Presidential Candidate Archives - Page 2 of 12

After delay, Trump signs agreement with Biden White House to begin formal transition handoff

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a required agreement with President Joe Biden’s White House to allow his transition team to coordinate with the existing federal workforce ahead of taking office on Jan. 20. The overdue agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House has issued appeals in both public and private for Trump’s team to sign on. The agreement is a critical step in the process meant to ensure an orderly transfer of power at noon on Jan. 20 and limits the risk that the Trump team could find itself taking control of the massive federal government without being aware of ongoing programs and operations.… Continue Reading

Special counsel moves to abandon election interference and classified documents cases against Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal prosecutors have moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump, acknowledging that Trump’s return to the White House will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. In court filings on Monday, the prosecutors cited longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. The decision by special counsel Jack Smith, who had sought to hold Trump criminally accountable for his efforts to subvert the 2020 election, represented the end of the federal effort against the former president who firmly won election this month despite the election-related cases and multiple other unrelated criminal charges against him.… Continue Reading

Trump chooses Bessent to be treasury secretary, Vought as budget chief, Chavez-DeRemer for Labor

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, an advocate for deficit reduction, to serve as his next treasury secretary. Bessent, 62, is founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management. He previously had worked on and off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. Trump also said he would nominate Russell Vought, 48, to lead the Office of Management and Budget, a position he held during Trump’s first term. And Trump chose Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, an Oregon Republican, as his labor secretary, and Scott Turner, a former football player who worked in Trump’s first administration, as his housing secretary.… Continue Reading

Matt Gaetz says he won’t return to Congress next year after withdrawing name for attorney general

WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz is not coming back to Congress. The Florida Republican said Friday he has no intention of serving another term in the House now that he is no longer President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Gaetz withdrew as the nominee this week amid growing fallout from the allegations of sexual conduct against him. Gaetz denies the allegations. Gaetz didn’t lay out his plans now that he’s out of office, saying only, “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch.” After Gaetz’s withdrawal on Thursday, Trump named former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department.… Continue Reading

Trump picks Dr. Oz to run Medicare and Medicaid, Linda McMahon for Education, Lutnick for Commerce

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump has promised to dismantle. He also selected Dr. Mehmet Oz, a former television talk show host and heart surgeon, to head the agency that oversees health insurance programs for millions of older, poor and disabled Americans. And Trump chose Wall Street executive Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department. All three have been has been outspoken supporters of Trump, and McMahon and Lutnick have helped lead his transition team.… Continue Reading

Trump chooses billionaire and key transition adviser Howard Lutnick for commerce secretary

WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition operation helping to find the team that will work in the next administration. He has donated to both Democrats and Republicans in the past, once appeared on Trump’s NBC reality show, “The Apprentice,” and has become a part of the president-elect’s inner circle. He shared the stage with Trump at events in the closing days of his campaign, including at a rally at Madison Square Garden.… Continue Reading

Kissing the ring? MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ hosts say they met with Trump to reopen lines of communication

It was the last thing you might expect if you watched MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” a month ago — hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski asking for a meeting and traveling to Florida to talk with President-Elect Donald Trump. The show’s hosts were fierce critics of Trump the past few years, and throughout his campaign to win back the presidency. But they said Monday they wanted to reopen lines of communication in the hope of providing viewers with insighs about what is going on in the administration. The show’s hosts received some criticism, which they had anticipated, with some likening it to “kissing the ring.”… Continue Reading

Kamala Harris raised $1 billion-plus in defeat. She’s still sending persistent appeals to donors

ATLANTA (AP) — Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party’s prodigious fundraising operation raised more than $1 billion in her loss to Donald Trump, but the vice president is still pushing donors for more money after the election. Democrats are sending appeals to Harris supporters without expressly asking them to cover any potential debts. They’re enticing would-be donors instead with other matters such as the president-elect’s picks for his upcoming administration and a handful of pending congressional contests where ballots are still being tallied. The party is flooding Harris’ lucrative email donor list with near-daily appeals aimed at small-dollar donors.… Continue Reading

Trump picks Matt Gaetz for attorney general, Marco Rubio for Secretary of State

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump says he will nominate Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida to serve as his attorney general, putting a loyalist in the role of the nation’s top prosecutor. In selecting the congressman, Trump passed over some of the more established attorneys whose names had been mentioned as being contenders for the job. “Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans’ badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department,” Trump said in a statement.… Continue Reading

Trump makes a victor’s return to Washington and pledges a ‘smooth’ transition of power from Biden

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has made a victor’s return to Washington. He’s holding a lengthy Oval Office meeting Wednesday with President Joe Biden and committing to a straightforward transition of power. The meeting comes as the Republican president-elect is moving quickly to build out his new administration. “Donald, congratulations,” Biden said, greeting Trump with a handshake in the Oval Office and adding that he looked “forward to a smooth transition.” Trump also pledged a smooth transition and expressed thanks to Biden for the invitation — one that Trump himself had not extended to Biden after losing the 2020 election.… Continue Reading