The Hill

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley raised major concerns with President-elect Trump’s decision to appoint former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to his Cabinet. 

Haley criticized both picks on SiriusXM’s “Nikki Haley Live.”

She condemned Gabbard’s comments on Russia’s war on Ukraine and her support of a pardon for Edward Snowden, who leaked U.S. intelligence.

“After Russia invaded Ukraine, Tulsi Gabbard literally blamed NATO, our Western alliance that’s responsible for countering Russia,” Haley said.

“She blamed NATO for the attack on Ukraine, and the Russians and the Chinese echoed her talking points and her interviews on Russian and Chinese television.”

Haley noted that Gabbard hasn’t changed her stances on foreign affairs and warned that her rhetoric could be a danger to the Department of National Intelligence.

“So now she’s defended Russia, she’s defended Syria, she’s defended Iran, and she’s defended China. No, she has not denounced any of these views. None of them. She hasn’t taken one of them back. DNI, Department of National Intelligence,” Haley added.

“This is not a place for a Russian, Iranian, Syrian, Chinese sympathizer,” she said. “DNI has to analyze real threats.”

On Kennedy, she said not enough was known about what he could offer to the Department of Health and Human Services. 

“He’s a liberal Democrat, environmental attorney, trial lawyer who will now be overseeing 25 percent of our federal budget and has no background in health care,” Haley stated.

“So some of you may think RFK is cool, some of you may like that he questions what’s in our food and what’s in our vaccines, but we don’t know, when he is given reins to an agency, what decisions he’s going to make behind the scenes.”

She instead suggested that he serve as a health adviser and urged the Senate to “ask the hard questions to him before we go and approve him.”

However, Trump has proposed recess appointments for his Cabinet members instead of the traditional Senate confirmations, if necessary.

Many of his picks have sparked controversy, but he has maintained the support of House Speaker Mike Johnson and has scheduled the candidates for private meetings with Senators alongside Vice-President elect JD Vance.

The jockeying for President-elect Trump’s pick to run the all-important Treasury Department is coming down to the wire.

Trump’s economic team will be tasked with imposing an aggressive tariff regime meant to shake up global trade while keeping financial markets calm amid the disruption. To lead that team, the president-elect is said to be struggling to find a nominee with a track record of supporting tariffs while calming any potential jitters on Wall Street.

Sources familiar with the process told The Hill that a pick for Treasury is on track to be sorted out by this week after Apollo Global Management co-founder Marc Rowan and Kevin Warsh, a former member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, have emerged as front-runners, as well as Key Square Group founder Scott Bessent.

Rowan was expected to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter. The Trump team and those at Apollo Global did not respond to a request for comment.

Rowan and Warsh will likely end in a “photo finish,” one source described, while Bessent, who previously was considered a leading contender, could be tapped as head of the National Economic Council. Others, though, still see Bessent as a front-runner.

Treasury secretary is Trump’s most important Cabinet pick left. The president-elect ran on the notion of turning the economy around, a campaign promise that resonated with voters tired of inflation. Trump also wants to extend the 2017 tax cuts set to expire next year.

But most notably, Trump has proposed a general tariff of 10 to 20 percent on all imported goods in order to pull investment into the U.S. and bolster domestic industry. That’s a significant escalation of his first-term trade policies.

“The single greatest choice that Trump could make in the Cabinet to affect his economic agenda is the Treasury secretary. The Treasury secretary by statute has the greatest authority over tariffs and tariff policy in general,” said a person with knowledge of discussions. “The Trump folks know that this pick is key to his economic agenda.”

The president-elect is hard-edged about his tariffs plan but is also focused overall on what the market reaction will be to whomever he ends up picking. Trump was known to watch the stock market during his first administration and view it as a barometer of his economic policy.

A source familiar with the Trump transition called Rowan “the thoroughbred who is making a big run,” adding that his leading the Treasury Department “would send a strong signal and inspire confidence in the capital markets.”

“Wall Street thinks, ‘Oh my God, that would be unbelievable,’” the source said. “He built a significant business. He’s a CEO. He’s recognized around the globe as an expert on financial markets.”

Meanwhile, Warsh is helping on the Trump transition economic team but has also expressed interest in being the next chair of the Federal Reserve after Chair Jerome Powell’s term is up. His father-in-law, Ronald Lauder, is a Trump ally and heir to Estée Lauder.

Warsh, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed in March, wrote if “foreign countries disfavor U.S. interests, they won’t gain the precious benefit of American protection or ready access to U.S. technology or markets,” suggesting he would be tough on other countries.

“I do think there’s been some pushback on Warsh because he has kind of very strongly a pro-growth, anti-protectionist record,” said the source familiar with the Trump transition. “MAGA crowd, the JD Vance wing of the Republican Party are like, ‘OK, this guy is too Chamber of Commerce Republican.'”

Another name floated is Trump’s former U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, who is a staunch tariff advocate. While he is still considered in the mix for Treasury secretary, some sources think Lighthizer is more likely to land another job in the Trump administration.

“The Trump inner circle, they’re thinking about the entire Trump agenda. It’s not just tariffs but a lot of the stuff that they want to do on China, it really can either be successful or be thwarted by a bad Treasury Secretary and specifically a Wall Street Treasury secretary,” said a person with knowledge of discussions.

The source noted that Lighthizer has always been in the mix for the spot because he is the closest to Trump’s opinions on economic policy.

Lighthizer would be expected to move very quickly on implementing tariffs and not be overly concerned about how the markets would receive the changes. Other names would be interested in arriving at a similar place but at a pace more digestible to financial markets.

“I would expect the next Trump administration to be much more aligned on where they want to get to over the past four years,” said a former Trump administration official. “I think the disagreement will ultimately be about how fast you get there.”

Trump opted to pick Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick for Commerce secretary, putting him out of the running for Treasury.

Although Lutnick was endorsed by entrepreneur Elon Musk for Treasury over the weekend, a person with knowledge of discussions suggested his opinion on tariffs led to him getting Commerce instead.

“I was told that Lutnick basically told Trump, ‘I’m 100 percent on board with the tariff agenda,’” said a person with knowledge of discussions, who added that Lutnick, along with Bessent, has publicly described tariffs as a tool for negotiating and that the Trump team took note of that.

Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) told The Hill on Wednesday that Trump doesn’t feel rushed about making his final decision on the Treasury pick. Hagerty was with Trump at a SpaceX launch the day prior and was reportedly also floated as a possible option for Treasury.

“This is a very personal decision for the president and he’s going to take the amount of time he needs. … I don’t think he feels rushed at all, I didn’t get that sense. He’s going to be very thorough about the process,” Hagerty said, adding that he has personally “stayed out” of the inner workings.

Al Weaver contributed to this report.

President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of celebrity doctor and failed Senate candidate Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) marks the latest potential shakeup of federal health agencies, and adds new uncertainty to the future of Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. 

If confirmed, Oz would take the helm of a $1.5 trillion agency that is essentially the federal government’s insurance provider. It sets payments rates for doctors, hospitals and insurers, while also overseeing Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act — programs that provide coverage for more than 150 million people. 

The pick continues a trend of Trump elevating television personalities for key administration roles. CMS policies and programs touch on almost every aspect of the health system, but Oz has no experience running a large bureaucracy. 

In his first term, Trump chose Seema Verma, a health consultant with a long history in health policy, for the CMS role. 

Here’s what to know about Oz and how he could impact health care: 

His TV career made him a household name  

Oz, the son of Turkish immigrants, was a prominent heart surgeon in New York before he became nationally famous. He gained prominence initially as a medical expert on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show through the early 2000s, where he discussed issues like aging, sex, diet, exercise and weight loss. She branded him “America’s doctor” as he became a regular guest.  

In 2009, Oprah and her production company helped launch Oz’s own daytime series, “The Dr. Oz Show.” The show aired until Oz declared his candidacy for Senate in 2021. It aired its final episode in January 2022. The show won 10 Daytime Emmy awards during its run. 

Oz’s politics during the show were unclear. Michelle Obama appeared on the show in 2013, and Trump was a guest during his 2016 campaign, an appearance in which he released the results of a physical. 

Renowned heart surgeon 

Oz has an undergraduate degree from Harvard and earned a doctorate in medicine as well as a master’s in business degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Wharton Business School, which is also Trump’s alma mater.

Oz spent much of his career at Columbia University and its affiliated medical center.  

He served as director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and was part of a team in 2001 and 2002 that performed the first totally endoscopic, robotic open-heart operation, as well as the first robotic coronary artery bypass operation in the United States, the hospital said at the time. 

He was named vice-chairman and professor of surgery at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, before the university quietly cut ties with him in 2022. 

Dubious endorsements 

Oz has a history of endorsing dubious and often controversial products and treatments, blurring the lines between celebrity pitchman and medical doctor. Critics said his show provided a platform for fringe claims not backed by evidence. 

A 2014 study in the British Medical Journal found that more than half of the claims and recommendations made on Oz’s show had no evidence or were outright contradicted by available science. 

During a Senate hearing in 2014, Oz was sharply questioned by lawmakers including then-Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) over his promotion of weight loss supplements as miracles. 

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oz lobbied the Trump administration to rush trials of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat the virus. The Trump administration also pressured FDA on the drug. It was authorized for use in March 2020, but was soon shown to be ineffective.  

Senate Finance Committee chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who will be ranking member during Oz’s confirmation next year, mentioned Oz’s history of unscientific endorsements as an area of concern.  

“Trump’s health care agenda is all about empowering fraudsters and big business while everyday Americans are stuck with the bill. Dr. Oz is no stranger to peddling nonsense to innocent Americans without facing consequences,” Wyden said in a statement. 

GOP Senate candidate 

Oz ran for Senate in Pennsylvania in 2022 and gained Trump’s endorsement after winning a close and bruising primary, but ultimately lost to now-Sen. John Fetterman (D).  

Before he ran for Senate, Oz promoted ObamaCare and spoke favorably about health insurance mandates, CNN’s KFile reported. But his then-campaign spokesperson walked back his previous statements and said Oz would not have voted for the law. 

Oz ran as a “pro-life” candidate who said abortion was “murder” at any stage in pregnancy. He drew condemnation from Democrats and abortion rights advocates for saying during a debate that abortion policy should be left to “local political leaders.”  

During the campaign, Oz also drew criticism for mocking Fetterman for suffering a stroke. 

After Trump announced his pick of Oz on Tuesday, Fetterman said he was open to supporting his former rival. 

“If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude,” Fetterman said in a post on the social platform X.

Medicare/Medicaid cuts?  

In a statement announcing his choice, Trump said Oz will “cut waste and fraud within our Country’s most expensive Government Agency, which is a third of our Nation’s Healthcare spend, and a quarter of our entire National Budget.”  

During the campaign, Trump pledged not to cut Medicare or Social Security but made no such promises about Medicaid.  With Republicans in control of government, lawmakers are eyeing long-sought cuts and changes to the safety-net program, which could be used to pay for an extension of the tax cuts from Trump’s first administration. 

It’s not clear what Oz or his would-be boss, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., think about Medicaid policy. 

But Oz has long been a supporter of Medicare Advantage, a private-sector alternative to traditional Medicare. In 2024, more than half of Americans eligible for Medicare are enrolled in one of the plans offered by large insurance companies, including UnitedHealthcare and Humana. MA plans also account for more than half of Medicare spending.  

“Believe it or not, it is possible to get health insurance plans now with a zero-dollar monthly premium,” Oz said in a YouTube video posted to channel in August. “Millions of people already are doing it and so could you.”  

During his Senate campaign, Oz promoted a policy of expanding access to Medicare Advantage to any individual who wants to enroll.  

In 2020, he co-authored an article in Forbes arguing for “Medicare Advantage For All.” The idea was to eliminate Medicare and employer sponsored insurance so every American not on Medicaid would be enrolled in a private Medicare Advantage plan.  

It would be funded by using “an affordable 20 percent payroll tax, which is close to the amount most employers currently spend to buy insured care.” 

But Medicare Advantage plans have come under scrutiny for overbilling Medicare, having limited provider networks and routinely denying care for patients. 

Pollster Nate Silver said President Biden should resign in a post on the social platform X on Wednesday.

“Is there any particular reason to assume Biden is competent to be president right now? It’s a very difficult job,” Silver wrote in his post. “It’s a dangerous world. Extremely high-stakes decisions in Ukraine. He should resign and let Harris serve out the last 2 months.”

Silver’s post also featured a screenshot of a report from The Washington Post, and a link to the article. The Post reporting centered on Biden’s relationship with the press as he prepares to exit the White House. Biden, according to the Post, did not spend much of his time talking publicly during his recent visit to South America.

Biden has faced questions about his age and mental fitness throughout his presidency, but they increased especially in recent months following a rough presidential debate performance against President-elect Trump.

The questions and fears about Biden’s age and mental fitness ultimately led to him being replaced at the top of the Democratic ticket by Vice President Harris. She lost to Trump about three-and-a-half months later.

Jamal Simmons, a former aide to Harris, also recently called for Biden to resign so the vice president could have take the role for a short time.

“Joe Biden’s been a phenomenal president; he’s lived up to so many of the promises he’s made. There’s one promise left that he could fulfill: being a transitional figure,” Simmons said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“He could resign the presidency in the next 30 days, make Kamala Harris president of the United States,” he continued.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

President-elect Trump weighed in on the sentencing of the Venezuelan man charged for killing Georgia student Laken Riley earlier this year, hailing the verdict as “justice.”

“JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY!” Trump posted Wednesday to his Truth Social site. “The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes.”

A Georgia judge found Jose Ibarra, 26, guilty on all charges after four days of trial, The Associated Press reported.

Ibarra faced 10 charges, including one count of malice murder, three counts of felony murder. He also faced one count each of kidnapping, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, hindering an emergency telephone call, tampering with evidence and being a peeping tom.

The defendant, a migrant from Venezuela, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Riley, a 22-year-old college student, was killed while jogging in a park on the University of Georgia campus in February. Her death became a flashpoint in politics over the election cycle, with Republicans pointing her death to the country’s immigration crisis and the Biden administration’s efforts.

Riley died of blunt force trauma, and there was no connection between her and Ibarra before the crime, University of Georgia Police Chief Jeff Clark said in the spring.

Her death garnered national attention, both from Trump and Republicans pushing for immigration reform, and President Biden, who expressed his “deepest condolences.”

In his post, Trump said he hopes Riley’s death will bring “some peace and closure” to her family.

“We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you,” he wrote. “It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!”

On Monday, Trump signaled he would declare an immigration national emergency and use military assets to support his mass deportation plan when he returns to the White House.

Immigration advocates are bracing for executive action on immigration during his second term, but questions remain about how he would go about legally and logistically deporting millions of migrants.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have sent a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray asking for “the complete evidentiary file” from the bureau’s investigation into allegations of sex trafficking of minors against former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), whom President-elected Trump has tapped to become the next attorney general.

The Democratic senators, led by Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (Ill.), say the allegations against Gaetz are “significant” in light of his associate, Joel Greenberg, having pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking charge for which the Florida Republican was also investigated.

“In order for the Senate to perform its constitutional duty in this instance, we must be able to thoroughly review all relevant materials that speak to the credibility of these serious allegations against Mr. Gaetz,” the senators wrote in their letter to Wray on Wednesday.

The senators wrote that “the grave public allegations against Mr. Gaetz speak directly to his fitness to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the federal government.”

They argued there is “substantial precedent” for providing such materials to Congress, citing the acknowledgment of Dan Bryant, the Justice Department’s assistant attorney general for legislative affairs, during a House Government Reform hearing in 2002 that the FBI has shared documents related to open and closed investigations with members dozens of times.

Democrats noted the FBI in the past provided to Congress more than 2,000 pages of bureau interviews and summaries related to its investigation of allegations of improper fundraising by the 1996 Clinton-Gore campaign, and more than 880,000 pages of documents related to the decision not to charge former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server to transmit and store government documents.

The letter was signed by Durbin and Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Laphonza Butler (Calif.), Chris Coons (Del.), Peter Welch (Vt.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Alex Padilla (Calif.).

Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), who will take over as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee next year, has urged the House Ethics Committee to provide its report about the allegations against Gaetz to the Senate Judiciary panel.

“I think that they should — if they want this process to go smoothly, they shouldn’t inhibit anyway of getting any information the committee needs,” he said of the FBI’s findings related to the allegations against Gaetz.

President-elect Trump has named his former acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, as the next ambassador to NATO, selecting him to fill the role at a crucial time amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and tensions over defense spending across the Western security alliance.

In a statement, Trump said Whitaker is a “strong warrior and loyal Patriot, who will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended.”

“Matt will strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability,” Trump wrote. “I have full confidence in Matt’s ability to represent the United States with Strength, Integrity, and unwavering Dedication.”

Whitaker was the acting attorney general for about three months during the middle of Trump’s first term; he had been serving as chief of staff to Jeff Sessions for a bit more than a month before Sessions resigned as attorney general in November 2018, opening the role for him.

He was previously a U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa under President George W. Bush’s administration.

Whitaker also served in private practice from 2009-17 before rejoining the Department of Justice. He has been a political consultant for the past few years and has three degrees from the University of Iowa.

Whitaker drew controversy during Trump’s first term when he criticized the special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of Trump’s alleged collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 election.

In 2018, Whitaker refused to recuse himself from the DOJ’s supervisory role that oversaw the Mueller investigation, despite calls from Democrats and other critics about a conflict of interest.

A career ethics official ultimately concluded Whitaker did not have a conflict of interest but said there were reasonable questions about his impartiality.

Mueller ultimately found no evidence of collusion but left open a question of whether Trump obstructed justice during his investigation. Several Trump allies were convicted separately for tax fraud, lying to the FBI or investigators and other charges related to the investigation.

If confirmed by the Senate, Whitaker will work with NATO at a perilous time, as Western allies continue to support Ukraine in the war against Russia. Trump has pledged to end the war by the time he takes office, stoking fears in Europe and among NATO allies that he will concede territory in Ukraine to reach a deal.

Trump is also highly critical of European nations that he says don’t pay enough in defense spending, warning earlier this year he would let Russia “do whatever the hell they want” to allies that don’t pay up.

There are also concerns Trump could withdraw from NATO. Many European nations have been bracing for dramatic changes under Trump, though NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has expressed confidence in working with the incoming administration.

Whitaker joins a growing list of Trump’s foreign policy and national security picks, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for secretary of State, Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla) for national security adviser and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for ambassador to the United Nations. He has also selected controversial nominees, including Fox News personality Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.

Economists are expecting President-elect Trump to place tariffs of about 40 percent on Chinese imports, according to a survey from Reuters.

In the survey of economists, 45 percent said the “level of tariffs imposed by Trump on Chinese goods” will be between 31 percent and 45 percent. Thirty-five percent said the level would be between 15 percent and 30 percent, and 20 percent said the level would be between 46 percent and 60 percent.

Trump has heavily backed tariffs as a way of strengthening the U.S. economy, but critics have argued it could lead to higher prices for consumers as trading partners raise their own tariffs on U.S. exports in response to the U.S. tariffs.

U.S. tariffs are generally meant to protect the production of U.S. goods but can have the effect of raising prices on the goods being hit with tariffs.

Trump has also variously suggested a general tariff of 10 percent and 20 percent aimed at all imported goods to foster investment in the U.S. and boost domestic industry. In his September debate against Vice President Harris, Trump again dug into his promise to increase tariffs on imported goods when discussing economic policy.

“We’re doing tariffs on other countries,” Trump said at the time. “I took in billions and billions of dollars … from China.”

The Reuters survey featured 50 economists and took place Nov. 13-20.

President Biden is ringing in his 82nd birthday on Wednesday, extending his record as America’s oldest sitting president. 

Biden returned to the White House from a six-day trip to South America after 11p.m. on Tuesday. A White House official told The Hill on Wednesday that the president would celebrate his big day with his family.

Biden has typically approached his increasing age with self-deprecating humor.

In a post on Instagram last year as he turned 81, Biden posed for a birthday photo beside a cake seemingly engulfed by an abundance of burning candles.

“Thanks for the birthday well-wishes today, everyone. Turns out on your 146th birthday, you run out of space for candles!” he said in the 2023 social media message.

When asked last year to name the best thing about getting older, Biden told ITK, “Wisdom.”

Biden exited the presidential race in July, following a disastrous debate performance that renewed concerns about his age and fitness for office.

But Biden might not top the age-related record books for long. At 78, former President Trump is the oldest person to ever be elected president following his White House win earlier this month. Trump will have beaten Biden’s age record by five months at the end of his second term in 2029, becoming the oldest president in office at 82 years and seven months.

Former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Andrew Jackson round out the top five oldest commanders in chief. 

—Alex Gangitano contributed.

Veteran journalist Bob Woodward said earlier this week that Americans “better be frightened” when it comes to President-elect Trump’s upcoming second term.

“Having chronicled 10 presidents going back to Nixon, they had extraordinary power,” Woodward said Monday on CNN’s “Laura Coates Live,” later adding that Trump will “use it.”

“He used it his first term — maybe not adequately, from his own point of view. So, he is going to use it, and we better be frightened,” he told the host.

The president-elect has a history of commonly calling for antagonistic actions toward those he sees as political enemies and making veiled threats.

In October, Trump suggested during an appearance on Fox News that the National Guard or military should be employed on Election Day to fight against possible disorder from “the enemy from within,” which he said includes “radical-left lunatics”

“We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics.” Trump said at the time, adding, “And I think it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard or, if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”

In his appearance Monday, Woodward said Trump “has totally abandoned the rational approach to getting people to do the things that need to be done in government.” 

“I mean, we are in this zoo, and he’s in charge for a long time and has lots of power. We should not kid ourselves,” he continued. “And, I believe from doing books on him, spending hours interviewing him, that he’s trying to recreate the imperial presidency.”

His comments come as former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), whom Trump selected for attorney general in his next administration, has called for taking away funds and doing away with “the FBI, CDC, ATF, DOJ, every last one of them, if they do not come to heel.”

The Hill has reached out to Trump’s transition team for comment.