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Trump’s cabinet choices–some of which have caused quite a stir–do not represent “retribution,” but “justice,” Rep. Warren Davidson said.
The post Exclusive — Rep. Warren Davidson: Trump’s Cabinet Will Bring ‘Justice’ for Real Abuses of Power, Not Baseless Lawfare appeared first on Breitbart.
Go to Source: Breitbart News
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), headed up by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, will be able to “get rid of the bureaucrats” and work to clear out more waste, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily, laying out just what, exactly, that process could look like.
The post Exclusive — Rep. Warren Davidson: Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy Can ‘Get Rid of the Bureaucrats’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Go to Source: Breitbart News
Republican Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee told Fox News Digital that he believes President-elect Donald Trump’s decisive victory signals success for a second school choice bill introduced to the state legislature this week after his first proposal failed this year.
Lee said he agreed with Trump’s promises to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education, echoing the president-elect’s concern over the federal bureaucracy becoming entrenched with gender and race ideology rather than learning.
“I think it is a great idea to dismantle the Department of Education federally. And I’m a strong believer that policy at the state level should be handled by states, that states know best,” Lee told Fox News Digital. “In this case, states certainly know best. We know best in Tennessee what our children need and how best to educate our kids. The parents of this state should be given a greater influence on how their kids are educated, and that will happen if the federal Department of Education is dismantled and those funds are delivered to states to be used in a more efficient and more effective way.”
Lee said the political environment on the ground in the state is not what it was months ago when the first school choice proposal failed in the state legislature. Since then, the election saw a wave of pro-school choice candidates win at the state-level, and Trump succeeded in his bid for the White House.
TRUMP PLANS TO SHIFT SCHOOL FUNDING CONTROL TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES, HAS YET TO PICK DOE SECRETARY
“President Trump has long believed that school choice is important for the people of this country and that education freedom is something that all Americans could have. He’s talked about it. He campaigned on it,” Lee said. “One thing is very evident about what happened last week. And President Trump is very clear about what his policies are, and Americans were very clear about their acceptance of those policies last week. They, with a strong mandate, said we like what we hear. We want him to execute on those things and that President Trump has a significant understanding and a clear understanding and is the leader, frankly, on the issue of school choice. All of those things benefit us as we move into this next session.”
Lee’s new school choice bill, titled the Education Freedom Act of 2025, was jointly introduced to the state House and Senate on Wednesday.
Drawing from funding already approved by the state legislature, the bill would allow the state Department of Education to award up to 20,000 scholarships – valued at about $7,000 each – for the next school year to be spent on tuition, tutoring, technology and examination expenses. The first 10,000 scholarships would be set aside for low-income students whose parents might not otherwise afford to send their children to institutions other than the public schools in their districts.
Democrats have painted school choice as disenfranchising low-income students, but Lee said he feels the opposite.
“Every kid is unique. Every kid has different learning styles. Every kid has a different life situation. And every family ought to have the opportunity to choose the best path for their kid,” the governor said. “In particular, I don’t think that only the wealthy families that can afford a private option, that those families should be the only ones and those children should be the only ones that have that option for choice.”
“Oftentimes, opponents will say that school choice initiatives hurt public schools. I think that’s just the opposite,” Lee said. “This legislation that we’re actually bringing forth is an education policy initiative. It’s not just an Education Freedom Scholarship bill. It includes historic funding for public schools, bonuses for teachers, for public school teachers. We will include alongside with this legislation a teacher pay raise plan that will put us in the top 15 states for teacher pay raise in the country.”
BETSY DEVOS JOINS TRUMP’S CALL TO ‘DISBAND’ THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND ‘RE-EMPOWER’ FAMILIES
Lee noted that about 30 states already have school choice, 12 of which have universal school choice, and several of those states have passed their initiatives in recent years.
“Americans are in growing numbers, and now the majority of Americans, as evidenced by the past elections, have come to believe that school choice is the way of the future,” Lee said. “It is the answer to challenging the status quo. It is the way that we take America’s rankings and educational outcomes that used to be the top in the world from way down the list as it relates to other countries back up into the outcomes that we hope for this country.”
“This is a way to challenge and change and bring innovation into an education system that’s grown stale and bloated and bureaucratic,” Lee said. “And we see it happening all across America. We believe it’s going to happen in Tennessee. It is an incredibly important moment in our country for parental rights and for the future of children and their education.”
Lee said his schooling growing up in Tennessee happened before the U.S. Department of Education was established in 1979.
“We knew how to do it then. We know how to do it now,” Lee said, explaining that Tennessee created a funding formula that “uniquely recognizes the needs of children with disabilities, with dyslexia and with English as a second language. “We know how to fund education for Tennessee children. We know much better than they do in a bureaucratic institution like the federal Department of Education. I think President Trump is exactly right. I think it’s a great idea.”
“As a governor, I would welcome the partnership with President Trump in allowing states to choose and determine how best to spend education dollars for their kids,” he added.
If Trump goes through with eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, experts expect the process could take several years.
With Cabinet nominations underway, Fox News Digital asked Lee who he would like to see as Trump’s education secretary and if the governor would consider throwing his own name in the running.
“What I will say is and what I hope is that whoever takes this job is looking to work themselves out of a job,” Lee said. “It will take the right kind of leader who really understands, and I think, who really understands how states can function and how problematic for states federal bureaucracies are. Governors understand that. There are a lot of folks who would be well-qualified for this, but the next person needs to be hoping to work themselves out of a job.”
On the heels of the devastation brought by Hurricane Helene, the governor said the new school choice bill would also commit state dollars from its sports gambling revenue to the construction and maintenance of public school facilities. The bill also offers $2,000 one-time bonuses to every teacher in the state and promises supplemental funding for school districts affected by enrollment drops.
“We can have the best public schools in America,” Lee said. “We can commit the right amount of finances and the right amount of focus. We can strengthen and support our public schools in unprecedented ways and provide freedom and opportunity for parents and choice. At the same time, those are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they shouldn’t be. We should improve every educational opportunity for every kid in our state and will do so through this legislation.”
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
When President-elect Trump posed for photos with family members after securing a second term on Election Night, Elon Musk was there.
When Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone following the election, the Tesla CEO joined the call.
And when Trump met with House Republicans in Washington on Wednesday as they gathered for leadership votes, the Space X founder was seated in the room among lawmakers.
“Elon won’t go home. I can’t get rid of him. Until I don’t like him,” Trump quipped, according to a source in the room.
Musk has been a near-constant presence in Trump’s orbit since the election, offering his input on staffing choices and even getting named to a role to propose massive cuts to government spending and regulations. Trump has shown an affection for the billionaire company head, frequently invoking him in speeches.
But some Republicans have questioned how long Trump and Musk can happily co-exist, particularly given Trump’s past frustration with those who take up too much of the spotlight.
“Trump is not going to have another alpha. I think Trump is going to tire of him,” one source close to the transition told The Hill.
One Republican lobbyist with ties to Trump said there are some in the president-elect’s orbit who think Musk is “a little big for his britches.”
Trump transition team spokesperson Karoline Leavitt did not respond to requests for comment from The Hill, but in a statement on Wednesday to NBC News described Musk and Trump as “great friends and brilliant leaders working together to Make America Great Again.”
“Elon Musk is a once in a generation business leader and our federal bureaucracy will certainly benefit from his ideas and efficiency,” Leavitt said.
Musk has been among the president-elect’s most vocal and influential supporters since he endorsed Trump immediately after a July assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally.
Musk pumped millions of dollars into a pro-Trump super PAC that helped with voter turnout efforts, campaigned for Trump in Pennsylvania and appeared at multiple Trump rallies, including at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
During the transition, Musk has been a visible figure at Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida estate where he and his teams have huddled to staff the next administration. He joined Trump’s call with Zelensky and has reportedly provided input on potential staff picks.
Trump’s granddaughter, Kai Trump, posted a photo on X on Sunday from a golf course in Florida alongside Musk that joked the billionaire was “achieving uncle status.”
And Margo Martin, a longtime Trump aide, posted a video late Wednesday showing the president-elect and Musk joining singer Christopher Macchio at Mar-a-Lago to sing “God Bless America.”
In addition to being attached to Trump at the hip, Musk has been given a more formal task: He is co-leading an effort to identify cuts to government spending and regulations, alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, who ran a GOP presidential campaign of his own before dropping out and endorsing Trump.
The Department of Government Efficiency, as the effort has been dubbed, will serve as an outside advisory commission, meaning Musk will not have a formal government title. But his influence could still be particularly beneficial given his companies have billions of dollars worth of government contracts.
While Trump and Musk appear to be getting along well, the president-elect has historically grown frustrated with those who take up too much of the spotlight, particularly at his expense.
Steve Bannon was pushed out as Trump’s senior White House strategist in 2017 after clashing with other staff and being accused of leaking to reporters. Trump lashed out at Bannon months later when Bannon was quoted extensively in a book that portrayed him as a central influence in the Trump White House.
The two have since mended fences, with Bannon’s podcast being a popular stop for Trump allies and conservative voices.
Trump in 2020 clashed with Dr. Anthony Fauci as Fauci’s star rose as the face of the administration’s COVID-19 pandemic response and as an expert willing to push back on Trump’s claims. Trump eventually sidelined the doctor and led public briefings on the outbreak himself.
Republicans close to Trump suggested it would be telling whether Musk remains a highly visible presence once the president-elect takes office.
“I think we will need to see how it all shakes out,” the GOP lobbyist with ties to Trump told The Hill. “Does he ever try to be the man without a portfolio who roams around the White House intruding on every issue, every discussion.”
Alex Gangitano and Mychael Schnell contributed
Go to Source: Administration News
Tulsi Gabbard’s expressed support for national security leakers and her elevation of Russian-backed narratives are coming under renewed scrutiny after President-elect Trump nominated her to the highest intelligence post in the country.
If confirmed as director of national intelligence (DNI), Gabbard would be responsible for wrangling the information collected across all 18 intelligence agencies.
The DNI aids in the creation of the president’s daily intelligence briefing, and Gabbard would play a key role in advising Trump on national security decisions.
“The DNI has access to every single secret that the United States has, every single bit of information that we know… it’s the keys to the intelligence community kingdom,” said Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), a former CIA officer who now sits on the House Intelligence Committee and who described herself as “appalled” by Gabbard’s selection.
Gabbard’s nomination surprised many in the national security world who expressed alarm over has past controversial comments and lack of high-level national security experience.
“What is unusual here is you’ve got somebody who’s had such a long and vociferous track record of saying things that are factually incorrect, that seem to give aid and comfort to U.S. adversaries, and that undermine the very people they should be representing at the principals committee,” said Jamil Jaffer, a former Republican House Intelligence Committee staffer and national security prosecutor.
“That’s what makes her an unlikely candidate to be nominated for this job, and to be an unlikely candidate to be confirmed to this job.”
Gabbard, a four-term Democratic congresswoman who officially became a Republican this year, has at various turns espoused pro-Russia talking points, writing as Ukraine was being invaded that President Biden failed to take into account “Russia’s legitimate security concerns” in trying to head off the war.
She has also praised Edward Snowden, who leaked troves of classified national intelligence material in 2013 and has spent the past decade living in Russia, pushing for Trump to pardon him during his first term in office.
She also secretly met with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who was accused of using chemical weapons on his own citizens during the country’s civil war. When she ran as a Democrat for president in the 2020 primary, she declined to label the Syrian leader and Russian ally a war criminal.
“Some of the statements she has made through the years that sound like they came right out of the Kremlin’s talking points paper are a little bit alarming. Her cozying up to Bashir al Assad, and being an apologist for him as well just raise questions in my mind, is that really the best person to put in charge of this very complicated, very sensitive operation that is the U.S. intel community,” said Larry Pfeiffer, who previously served as senior director of the White House Situation Room and was chief of staff at the CIA under the George W. Bush administration.
Gabbard has also nodded to disinformation, expressing alarm in 2019 over “U.S.-funded biolabs” in Ukraine she feared could spread “deadly pathogens,” later walking the claim back after saying she was “not convinced” there were biological weapons being developed in the country.
But her comments came as the State Department at the time noted the Kremlin was pushing “outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine.”
Her flirtation with disinformation has raised questions both over whether she can be trusted with intelligence and whether allies would continue to share key information with the U.S.
Spanberger noted that throughout her CIA career she had to pledge to sources she would protect their information and identity.
“The core element of concern relates to how much she will or won’t protect our sources and methods, our collected intelligence, our raw intelligence, the people who collect the raw intelligence. And so at its core, I have a concern that she would protect what we produce. And so how could a foreign country not have a concern as to whether she would protect what they produce?” she asked.
“It’s absolutely outrageous. And you know, many of my colleagues are concerned about [Rep.] Matt Gaetz, for obvious reasons,” she added, nodding to the Florida GOP lawmaker Trump on Wednesday said he would nominate as attorney general.
“But in that circumstance, it will be within the public sphere all of the potential ways that he could do egregious damage to the Justice Department. With the DNI, we’ll never even know the scope and depths of damage that a bad choice could make to the intelligence community, to our national security – all of it,” Spanberger said.
Other voices expressed concern over Gabbard’s lack of experience leading large agencies.
“She’s never managed anything larger than a congressional office or maybe like a brigade. That’s a lot different than trying to orchestrate and coordinate this wild consultation of intel elements that we call the U.S. intelligence community. I think she isn’t really prepared for that,” Pfeiffer said.
While Gabbard is a U.S. Army reservist, with a rank of lieutenant colonel, Pfeiffer noted picks to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence typically have “spent decades working on these issues.”
One Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee also vented over the pick.
“I think there are 10 other people that are more qualified than her, and I don’t think she has the requisite background or experience for the job. So I think she’s going to have real trouble in the Senate and I don’t know what qualifies her to be DNI,” the Republican said.
“She served what? As a police officer in the National Guard? That’s it. I mean, just look at the lack of qualifications. I don’t think she’s ever had an intelligence briefing. I don’t think she understands 702, or [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act],” the lawmaker said, noting the section of the law that covers foreign intelligence collection.
Still, figures on both sides of the aisle have expressed support for Trump’s pick.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said with her military background “she understands the threats as well as anybody.”
And Obama-era Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said skepticism of intelligence can “be a good thing.”
“I’m going to surprise you a little bit. I don’t think that it is an absolute prerequisite that the Director of National Intelligence be someone of the intelligence community. I also believe that on occasion it’s a good thing to be skeptical of the intelligence that we’re provided,” he said during a Thursday appearance on CNN.
But Spanberger urged her Senate counterparts to be wary of advancing Gabbard.
“Anybody who serves on the [Senate Intelligence COmmittee] cannot, in good conscience, vote for her,” she said.
“They just – they can’t. They can’t.”
Al Weaver contributed to this story.
Go to Source: Administration News
As he aims to turn the nation’s capital upside down, President-elect Trump is turning to allies and supporters of his MAGA movement and America First agenda as he quickly moves to assemble his second administration.
The former and future president is clearly placing plenty of emphasis on loyalty as he makes increasing provocative picks for top cabinet posts.
And unlike eight years ago, when the first-time politician first took control of the White House, he is not in the market for establishment types or those who served in his first administration, but in his mind, proved disloyal.
Case in point – This week’s announcement from the president-elect that he was nominating as attorney general Rep. Matt Gaetz, the controversial conservative lawmaker from Florida who has been one of Trump’s biggest defenders in Congress as he’s repeatedly claimed the criminal investigations into Trump were “witch hunts.”
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE POTENTIALLY DAMAGING GAETZ HOUSE ETHICS REPORT?
In making his announcement – which sent shock waves through the nation’s capital – Trump highlighted that “Matt played a key role in defeating the Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax, and exposing alarming and systemic Government Corruption and Weaponization.”
Gaetz, following the nomination, stepped down from Congress, ahead of a potential damaging report by the House Ethics Committee into sexual misconduct allegations that the lawmaker has denied.
GAETZ FACES POTENTIAL GOP SENATE OPPOSITION TO HIS CONFIRMATION
On Wednesday afternoon, the president nominated his former rival in the presidential race – turned staunch advocate – Robert Kennedy Jr., as Health and Human Services Secretary.
Kennedy endorsed Trump shortly after suspending his campaign, and has since hit the campaign trail while touting his plans to “Make America Healthy Again” under a potential Trump presidency.
In making the announcement, Trump said “I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). 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,”
Trump turned to another loyalist – former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate turned MAGA rock star who this year became a Republican and a top campaign trail surrogate for the former president – as his pick for Director of National Intelligence.
A day earlier, Trump named combat veteran, Army National Guard officer and Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth, another major supporter, as his choice for Defense Secretary.
In announcing that Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was his pick to serve as ambassador to the United Nations, Trump noted that “Elise is a strong and very smart America First fighter… She was the first Member of Congress to endorse me and has always been a staunch advocate.”
TRUMP PICKS THIS FORMER DEMOCRAT TURNED REPUBLICAN TO LEAD THE NATION’S INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES
And Trump called former Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York, whom he is aiming to install as Environmental Protection Agency administrator, “a true fighter for America First policies.”
He named South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a conservative firebrand and MAGA-world star who has long been a fierce Trump ally and supporter, as his choice for Homeland Security secretary.
Noem will work with Stephen Miller, whom the president-elect has picked as his incoming deputy chief of staff for policy. Miller was the architect of much of the first Trump administration’s hard-line policy on immigration and border security.
She will also collaborate with Thomas Homan, who, as acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during the first administration, was often the face of Trump’s controversial immigration policies. The president-elect has named Homan as his incoming “border czar.”
And Trump named Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida as his choice for Secretary of State.
Rubio was a rival to Trump during the combustible 2016 Republican presidential nomination battle, but over the years has become a strong Trump ally in the Senate.
Trump also named Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida as his national security adviser. Waltz, a former Army Green Beret, is a longtime Trump ally.
VANCE IS THE FRONT-RUNNER, BUT HERE’S WHO ELSE MAY RUN FOR THE 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION
Dan Eberhart, an oil drilling chief executive officer and a prominent Republican donor and bundler who raised big bucks for Trump’s 2020 and 2024 campaigns, noted that Trump is in a very different situation than he was eight years ago, when he first won the White House.
“He’s got a stronger mandate because he won the popular vote, and he won all seven swing states,” Eberhart emphasized. “I also think he knows what he wants, and he knows better how to get what he wants out of Washington. He’s going to have a more cohesive, more MAGA team, that’s hopefully able to accomplish more.”
A leading strategist in Trump’s political orbit, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely, told Fox News that “one thing that is noticeable this time around is that instead of a team of rivals who are all over the place ideologically, Trump is largely bringing people on who are aligned with his America First agenda.”
Matt Mowers, a veteran Republican consultant and 2020 GOP congressional nominee in New Hampshire who worked on Trump’s 2016-2017 transition and served in the first Trump administration, told Fox News that Trump has “decided he needs everyone aligned.”
“What he’s doing is he’s choosing a lot of people who aren’t just going to undo the Biden polices but really try to take a hammer to the bureaucracy… which is what he calls the ‘deep state,'” Mowers added.
Those whom the president-elect feels have not shown their loyalty to him appear to be iced out.
Trump this past weekend announced in a social media post that he would not ask former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley – who served as ambassador to the U.N. in his first administration – and former Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas – who served as CIA director and then Secretary of State in Trump’s first term – to join his incoming cabinet.
Haley ran against Trump in this year’s Republican presidential primaries and ended up as the final challenger to the former president in what turned into a divisive nomination battle. Haley made clear this week that she wasn’t seeking a job in the second Trump administration.
Pompeo seriously mulled making his own 2024 White House run before ultimately deciding not to launch a campaign.
Both politicians eventually endorsed Trump this year, following the primary season.
But a source in Trump’s political orbit told Fox News that the president-elect “is not looking to give a platform for those with future presidential ambitions other than JD Vance.”
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
EXCLUSIVE – The incoming chair of the Senate Republican campaign committee says his game plan for the 2026 elections is simple: “increase the majority.”
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, after his fellow GOP lawmakers in the Senate chose him to chair the National Republican Senatorial Committee over the next two years, told reporters that his “passion” is to make sure that President-elect Trump “does not have two years with a Republican majority in the Senate, he has four years in control.”
In his first interview following his election as NRSC chair, Scott told Fox News Digital this week that “what we’re going to do is defend the seats that we have and expand the map so that we can increase the majority brought to us by the Trump victory.”
Republicans won back control of the Senate in last week’s elections, ending four years of majority control by the Democrats.
And it’s expected that once a mandated state recount is completed in the Senate contest in Pennsylvania – where GOP challenger Dave McCormick leads Democratic Sen. Bob Casey by roughly 25,000 votes – the Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate come January.
While not as favorable as the 2024 Senate map, the 2026 electoral landscape does give the Republicans some opportunities to flip seats.
Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff of Georgia and Gary Peters of Michigan are up for re-election in two years in key battleground states Trump flipped last week.
And Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will be up for re-election in a perennial swing state that Trump lost but over-performed from his 2020 showing. In Virginia, where Trump lost by just five points last week, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner will be up for re-election.
HERE ARE THE DEMOCRATS WHO MAY EVENTUALLY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028
“How do you expand the map,” Scott said. “You look at Georgia, and Michigan, and New Hampshire, and Virginia. And if you’re stretching – take a look at New Mexico and Minnesota. President Trump was very competitive in those states.”
But Republicans will also have to play defense. GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is up for re-election in a reliably blue state. And Sen. Thom Tills of North Carolina is also up in 2026, in a battleground state Trump narrowly won.
Scott emphasized that “the good news is as long as Susan Collins is running, I think we have a shot to win. Last time she won by several points. This time she’ll win by several points. Thom Tillis staying in North Carolina is good for our party.”
In the 2022 election cycle, when the Republicans blew a chance to win back the majority, NRSC chair Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was criticized for a hands-off approach in the GOP Senate primaries.
This past cycle, outgoing NRSC chair Sen. Steve Daines of Montana got involved in Senate Republican nomination battles.
Asked if the NRSC will take sides in competitive Republican Senate primaries during his tenure the next two years, Scott told Fox News “I think the best thing for us to do is have a family conversation next year about what we’re looking at. How we’re going to defend that map and then make the best decisions we can as it relates to making sure that we end up with more seats than we currently have.”
“Thank God we’re at 53. I’d like to see 55,” Scott added.
Asked if 55 seats was his goal, Scott joked “if it were up to me, we’d have 100 seats.”
Scott last year unsuccessfully ran for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, before ending his bid and endorsing Trump. The senator was a high-profile surrogate for Trump on the campaign trail this year.
In last week’s election, unlike in 2016 and 2020, Trump outperformed many of the GOP’s Senate candidates.
Scott said he wants Trump to participate as much as he can in the 2026 Senate contests.
“Every day and every way, President Trump, I know you have a full-time job. I’m going to ask you to have two full-time jobs. Let’s expand this map,” Scott emphasized.
He said “that means that every single day we need President Trump on the campaign trail, doing fundraisers, talking to folks, because this is President Donald J. Trump’s party, and we need to make sure we expand it, from the man to the movement. We need him to do it.”
A big part of Scott’s duties as NRSC chair will be fundraising. The senator was a top Republican fundraiser during the 2022 cycle, when he easily cruised to re-election in red-state South Carolina.
“We have to have more resources than we’ve had in the past so we are competitive in the states where we can win. I think we can win in more states than ever. President Donald Trump has actually given us a lot of runway. It’s our responsibility to have the resources to win those seats,” Scott said.
The rival Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee was chaired during the 2022 and 2024 cycles by Peters, who won’t be signing up for a third tour of duty as he is up for re-election in Michigan.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who easily won re-election last week in blue-state New York, is making a pitch to chair the DSCC. Senate Democrats will hold their leadership elections later this year.
David Bergstein, the DSCC communications director for the past couple of election cycles, highlighted that “in a challenging political environment, Democrats made history. We won multiple races in states won by Trump. We dramatically over-performed the presidential results. And for the first time in over a decade, Senate Democrats have won multiple races in states won by the opposite party’s presidential nominee.”
“The outcome of this cycle puts Senate Democrats in the strongest possible position to reclaim the majority in 2026,” Bergstein touted.
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump transition, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
Here’s what’s happening…
-RNC files two lawsuits in Pennsylvania amid Sen Bob Casey refusing to concede race
-Who are Trump’s top contenders to lead comms team, interact with the media?
-Democrat senator reacts to Gaetz nomination: ‘Red alert moment’
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., is planning to make ushering in President-Elect Donald Trump’s immigration agenda the first item on his to-do list when he succeeds Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in the new Congress, when Republicans will have a majority in both the upper chamber and the House.
“Now the real work begins delivering on our agenda,” he said in a floor speech on Thursday. “That starts with ending the Biden-Harris border crisis and deporting illegal immigrants.”
He said repairing the economy is also near the top of his list. As crucial elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed by Trump are set to expire in 2025, Thune said Republicans will take action through the budget reconciliation process to renew them…Read more
‘BIDEN-HARRIS BORDER CRISIS’: Thune says Trump’s border plan is first up in rigorous priority list for new Congress: ‘Real work begins’…Read more
GOV HARRIS?: Could Vice President Kamala Harris make a run for California governor in two years?…Read more
‘DRILL, BABY, DRILL’: Trump vows to unleash US energy, undo key Biden rules in 2nd term…Read more
MELANIA ‘ON THE MOVE’: Melania Trump launches ‘On the Move’ digital photo series highlighting her ‘fast-moving life’…Read more
‘UNQUALIFIED’: Democrats trash Tulsi Gabbard after Trump taps her for DNI post…Read more
OUT OF THE RUNNING: Trump attorney Alina Habba not considering press secretary role…Read more
GAETZ CLOSED: What happens to the Gaetz House ethics report?…Read more
‘WILL NOT LET IT STAND’: RNC files two lawsuits in Pennsylvania amid Sen Bob Casey refusing to concede race…Read more
DECLARING VICTORY: California Democrat Josh Harder declares victory in House race…Read more
STILL COUNTING: Size of Republican House majority to be decided by 9 remaining uncalled races…Read more
COUNT ‘EM AGAIN: Pennsylvania Senate race triggers recount, with McCormick projected to win and Casey yet to concede…Read more
MAJORITY NARROWS: Oregon Democrat unseats GOP incumbent in toss-up House race, narrowing Republicans’ majority…Read more
‘MOVES QUICKLY’: Trump says Thune ‘will do an outstanding job’ as Senate Majority Leader…Read more
‘PRESERVE FEDERAL RECORDS’: Top GOP senators warn DOJ to preserve Jack Smith docs in Trump cases, citing ‘past destruction’ of records…Read more
DUEL OF THE MEGADONORS: Elon Musk dubs himself the ”George Soros’ of the middle’…Read more
CERTIFICATION SEASON: Election calendar continues with key post-election dates…Read more
TRUMPING THE TOLL: Hochul spurs bipartisan outrage over massive toll reboot, as Dems worry Trump will block it…Read more
HOWARD KURTZ: Is it curtains for mainstream media?…Read more
‘ESPECIALLY EGREGIOUS’: Florida AG files lawsuit against FEMA over alleged political discrimination against Trump supporters…Read more
LAPD: Newly sworn-in LAPD chief sparks backlash after revealing plan to buck Trump admin on ‘mass deportations’…Read more
CULTURE WAR: Ohio House passes bill that would restrict transgender student access to school bathrooms…Read more
Get the latest updates on the Trump presidential transition, incoming Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Go to Source: Latest Political News on Fox News
Actor and filmmaker Sylvester Stallone introduced President-elect Donald Trump at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) Gala on Thursday with a short and sweet speech in which he called Trump the “second George Washington.”
The “Rocky” actor was the final speaker of the night – only talking for about two minutes – before the president-elect took the stage at Mar-a-Lago.
When starting off his speech, Stallone began speaking about his “Rocky” character and how he was “going to go through a metamorphosis and change lives, just like President Trump.”
“We are in the presence of a really mythical character. Nobody in the world could have pulled off what he pulled off, so I’m in awe,” he said.
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He continued on by comparing Trump to George Washington and how his dedication to America changed the world.
“When George Washington defended his country, he had no idea that he was going to change the world because without him, you could imagine what the world would look like. Guess what? We’ve got the second George Washington. Congratulations!” Stallone said before Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” began playing.
After a brief pause, Trump walked onto the stage to Stallone’s introduction and shook his hand while saying a few words to the actor.
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While Stallone has stayed pretty quiet about his personal politics over the years and admitted to not voting in the 2016 and 2020 elections, he did tell Variety magazine in 2016 that he liked Trump.
“I love Donald Trump,” he said at the time. “There are certain people like Arnold [Schwarzenegger], Babe Ruth, that are bigger than life. But I don’t know how that translates to running the world.”
Stallone did not publicly endorse Trump during the 2024 election cycle, but he did answer a FaceTime call from Fox News’ Brett Baier in October and encouraged Pennsylvania voters to “keep punching.”
His speech at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday marks the first time he has publicly shared his thoughts surrounding a Trump presidency.
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Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis praised President-elect Trump for nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
In a lengthy social media post on Thursday, Polis praised Kennedy for helping Colorado “defeat vaccine mandates” in 2019 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA,” he wrote.
“I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health,” Polis said.
Trump announced his nomination of RFK Jr. for HHS secretary Thursday afternoon, igniting a firestorm of praise and critique.
In his announcement, Trump promised that, with Kennedy leading the HHS, the agency would be restored as the “Gold Standard Scientific Research.”
“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,” Trump wrote. “Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
Kennedy launched his presidential campaign as a Democrat and then eventually endorsed Trump.
Kennedy also spoke during Trump’s historic Madison Square Garden rally last month, where he unleashed on the current state of the Democratic Party.
“The Democratic Party is the party of war. It’s the party of the CIA. You had Kamala Harris giving a speech at the Democratic convention that was written by neocons. It was belligerent, pugnacious. It talked about domination of the world by the United States through our weapons of war. It’s the party today that wants to divide Americans. It’s a party that is dismantling women’s sports by letting men play women’s sports,” he said.
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“It’s the party of Wall Street. It’s the party of Bill Gates, who just gave $50 million to Harris. It’s the party, and the Harris campaign is very proud that it received the endorsement of 50 former CIA agents and officers and of John Bolton and of Dick Cheney.”
This isn’t the first time Kennedy was considered for a Cabinet position for a presidential administration. Back in 2008, then President-elect Obama reportedly strongly considered naming Kennedy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Politico reported at the time.
Polis has been critical of a Trump presidency. He recently joined forces with Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker to co-chair a new coalition called Governors Safeguarding Democracy.
The website names “fast-moving disinformation campaigns” and “cyberthreats” as examples of “threats to our democracy.”
“Donald Trump is going to bring people into his administration who are absolute loyalists to his cult of personality and not necessarily to the law,” Pritzker said, according to the New York Times. “Last time, he didn’t really know where the levers of government were. I think he probably does now. And so I think that the threat remains great.”
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Polis said of Trump, “we’re gonna work with him and his administration however we can for our state.”
Polis echoed his sentiments, writing on X that he looks forward to “partnering with him to truly make America healthy again.”
“He will face strong special interest opposition on these, but I look forward to partnering with him to truly make America healthy again,” Polis added.
Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
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