Politics
MAGA world is thrilled with Hegseth pick. Republican senators have questions.
After a weekend of brutal headlines disclosing sexual assault allegations against Pete Hegseth, Senate Republicans are offering a tepid defense of Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon. Republicans have downplayed and deflected when asked about Hegseth — arguing Trump picked an outsider to shake up the Pentagon bureaucracy or that the confirmation process should…
Can Trump really influence interest rates?
President-elect Donald Trump and some of his allies have suggested, to varying degrees, that Trump should be allowed to meddle with the Federal Reserve’s decisions about US monetary policy. “I think I have the right to say, ‘I think you should go up or down a little bit,’” Trump said, referring to interest rates, which…
Dems who overcame GOP tide urge party to focus on 'kitchen-table issues'
Democrats who won major Senate races have a blunt message for their party: Get a better economic message or keep losing. From Elissa Slotkin in Michigan to Ruben Gallego in Arizona and Adam Schiff in California, these soon-to-be senators took to the Sunday television shows to answer what they did right that other Democrats failed…
The last-minute jockeying to become Trump's Treasury secretary
The decision over who will be tapped to head Treasury has been hung up as Trump’s transition co-chair Howard Lutnick and hedge fund executive Scott Bessent compete for the president-elect’s attention, according to three people familiar with the discussions. One major factor that’s delayed the decision is the amount of control Lutnick has exerted in…
From Zach Bryan to Twisters, culture went MAGA before the election
Earlier this year, conservatives on social media claimed an unlikely new icon. It wasn’t a podcaster with questionable views or a libertarian businessman selling a course or any particular ideology. It was actress Sydney Sweeney, Euphoria star and the recent lead of the rom-com Anyone but You. Following her Saturday Night Live hosting gig in…
‘We know what is coming’: Federal bureaucrats wrestle with fight-or-flight response to Trump election
Thousands of federal bureaucrats have lived through one Donald Trump administration. Many are not sure they can or will survive a second. POLITICO spoke with more than a dozen civil servants, political appointees under President Joe Biden and recently departed Biden administration staffers in the days since the presidential election was called for Trump, who…
GOP holds onto House majority — clinching the trifecta
Republicans have achieved the government trifecta — keeping control of the House as well as winning the Senate and the presidency. It will be the first time Republicans have had full control of Congress and the White House since 2018. House Republicans have been quietly preparing their legislative agenda on tax cuts and other priorities…
Who has joined Trump’s cabinet, administration appointments so far: Live updates
President-elect Donald Trump has begun naming members of his White House team, offering an early signal to the direction he’ll take on important issues, including foreign policy and immigration. Thus far, Trump has announced a number of policy staffers, including several — like former Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Tom Homan, his pick for…
Dearborn’s Arab Americans feel vindicated by Harris’ loss
DEARBORN, Michigan — Arab American leaders for months warned Vice President Kamala Harris that she needed to separate herself from President Joe Biden’s support of Israel in the war in Gaza — or face an electoral backlash from this influential community in a key battleground. But those pleas went largely ignored. Instead, Harris made strategic…
Schumer withholds Senate orientation invite from McCormick
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will not allow Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) to participate in Senate orientation this week because he doesn’t consider the race to be resolved yet. Though the Associated Press projected Thursday that McCormick defeated Democrat incumbent Bob Casey in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, Casey has yet to concede, claiming that there are…