A new CNBC poll found that 54% of the public are “comfortable and prepared to support” Donald Trump as president.
The potential agenda becomes more contentious when considering Trump’s plans to grant pardons to individuals convicted of crimes related to the January 6th Capitol riot. Only 43% of the population supports this move, while 50% oppose it.
“President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday that the U.S. military should tell the American public about the nature of the drone sightings that have plagued the East Coast over the last several weeks,” Reuters reports.
Said Trump: “The government knows what is happening. For some reason, they don’t want to comment. And I think they’d be better off saying what it is our military knows and our president knows.”
“Donald Trump announced Monday he would sue political pollster Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register, who published a shock poll showing Trump losing Iowa by three points,” the Daily Beast reports.
Said Trump: “I’m not doing this because I want to, I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation to.”
“Argentine President Javier Milei will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration,” Semafor reports.
“Milei’s attendance is a break with tradition, as world leaders typically skip US presidential inaugurations with foreign diplomats attending in their stead.”
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for health secretary, is set on Monday to begin a series of meetings with Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill to make his case for a spot in Mr. Trump’s cabinet,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Kennedy will almost certainly be questioned about his longtime anti-vaccine advocacy. He has said that he does not want to take away access to vaccines, but has repeatedly questioned their safety, trying to link them to a rise in autism in children — a debunked theory.”
Politico: RFK Jr. opponents buy ads in key senators’ states.
Financial Times: “Musk certainly has the president-elect’s ear, and he’s brought other techies into Washington on his coattails. His techno-libertarianism seems to be resonating with Republicans, some of whom seem overawed by his star power, and Trump has toned down his criticism of electric cars and expressed awe of SpaceX’s rockets.”
“But staffing decisions show that incoming vice-president JD Vance is likely to be a strong voice on tech policy, and his populist approach sets up an uneasy balance with Musk. Vance was a protégé of venture capitalist Peter Thiel, who has been outspoken at times in his criticism of the biggest tech companies (he called Google’s relationship with China treasonous). Add in the deep distrust in the Republican party towards Big Tech, and it’s likely some companies are in for a tough time.”
“Donald Trump’s advisers are hoping to get bipartisan support for at least some of his less controversial nominees — starting this week with Scott Turner, Trump’s pick for Housing and Urban Development secretary,” Axios reports.
“They’re reaching out to some key Democrats this week to arrange meetings with Turner to discuss housing and other issues on which they might find some common ground.”
“Donald Trump and SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son are set to jointly announce on Monday that the company is planning to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years, as the president-elect seeks to project enthusiasm over his return to power,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The Japanese internet and telecommunications giant estimates that its U.S.-based investments will create 100,000 jobs focused on artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, and it plans to complete the work before Trump leaves office in 2029.”
“Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Defense Department, told Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina that he planned to release the woman who accused him of sexual assault from a confidential settlement agreement,” the New York Times reports.
Wall Street Journal: “In the weeks since the election… Trump and his incoming advisers have alluded to a mass removal effort of immigrants with a criminal record, a far narrower set of people than the 15 million to 20 million Trump pledged to deport earlier in the year.”
“Trump’s hard-line immigration backers say they have noticed a retrenchment. They say they are holding their fire to attempt to influence the incoming president before they criticize him openly.”
Wall Street Journal: “Trump’s tariff threats have triggered a behind-the-scenes lobbying campaign to soften or alter the president-elect’s plans. But the effort faces a potentially insurmountable roadblock: Trump isn’t budging.”
“So far, executives are facing setbacks as they canvass Trump’s aides for advice on how to influence the president-elect’s next steps. Trump is largely acting on his own, leaving his incoming team of advisers with few opportunities to shape his thinking. His recent late-night social-media statements about tariffs have come with little warning even to some of his closest allies, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Washington Post: “Trump directed the conversation to the role pharmacy benefit managers play in the costs of prescription drugs — a major sore point for drug manufacturers who have launched a lobbying crusade accusing the middlemen of driving up prices…”
“The aftermath of the dinner, which ended by all accounts with surprising warmth on all sides, has become the stuff of mini-legend in the week that has followed.”
“Nearly three dozen of President-elect Donald Trump’s picks to serve in his incoming administration donated to his campaign or to the deep-pocketed outside groups that worked to elect him,” CNN reports.
The American public is closely divided on the outlook for Donald Trump’s second term, a new CNN poll finds, with 52% of adults expressing positive feelings, and 48% responding negatively.
Ed Kilgore: “Unlike in his first term, Donald Trump seems determined to hit the ground running when he takes office again on January 20, 2025. He clearly believes his narrow win over Kamala Harris and the congressional trifecta the Republican Party won by the smallest possible margin give him an unconditional popular mandate to do whatever he wants. And so far, Republican lawmakers have demonstrated little interest in pushing back on the president-elect’s extreme policy plans and rogue gallery of Cabinet nominees.”
“But there’s only so much that can be done in a day, even when you’re president, and Congress has its own priorities. So how quickly can Trump and his Republican allies enact his agenda?”
“President-elect Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would appoint Devin Nunes, a former member of Congress who had used his role as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to try to delegitimize the Trump-Russia investigation, to head an independent advisory board on espionage policy,” the New York Times reports.
“The organization — the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board — dates back to the early Cold War and consists of private citizens with top-level security clearances who are supposed to help the White House analyze spy agency effectiveness and planning. Its members do not need Senate confirmation, so presidents can pick whomever they want for it.”
President-elect Donald Trump has picked Richard Grenell, a close advisor on foreign policy and intelligence issues, to be his presidential envoy for special missions, USA Today reports.
Said Trump: “Ric will work in some of the hottest spots around the World, including Venezuela and North Korea.”
President-elect Donald Trump has expressed a keen interest in privatizing the U.S. Postal Service in recent weeks, a move that could shake up consumer shipping and business supply chains and push hundreds of thousands of federal workers out of the government, the Washington Post reports.
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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