Senate, Cornyn replied: “I don’t know. We’ll find out.”
President-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday named Representative Matt Gaetz, the firebrand Republican from Florida, as his nominee for attorney general, a provocative move to install a compliant ally at the helm of the Justice Department as he seeks retribution against those who prosecuted him.
The pick reflected Mr. Trump’s determination to choose as the nation’s top law enforcement official a fierce defender who would not resist his directives or question his claims, as William P. Barr, his last confirmed attorney general, did in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
Donald Trump said in a social media post that he would nominate Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, a vocal ally, to be his attorney general.
President-elect Donald J. Trump on Wednesday chose Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman who became one of his most enthusiastic backers, to serve as the director of national intelligence.
Ms. Gabbard, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve who served in Iraq, has been a longtime critic of the foreign policy establishment. Her nomination is another sign that Mr. Trump intends to give top foreign policy jobs to supporters who are deeply skeptical of the effectiveness of U.S. military intervention abroad.
President-elect Donald J. Trump said on Wednesday that he would nominate Senator Marco Rubio of Florida to be his secretary of state, opting for a onetime political rival and foreign policy hawk who has taken a hard-line approach to China that aligns with Mr. Trump’s views.
Mr. Trump’s decision, which had been anticipated, adds to a foreign policy and national security team that he has been filling out quickly in the days after winning re-election.
In a phone interview with the New York Post after his meeting with President Biden, President-elect Trump warmly described their time together in the Oval Office. “We got to know each other again,” he said.
Trump added that they discussed the Russian invasion of Ukraine, an issue on which the two men are deeply divided about how to address, and the conflict between Israel and Hamas. “I wanted — I asked for his views and he gave them to me,” Trump told the newspaper, adding, “Also, we talked very much about the Middle East, likewise. I wanted to know his views on where we are and what he thinks. And he gave them to me, he was very gracious.”
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said that President-elect Trump showed up to his meeting with President Biden today with a list of detailed questions he wanted to cover, and that the discussion lasted around two hours and went deep on substantive points. She declined to say what questions were raised.
Vice President Kamala Harris has offered no hint of what she may do next after her bid for the White House failed, but a recent poll in her home state of California in late October showed that if she were to run for governor there in 2026, nearly half of voters were open to supporting her.
Forty-six percent of registered voters, in California, when asked if they would back Ms. Harris for governor if she were not elected president, answered that they were very likely or somewhat likely to vote for her, according to the poll conducted by the University of California at Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times. While the hypothetical situation it asked about did not include a named challenger, the poll found the appetite for a Harris candidacy among Democrats, who outnumber Republicans 2-to-1 on the state’s voter rolls, at 72 percent.
Republicans inched closer late Tuesday to reaching a paper-thin House majority, flipping a seat in Colorado and fending off a competitive Democratic challenger in California, according to The Associated Press.
With a dozen races still to be called, the G.O.P. held 216 seats to Democrats’ 207 in the 435-seat House of Representatives. Two more seats would give the Republicans a bare majority and a governing trifecta come January: control of the Senate, House and White House.
The loss of Senator Rick Scott in his pursuit of majority leader is a loss also for Elon Musk, who pushed for Scott publicly over the last few days, saying he would be a leader who would show wide deference to Trump. Musk was with Trump in Washington today.
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice for ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, has spent at least two years hawking a cartoon “Kids Guide to President Trump” book that lavishes praise on Mr. Trump.
The book, sold by a company Mr. Huckabee co-founded, is promoted as a way for parents and grandparents to help children understand Mr. Trump’s appeal. “Our children and grandchildren deserve to understand the truth about President Trump, what made him a great president, and his plans to take back the White House in 2024,” according to a website for the book."
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