NationalWatch

Since winning the election last week, President-elect Donald Trump has begun evaluating and rolling out his picks for his Cabinet and other top roles. 

Here’s a roundup of whom Trump has picked to fill top jobs in his administration: 

Publicly announced

White House Chief of Staff – Susie Wiles
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations – Elise Stefanik
National Security Adviser – Michael Waltz 
“Border Czar” – Tom Homan 
Ambassador to Israel – Mike Huckabee 
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator – Lee Zeldin 
Middle East Envoy – Steven Witkoff
White House Counsel – William McGinley
CIA Director – John Ratcliffe
Department of Government Efficiency – Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy 
Secretary of Defense – Pete Hegseth  
Homeland Security Secretary – Kristi Noem
Deputy Chief of Staff – Dan Scavino
Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor – Stephen Miller
Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs – James Blair
Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Personnel – Taylor Budowich
Director of National Intelligence – Tulsi Gabbard
Secretary of State – Marco Rubio
U.S. Attorney General – Matt Gaetz
Secretary of Health and Human Services – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York – Jay Clayton
Secretary of Veterans Affairs – Doug Collins
U.S Solicitor General – Dean John Sauer
Deputy Attorney General – Todd Blanche
Secretary of the Interior – Doug Burgum
Communications Director – Steven Cheung
Director of Presidential Personnel – Sergio Gor
Press Secretary – Karoline Leavitt
Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary – William Owen Scharf
Secretary of Energy – Chris Wright
 

White House Chief of Staff – Susie Wiles

Wiles has been widely lauded for heading Trump’s successful campaign this year, having run Trump’s campaign operations in Florida in 2016 and 2020. She maintained close ties with the president-elect throughout the Biden administration and signed on as CEO of Trump’s Save America PAC in 2021. 

“Susie is tough, smart, innovative and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud,” Trump said in a statement. 

THESE ARE THE TOP NAMES IN CONTENTION FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY UNDER TRUMP

US Ambassador to the United Nations – Elise Stefanik

Elise Stefanik, the New York Republican representative and current House GOP Conference Chair has been an attack dog for Trump in Congress. 

She is a staunch supporter of Israel, having made headlines for her combative lines of questioning of Ivy League university presidents over their handling of anti-Israel protests, some of which prompted the presidents to resign.

National Security Adviser – Michael Waltz 

On Tuesday, Trump announced the Florida Republican representative and former Army Green Beret would be his national security adviser. He’s decidedly a hawk on China and Iran. 

“Mike retired as a Colonel, and is a nationally recognized leader in National Security, a bestselling author, and an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism,” Trump said in a statement. 

“Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!”

“Border Czar” – Tom Homan 

Homan, the former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was an architect of Trump’s zero-tolerance policy during his first administration, one that led to backlash from family separations at the border. 

Homan has served under six administrations and presidents in both parties, dating back to the Reagan era, as a rank-and-file Border Patrol agent. He was appointed to the position of executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations for ICE under President Obama.

While serving at a “czar” level rather than in an official Cabinet position, Homan will be in charge of “the Southern Border, the Northern Border, all Maritime, and Aviation Security,” Trump announced on Truth Social. 

“I’ve known Tom for a long time, and there is nobody better at policing and controlling our Borders,” Trump wrote. “Likewise, Tom Homan will be in charge of all Deportation of Illegal Aliens back to their Country of Origin. Congratulations to Tom. I have no doubt he will do a fantastic, and long awaited for, job.”

Ambassador to Israel – Mike Huckabee 

Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, is a staunch supporter of Israel, prompted by his evangelical faith. 

“Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, and Leader in Faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him”, a statement attached to Trump’s Truth Social post said. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator – Lee Zeldin 

Zeldin, a former House Republican from New York, had a notably strong, but unsuccessful, showing in the race for governor against Kathy Hochul in 2022. 

During that race, he called for New York to lift its ban on fracking. He also lost his House race for re-election in 2022 but has maintained ties with the Trump team.

Middle East Envoy – Steven Witkoff

Witkoff, a real estate investor, landlord, and the founder of the Witkoff Group, was tapped as Trump’s Middle East enjoy. He campaign with Trump during the campaign.

In his announcement, Trump said that Witkoff would be an “unrelenting Voice for PEACE” in the highly-contentious region.

White House Counsel – William McGinley

McGinley, who served in Trump’s first presidential term as White House cabinet secretary, returns to the White House for Trump’s second term. The White House Counsel conducts key behind-the-scene research into potential Supreme Court nominees.

CIA Director – John Ratcliffe

Ratcliffe previously served under Trump during his first term as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). He will head the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 

In 2020, he was awarded the National Security Medal, the nation’s highest honor for distinguished achievement in the field of intelligence and national security. 

Department of Government Efficiency – Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy 

Billionaire Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy were tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Trump said that the pair will work together to “dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.”

“It will become, potentially, ‘The Manhattan Project’ of our time,” the announcement on Tuesday evening said. “Republican politicians have dreamed about the objectives of ‘DOGE’ for a very long time.”

Secretary of Defense – Pete Hegseth  

Trump nominated Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. He would need to be confirmed by the Senate to assume the position. Hegseth has long championed a strong military and veterans causes. 

He served in Iraq and Afghanistan as an Army infantry officer, being awarded two Bronze Stars and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Hegseth was a host on “FOX & Friends Weekend” and FOX Nation until his last day on Tuesday. 

“Nobody fights harder for the Troops, and Pete will be a courageous and patriotic champion of our ‘Peace through Strength’ policy,” Trump said. 

Homeland Security Secretary – Kristi Noem

Trump announced on Tuesday that South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is his pick for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. Noem would need to be approved by the Senate to assume the position.

DHS oversees U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  

“She was the first Governor to send National Guard Soldiers to help Texas fight the Biden Border Crisis, and they were sent a total of eight times,” the Trump transition team said in a statement on Tuesday. “She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the Border, and will guarantee that our American Homeland is secure from our adversaries.”

GOP REP. MIKE WALTZ TAPPED TO BE TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

Deputy Chief of Staff – Dan Scavino

Trump announced that his longtime aide Dan Scavino Jr. will return to the White House as an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff. 

“Scavino was a Trump Campaign Senior Advisor and remains one of President Trump’s longest serving and most trusted aides,” the Trump transition team said. 

Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor – Stephen Miller

Trump announced Stephen Miller would serve as deputy chief of staff for policy in his administration. Miller was a senior adviser in Trump’s first term. He helped craft many of Trump’s hard-line speeches and plans on immigration. 

Since Trump left office, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization of former Trump advisers fashioned as a conservative version of the American Civil Liberties Union, challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as freedom of speech and religion and national security.

Miller has advocated for mass deportations during the second Trump term. 

Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative, Political and Public Affairs – James Blair

Trump announced James Blair would serve in the White House as an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs. 

“Blair was the Trump Campaign and Republican National Committee Political Director, managing hundreds of staff and overseeing a wide portfolio of political operations and programs,” the Trump transition team said. 

Blair was in charge of the Trump campaign’s get-out-the-vote operations in key battleground states, which Trump swept on Election Day. 

Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Personnel – Taylor Budowich

Trump announced that Taylor Budowich will join him in the White House as an assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. 

“Prior to joining the Trump Campaign, Budowich served in a senior role in President Trump’s Leadership PAC, Save America, and as CEO of the pro-Trump Super PAC, MAGA Inc.,” the Trump transition team said. 

“Dan, Stephen, James, and Taylor were ‘best in class’ advisors on my winning campaign, and I know they will honorably serve the American people in the White House,” Trump said in a statement announcing his senior campaign aides would be promoted to the White House. “They will continue to work hard to Make America Great Again in their respective new roles.”

Director of National Intelligence – Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, is Trump’s pick for the position of director of national intelligence. The announcement was made on Wednesday.

The cabinet-level position involves overseeing the intelligence community and advising Trump and the National Security Council on intelligence matters. Gabbard is an Iraq War veteran and a U.S. Army reservist.

“As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican!” Trump said in a statement. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!”

Secretary of State – Marco Rubio

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as his Secretary of State. 

“It is my Great Honor to announce that Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, is hereby nominated to be The United States Secretary of State. Marco is a Highly Respected Leader, and a very powerful Voice for Freedom,” Trump said in a statement. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries.”

Rubio is known as an Iran and China hawk. He is a top GOP member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and ran for president in 2016.

U.S. Attorney General – Matt Gaetz

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., is Trump’s pick for attorney general. The decision was made in an announcement on Wednesday.

If confirmed, Gaetz will oversee the Department of Justice after Trump’s inauguration in January.

“Matt is a deeply gifted and tenacious attorney, trained at the William & Mary College of Law, who has distinguished himself in Congress through his focus on achieving desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice,” the president-elect said in Truth Social post. “Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System.”  

“He is a Champion for the Constitution and the Rule of Law,” the post concluded.

Deputy Attorney General – Todd Blanche

Trump named his personal criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general. The president-elect said that the 50-year-old lawyer has experience prosecuting gangs – as well as representing Trump in his 2024 criminal trial in New York.

“I am pleased to announce that Todd Blanche will serve as Deputy Attorney General in my Administration. Todd is an excellent attorney who will be a crucial leader in the Justice Department, fixing what has been a broken System of Justice for far too long,” Trump announced in a news release.

Secretary of Health and Human Services – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Trump announced he will tap former 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“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 said in his announcement Thursday. 

“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country. 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!” Trump added.

Kennedy dropped out of the presidential race in August and quickly endorsed the Trump-Vance ticket, and has since repeatedly vowed to “Make America Healthy Again.“

U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York – Jay Clayton

President-elect Trump announced Thursday that he is nominating Jay Clayton to serve as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

“I am pleased to announce that Jay Clayton, of New York, the Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission during my first term, where he did an incredible job, is hereby nominated to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Jay is a highly respected business leader, counsel, and public servant.

“Jay is going to be a strong Fighter for the Truth as we, Make America Great Again,” the president-elect added.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs – Doug Collins

President-elect Trump announced on Thursday his intent to nominate former Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., to serve as secretary of veterans affairs.

“Doug is a Veteran himself, who currently serves our Nation as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and fought for our Country in the Iraq War,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need.

“Thank you, Doug, for your willingness to serve our country in this very important role,” the president-elect added.

U.S. Solicitor General – Dean John Sauer

Trump announced Dean John Sauer as his pick for U.S. solicitor general.

“John is a deeply accomplished, masterful appellate attorney, who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia in the United States Supreme Court, served as Solicitor General of Missouri for six years, and has extensive experience practicing before the U.S. Supreme Court and other Appellate Courts,” Trump said in the announcement.

Sauer served as solicitor general of Missouri from 2017 to 2023, and represented Trump in his successful appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in Trump v. United States.

Secretary of the Interior – Doug Burgum

President-elect Trump announced that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will lead the Department of the Interior during a speech at the Americans for Prosperity Gala at Mar-a-Lago.

“He’s going to be announced [Friday]…I look forward to doing the formal announcement, although this is a pretty big announcement right now, actually,” Trump said. “He’s going to head the Department of Interior, and he’s going to be fantastic.”

Burgum, a multi-millionaire former software company CEO turned two-term governor, launched a White House bid in June 2023. The governor made energy and natural resources a key part of his campaign for the GOP nomination.

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After he dropped out of the race, Burgum became a high profile surrogate for the former president, appearing on the campaign trail and in media hits on Trump’s behalf. He was in consideration as Trump’s running mate this past summer before Sen. JD Vance of Ohio was picked as the Republican Party’s vice presidential nominee.

Communications Director – Steven Cheung

Trump announced Friday, Nov. 15, that Steven Cheung would return to the White House as assistant to the president and director of communications. Cheung previously served as communications director for the Trump-Vance campaign and was the White House director of strategic response in Trump’s first term.

Director of Presidential Personnel – Sergio Gor

Trump also confirmed Friday that Sergio Gor will join the White House as director of the presidential personnel office. Gor, an ally and business partner of Donald Trump Jr.’s, was in charge of the pro-Trump political action committee Right For America and previously worked in Republican Sen. Rand Paul’s office. 

“Steven Cheung and Sergio Gor have been trusted Advisors since my first Presidential Campaign in 2016, and have continued to champion America First principles throughout my First Term, all the way to our HIstoric Victory in 2024,” Trump said in a statement. “I am thrilled to have them join my White House, as we Make America Great Again!” 

Press Secretary – Karoline Leavitt 

Trump announced campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt will serve as White House press secretary for his upcoming administration. 

“Karoline Leavitt did a phenomenal job as the National Press Secretary on my Historic Campaign, and I am pleased to announce she will serve as White House Press Secretary,” Trump said in a statement Friday evening. 

“Karoline is smart, tough, and has proven to be a highly effective communicator. I have the utmost confidence she will excel at the podium, and help deliver our message to the American People as we, Make America Great Again.”

Leavitt, 27, will be the youngest White House press secretary in U.S. history, unseating Nixon administration press secretary Ron Ziegler, who was 29 when he served in the role from 1969-1974.

Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary – William Owen Scharf

William Owen Scharf, one of Trump’s lawyers, will serve as Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary starting in January.

In a statement on Saturday, the President-elect wrote that Scharf “is a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team.”

“[Scharf] has played a key role in defeating the Election Interference and Lawfare waged against me, including by winning the Historic Immunity Decision in the Supreme Court,” Trump’s statement read.

Secretary of Energy – Chris Wright

Chris Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, has been picked to lead the Department of Energy, according to a statement President-elect Trump released on Saturday.

“I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump’s statement read, adding that Wright “has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy.”

Wright graduated from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering, according to Liberty Energy’s website. He also completed graduate work in electrical engineering at University of California, Berkeley and MIT.

“[Wright] is a self-described tech nerd turned entrepreneur and a dedicated humanitarian on a mission to better human lives by expanding access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy,” the company’s website reads.

More than a week after Election Day, the final outcome of the 2024 election is still yet to be decided as five House races remain uncalled.

Republican Donald Trump won the presidency again and the GOP will have the Senate majority. The GOP is projected to maintain a majority in the House of Representatives, but the size of that majority will be unclear until all the votes are counted. 

The balance of power currently sits at 218 seats for Republicans, and 212 for the Democrats. 

California‘s 21st Congressional District was the latest race to be called early Friday evening, when Democrat Jim Costa won re-election to the House over Republican challenger Michael Mayer, according to the Associated Press.

Also on Friday, Democrat Josh Harder topped Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln to win re-election in the California 9th Congressional District, while in Maine’s 2nd District, Democrat Jared Golden was re-elected, narrowly defeating Republican challenger Austin Theriault.

On Thursday, in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District, Democrat Janelle Bynum was projected to oust Republican incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

Several of the yet-to-be-decided House races are in California, which as of Tuesday had only counted about three-quarters of its votes statewide. The California secretary of state issued a plea for patience on Thursday, announcing that the results will be certified on Dec. 13. 

Here’s where things stand with the uncalled House races: 

GOP INCUMBENT PROJECTED TO DEFEAT DEM CHALLENGER IN CLOSELY WATCHED ARIZONA HOUSE RACE

Alaska

At-large district

Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich.

As of Friday morning, Begich holds more than a 3-point lead at 49% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 45.9%. The vote count sits at 145,754 to 136,319, with roughly 94% of the vote counted.

California

13th Congressional District

Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic state assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the highly contested race remains uncalled as of Friday.

Roughly 84% of the vote has been counted, and Duarte holds a 50.5% to 49.5% lead. The pair is separated by just under 1,764 votes.

45th Congressional District

Incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel leads her Democratic challenger Derek Tran by a few hundred votes as of Thursday morning. A little more than 93% of the votes have been counted, and Steel’s lead has shrunk to 236 votes.

REPUBLICANS PROJECTED TO KEEP CONTROL OF HOUSE AS TRUMP PREPARES TO IMPLEMENT AGENDA

Iowa

1st Congressional District

Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannet Miller-Meeks holds a less than 1% lead over challenger Christina Bohannan with 99% of the vote counted. Miller-Meeks’ lead sits at just under 1,000 votes.

Bohannan has requested a recount in her bid to unseat Miller-Meeks. The Associated Press has not yet called the race because the margin was close enough that it could prompt a recount. Miller-Meeks has declared victory and said she was confident in her lead. 

TRUMP THROWS FULL SUPPORT BEHIND MIKE JOHNSON BEFORE SPEAKER ELECTION

Ohio

9th Congressional District

Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur leads her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin, by less than 1 point with 99% of the votes counted. Kaptur’s lead sits at just over 1,000 votes as of Tuesday.

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Races with a margin of 0.5% or less trigger an automatic recount in Ohio.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Vice President Harris’ debt-ridden presidential campaign spent $2.6 million on private flights in the last few weeks of the election season, documents show.

The release of the findings comes as the debt-saddled campaign, which spent $1 billion on the trail, is being scrutinized for the financial decisions it made before losing the Nov. 5 election to President-elect Trump. The campaign is believed to be $20 million in debt.

The eyebrow-raising expenses were listed in a Federal Election Commission (FEC) filing obtained by Fox News Digital. According to the FEC filing, in the month of October alone, the Harris campaign spent $2,626,110 on private flights. 

The costs ranged from $3,500 to $940,000 per disbursement, with $2.2 million going to a company named Private Jet Services Group, while $430,000 went to Advanced Aviation Team, a charter flight broker.

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In September, campaign staff spent $3.1 million on private flights, which brings the flight-related expense total to more than $10 million since July.

The expenditures are just a few of several financial decisions for which the campaign has been intensely scrutinized. For example, Harris’ team paid Oprah Winfrey’s production company $1 million after the TV star spoke at a rally Oct. 15. 

Harris staffers also gave $4 million to Village Marketing Agency, a company that connects clients with social media influencers. Additionally, FEC records show the campaign spent at least $15 million on “event production.”

HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION

The campaign’s use of private jets has been criticized in recent weeks for both financial and environmental reasons. Private jets emit more greenhouse gases per passenger than commercial flights do, and Harris previously said climate change was an “existential threat.”

“There’s no question we have to be practical. But being practical also recognizes that climate change is an existential threat to us as human beings,” Harris told CNN in 2019. “Being practical recognizes that greenhouse gas emissions are threatening our air and threatening the planet and that it is well within our capacity as human beings to change our behaviors in a way that we can reduce its effects.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pledged Saturday to keep his state open to transgender treatment after the issue, particularly regarding minors, became a bone of partisan contention during the presidential election.

The billionaire governor, whose family is deeply involved in the transgender movement, posted the tweet to mark Transgender Awareness Week.

“This Transgender Awareness Week, I want you to know that I see you and have your back as governor,” wrote Pritzker. “Illinois has enshrined protections for gender-affirming care to meet this moment — and because of that, you will have a home here always.”

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His state is one of several, including Minnesota and California, critics say foster a climate that encourages some children to seek so-called “gender-affirming care.” 

Pritzker’s cousin, Jennifer, was born a male but now identifies as a female and is an outspoken proponent of transgender treatment. Jennifer (née James) Pritzker was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army National Guard and is a father of three. 

Jennifer Pritzker also leads the Chicago-based Tawani Foundation, which awards grants to organizations that support “gender and human sexuality,” according to its website. The Pritzker family fortune was made in Hyatt Hotels.

“Continuing my family’s tradition of putting personal philanthropy into service for the public good, the Tawani Foundation strives to make grants that empower the organizations we support to realize and build on their missions,” Jennifer wrote on the foundation’s website.

TRUMP HHS COULD REVERSE BIDEN-HARRIS POLICIES ON GENDER TREATMENTS FOR MINORS

Illinois is one of the most progressive states in the nation when it comes to minors who identify as the opposite sex.

Gov. Pritzker enacted guidance through the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHR) in December 2021 about non-discrimination protections for “transgender, nonbinary and gender nonconforming students” under the Illinois Human Rights Act of 1979.

“Ensuring every Illinois student has access to a safe, validating learning environment where they can be their true self is a top priority for my administration,” Pritzker said in a release. “This guidance from the Illinois Department of Human Rights will provide students, caregivers, and educators another tool to ensure classrooms are welcoming, affirming, and inclusive for all students.”

In Illinois, biological males can compete with females under Pritzker’s guidance in school or club sports.

Additionally, “use of restrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms may not be restricted based upon a student’s physical anatomy or chromosomal sex. A student must be permitted to access restrooms or bathrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms that align with their gender-related identity and without having to provide documentation or other proof of gender,” according to the IDHR.

Pritzker’s policy clarifies that “discomfort or privacy concerns of other students, teachers, or parents” are “not valid reasons to deny or limit the full and equal use of facilities based on a student’s gender-related identity.”

The 2024 presidential election’s nationwide GOP mandate is giving Democrats who publicly supported “gender-affirming” policies for minors pause.

In a February 2023 video, President-elect Trump said, “I will then ask Congress to permanently stop federal taxpayer dollars from being used to promote or pay for these procedures and pass a law prohibiting child sexual mutilation in all 50 states.”

In Illinois, Medicaid can cover gender transition surgeries and drugs for those who are 21 years or older under Gov. Pritzker.

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Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

President Biden awkwardly stood in the back corner of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) family photo on Saturday, as other prominent world leaders were spotted front and center.

Chinese Premier Xi Jinping was placed in the front-center of the photo, next to Peruvian president Dina Boluarte. Boluarte hosted the world leaders in Lima for this year’s APEC summit.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was seen in the front row on Xi’s right, along with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Pictures show Biden smiling and laughing with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra of Thailand while the family photo was being taken. This weekend, Biden had closed-door meetings with a variety of leaders, including Boluarte and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

TRUMP APPOINTS TULSI GABBARD AS DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: ‘FEARLESS SPIRIT’

The photograph’s placement of Biden, who is leaving office in January, departs from where American leaders typically stand. Last year, Biden was center in the 2023 APEC family photo, which was hosted in San Francisco. Trudeau and Xi were on Biden’s right.

In 2017, former President Trump stood towards the front-center of that year’s APEC family photo, along with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION

The conference came nearly two weeks after the 2024 presidential election, where Vice President Harris lost to Trump in a huge upset victory. Biden met with the Republican leader this week to discuss the transition process.

“I look forward… to having a smooth transition. We’ll do everything we can to make sure you’re accommodated, what you need,” the Democratic president said to Trump during the meeting.

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“I appreciate very much the transition that’s so smooth,” Trump replied. “It will be as smooth as it can get, and I very much appreciate that.”

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

President-elect Trump announced that William Owen Scharf, one of his lawyers, will serve as assistant to the president and staff secretary in the upcoming administration.

“I am pleased to announce that William Owen Scharf will serve as Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary,” Trump’s statement read. “Will is a highly skilled attorney who will be a crucial part of my White House team.”

The Republican leader added that Scharf, a former federal prosecutor, “has played a key role in defeating the Election Interference and Lawfare waged against me, including by winning the Historic Immunity Decision in the Supreme Court.”

“Will is going to make us proud as we Make America Great Again,” Trump added.

GOV KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’

Scharf, who received an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and a law degree from Harvard University, has clerked for two federal appeals court judges. 

The former prosecutor was also employed by CRC Advisors, a conservative public relations firm, and has also worked for Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. Scharf also worked as an assistant U.S. Attorney in St. Louis. 

HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION

The lawyer recently ran for Missouri attorney general, but lost in the Republican primary to incumbent Andrew Bailey. Bailey won against Democrat Elad Gross earlier in November. 

Trump posted about Scharf’s appointment shortly before he announced his pick for secretary of energy, Chris Wright, on Saturday night.

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Wright, the CEO of Liberty Energy, “was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics,” Trump wrote.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

President-elect Donald Trump announced that Chris Wright, the CEO and founder of Liberty Energy, will lead the Department of Energy in his new administration.

“I am thrilled to announce that Chris Wright will be joining my Administration as both United States Secretary of Energy, and Member of the newly formed Council of National Energy,” Trump said in a statement released Saturday.

The newly-elected president wrote that Wright “has been a leading technologist and entrepreneur in Energy.”

“He has worked in Nuclear, Solar, Geothermal, and Oil and Gas,” Trump’s statement read. “Most significantly, Chris was one of the pioneers who helped launch the American Shale Revolution that fueled American Energy Independence, and transformed the Global Energy Markets and Geopolitics.”

According to Liberty Energy’s website, Wright graduated from MIT with a degree in mechanical engineering. He also completed graduate work in electrical engineering at University of California, Berkeley and MIT.

LEAVE THE OIL TO ME: TRUMP VOWS TO UNLEASH US ENERGY, UNDO KEY BIDEN RULES IN 2ND TERM

“[Wright] is a self-described tech nerd turned entrepreneur and a dedicated humanitarian on a mission to better human lives by expanding access to abundant, affordable, and reliable energy,” the company’s website reads.

The key Cabinet position announcement comes after Trump made independent energy and bolstering oil and gas production a cornerstone of his campaign. While on the campaign trail, Trump pledged to expand fracking and lift a pause on liquefied natural gas exports, which marks a sharp contrast with his predecessor.

“They annihilated your steel mills, decimated your coal jobs, assaulted your oil and gas jobs and sold off your manufacturing jobs to China and other foreign nations all over the world,” Trump said of the Biden administration during a campaign event in Pennsylvania last month. 

BIDEN ADMIN TOUTS JOB WELL DONE REPLENISHING OIL RESERVES DESPITE DEPLETING THEM BY HALF OVER LAST 4 YEARS

The president-elect has also vowed to use his second White House term to re-exit the Paris climate accord, undo strict emissions standards for vehicles and power plants, and bolster production of U.S. oil and gas, including through fracking.

Trump’s nominees and administration picks during his second administration are being publicly announced at a much faster pace than during his first administration in 2016, which the transition team attributed to Trump’s commitment to putting “America first.”

EPA’S NEW RULE TO CHARGE OIL AND GAS COMPANIES FOR EMISSIONS COULD FACE A TRUMP RECKONING

“The American people re-elected President Trump by a resounding margin, giving him a mandate to implement the promises he made on the campaign trail — and his Cabinet picks reflect his priority to put America First. President Trump will continue to appoint highly qualified men and women who have the talent, experience and necessary skill sets to Make America Great Again,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital when asked about Trump’s speedy roll-out of Cabinet picks. 

Under his first administration, Trump tapped former Texas Gov. Rick Perry for the position, before Dan Brouillette took the position over in 2019. Trump did not announce his choice of Perry until Dec. 14, 2016, putting him ahead of his first term’s nomination process. 

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On the energy front, Trump also reportedly plans to install an “energy czar” to scale back energy and climate regulations implemented under the Biden administration, and also already named former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report. 

Republicans in a majority-Latino district in California that includes Indio and Coachella are on course to flip a Democratic state Assembly seat red.

Jeff Gonzalez, an Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran, is set to beat out Democrat Joey Acuña, a school board member, for the 36th Assembly District.

Gonzalez is ahead by an insurmountable 4,362 votes, or 3.1%, as of Friday, per official count numbers. 

If Gonzalez gets over the line, it will be the first time since 1992 that Republicans in California have picked up a seat in the state legislature during a presidential cycle, according to California state Assembly member Bill Essayli.

Republican Ken Calvert wins re-election to US House in California’s 41st Congressional District

If elected, Gonzalez will replace longtime Democratic legislator Eduardo Garcia as the next state assembly member in a sprawling district. Garcia, from Coachella, decided not to seek re-election this year and instead endorsed Acuña, the Coachella Valley Unified School District board president, per the Desert Sun.

The soon-to-be stunning seat win is underlined by the fact that Democrats make up about 42.3% of the 245,500 people registered to vote in the district, while Republicans account for 28.7%. Voters with no party affiliation were 21.6% of the total, according to the Desert Sun.

In the March primary, Gonzalez received about 21,000 votes compared to about 12,000 for Acuña. However, Democratic candidates overall earned about 4,500 more votes than Republicans.

California, a deep blue state, was easily won by Vice President Harris, who is currently leading President-elect Trump by 58.8% to 38% with 92.85% of the votes counted. 

Gonzalez is a 21-year veteran of the Marine Corps who also served on embassy protection missions in Honduras and the Czech Republic, working closely with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, according to his campaign website.

GOP REP. CALVERT WINS ELECTION IN COMPETITIVE CALIFORNIA HOUSE SEAT

He is also a pastor and the owner of three small businesses, per his website. He is married with four sons, one of whom is physically and mentally challenged and lives with he and his wife for caregiver support.

Gonzalez ran on a platform of cutting red tape, lowering taxes and fees on groceries and gas and “reviving the California Dream.”

He also wants to address inflation by passing “the largest middle-class tax cut in California history.”

Gonzalez is also vowing to improve education, saying he is concerned about falling test scores and graduation rates. He wants to hire more teachers and more school security to create a safer learning environment as well as promote bipartisanship by supporting good ideas from both parties.

Acuña ran on tackling affordability, housing and public safety.

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“I want to make sure the kids who grow up in our district have access to good-paying jobs, safe neighborhoods, world-class schools, and clean air and water,” he states on his website. 

Acuña is serving his fifth term on the Coachella Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees. In this role, he said he has worked to improve graduation rates, enhance after-school programs, and expand the district’s college and career pathway programs, according to his website.

He works professionally as development manager for health clinics and a grant writer for a local tribe.

With Republicans sweeping to a red trifecta in last week’s elections, stunningly capturing the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is cutting a different tone, compared to his pre-election hype where he posited a Democrat win in the Senate and then potentially getting rid of the filibuster, among other radical proposals. 

Ending the filibuster rule – which requires 60 votes to pass bills – would have made it easier for Democrats to supercharge their agenda and essentially railroad any Republican opposition. 

Schumer and the Democrats tried to kill the filibuster in 2022 when they had 50 votes – the vice president could have broken the tie – but Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema refused to toe the Democratic party line. They eventually became Independents.

FILIBUSTER: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE POLITICAL DELAY TACTIC

With Manchin and Sinema leaving the Senate, Schumer was confident of having at least 50 Senate seats after this year’s election with a then-potential Vice President Walz breaking the tie on a filibuster vote. 

“We got it up to 48, but, of course, Sinema and Manchin voted no; that’s why we couldn’t change the rules. Well, they’re both gone,” Schumer told reporters on the Tuesday during the week of the Democratic convention, according to NBC News.

“Ruben Gallego is for it, and we have 51. So, even losing Manchin, we still have 50.”

The result would have essentially meant one-party rule in the Senate, with Schumer also toying with expanding voting rights nationwide by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 

He also discussed a potential rule change to codify abortion rights in federal law, a party priority after Roe v. Wade was overturned, which would have faced staunch Republican opposition and lacking a path to 60 Senate votes.

Schumer also posited reforming the Supreme Court by slapping 18-year term limits on justices and touted reversing the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, which determined that presidents are immune from prosecution for some “official acts.”

He has previously announced his intention to move legislation that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 members.

But this week, he went to the floor of the Senate to tell Republicans to essentially go easy on their legislative colleagues on the other side of the aisle, since Republicans will have a 53-to-47 majority. 

WHAT TRUMP’S REPUBLICAN TRIFECTA IN HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION ACCOMPLISHED, AND WHERE THEY FAILED: FLASHBACK

“To my Republican colleagues, I offer a word of caution in good faith,” Schumer said. 

“Take care not to misread the will of the people, and do not abandon the need for bipartisanship. After winning an election, the temptation may be to go to the extreme. We’ve seen that happen over the decades, and it has consistently backfired on the party in power.”

“So, instead of going to the extremes, I remind my colleagues that this body is most effective when it’s bipartisan. If we want the next four years in the Senate to be as productive as the last four, the only way that will happen is through bipartisan cooperation.”

Schumer’s about face wasn’t lost on Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner and a Fox News contributor.

“The short version of that is: Please don’t do to us what we were going to do to you,” York writes in the Washington Examiner. 

“Schumer is obviously concerned that Republicans might embrace a scheme to eliminate the filibuster and pass all sorts of consequential legislation with no Democratic input at all. That wouldn’t be bipartisan!”

“Fortunately for Schumer, Republicans have been more principled than Democrats when it comes to the legislative filibuster, and to the filibuster in general. Republicans realize that even though they will have the majority for the next two years, they might be back in the minority at any time after that. So Schumer will not get it good and hard the way he planned to give it to Republicans.”

York writes that Schumer’s “brand of hypocrisy is particularly egregious” since he was advocating changing Senate rules on a partisan basis to eliminate the minority party’s ability to demand a higher standard of approval for controversial legislation, as opposed to advocating to get a particular bill across the line. 

“He was. And then, when Schumer’s party loses, he instantly turns around and becomes Mr. Bipartisanship. For that, there should be a word that goes beyond mere hypocrisy.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., will replace Schumer as Majority Leader and is planning to make ushering in President-elect Trump’s immigration agenda the first item on his to-do list when he succeeds. He has not indicated that he intended to vote on the filibuster rule.

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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.

The trifecta will make Trump’s agenda easier to pursue without opposition from a Democratic majority. Republicans held a governing trifecta from 2017 to 2019. The GOP achieved much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming justices to achieve a conservative majority in the Supreme Court.

But Thune said he would protect the filibuster rule, even if it stands in the way of the Trump agenda it hopes to advance.

Fox News’s Jamie Joseph, Julia Johnson and Tyler Olson contributed to this report. 

With President-elect Trump headed back to the White House and Republicans in the majority in Congress, Democrats have few options to push back against the GOP agenda.

But one enterprising North Carolina lawmaker thinks his minority party should look across the pond to the United Kingdom for the answer to “go toe to toe” with Trump. Rep. WIley Nickels, D-N.C., has proposed that Democrats create a “shadow cabinet” to organize the opposition and challenge each decision by the government.

“Across the Atlantic, the British have something we don’t: a team from the opposition that mirrors the government’s cabinet members. They watch the cabinet closely, publicly challenging, scrutinizing and offering new ideas. It’s another form of checks and balances — a quiet guardrail that keeps power accountable,” Wiley argues in an op-ed for the Washington Post.

His proposal is to appoint 26 Democratic leaders in Congress to mirror Trump’s Cabinet-level officials and challenge each initiative of the incoming administration. Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif., for instance, could be a shadow attorney general who would call out Trump’s efforts to replace career Justice Department attorneys with those loyal to the president. Or Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., might be a shadow Secretary of State who would loudly oppose potential action by the Trump administration that would decrease support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

‘ALL THE OPTIONS’ ARE ON THE TABLE TO GET TRUMP’S CABINET PICKS THROUGH CONFIRMATION, SAYS SEN. JOHN THUNE

“We have to step up our game. We have to go toe to toe with Trump. And it’s not just about saying, you know what, what we’re against. It’s about saying what we’re for and putting our best messengers out there,” Nickel told CNN’s Laura Coates in a recent interview. 

In the U.K., a shadow cabinet is a team of opposition leaders that reflect the ruling party’s cabinet members. The shadow cabinet has a counterpart for every minister in the ruling coalition’s government. 

It’s a system Nickel argues has worked for a century. 

“They watch the Cabinet closely, publicly challenging, scrutinizing and offering new ideas,” Nickel wrote in his op-ed. “It’s democracy’s insurance policy. And it strengthens the government, too: There is no room for lazy ideas when rivals stand ready.”

TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT

There are key differences between the U.S. and U.K. governments that might complicate this idea. The most obvious being that the U.K. uses a parliamentary system, where multiple parties form coalition governments as opposed to the dual party system Americans have. The U.K. prime minister is the head of government and leads the Cabinet, which exercises the executive power. 

The American founders intentionally created a different system. The U.S. Constitution invests the legislative power in Congress and the authority to enforce laws in the Executive Branch, which is led by the president. The president’s cabinet officials each head different executive agencies, which are created by Congress but not administered by lawmakers. 

WHAT TRUMP’S REPUBLICAN TRIFECTA IN HIS FIRST ADMINISTRATION ACCOMPLISHED, AND WHERE THEY FAILED: FLASHBACK

Members of the cabinet are nominated by the president and confirmed with the “advice and consent” of the Senate. Nickels’ proposed shadow cabinet officials would not be subject to similar checks on power. In addition, in the absence of a definite constitutional authority, it is unclear what powers a “shadow cabinet” might exercise, or what purpose it would serve other than to voice objections to Trump’s policies – which every member of Congress can already do during legislative debate.

In an interview with LiveNow from FOX, Nickel clarified that his idea is a “communications push.”

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“It’s about putting out our positive message to counter what we’re seeing from Trump. And if Trump or his Cabinet secretaries step out of line we’ve got somebody ready to go and answer, and be accountable to the American people on things we care about,” he explained. 

“This is about putting a point person for advocacy groups, for the public, a lead messenger … we need to organize our opposition,” Nickel said. “We can do our own American version of a [shadow cabinet] that will help Democrats do the thing we didn’t do, which is get out our positive message and talk about the things that folks are rightly concerned about.”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., is facing backlash online for claiming that Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Trump’s pick for Director of National Intelligence (DNI), is “likely a Russian asset.”

Wasserman Schultz made the claims, without providing any evidence, on MSNBC Friday, sparking furious responses with commentators honing in on the Florida lawmaker’s own record.

“She is considered to be essentially by most assessments, a Russian asset and would be the most dangerous,” Wasserman Schultz said, before being cut off and asked, “Is that what you consider her?”

TULSI GABBARD SAYS TRUMP ‘LISTENS’ AND ‘RECOGNIZES’ CHALLENGES AMERICANS FACE

“Yes. There’s no question. I consider her someone who is likely a Russian asset who would be as the DNI, responsible for managing our entire intelligence community, hold all of our most significant intelligence information and secrets, and essentially would be a direct line to our enemies,” Wasserman Schultz said. 

The comments drew sharp criticism.

“Tulsi Gabbard resigned as DNC Vice Chair in 2016 because Debbie Wasserman Schultz was rigging the election to ensure Hillary won — as Liz Warren, Donna Brazile and WL all showed,” journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote.

“Imagine fighting for your country and then having pro-war cretins like this impugn your loyalties.”

Commentator @TexasLindsay_ invoked the debunked Russian dossier scandal, which was used by Democrats to accuse President-elect Trump of being a Russian asset. 

“Debbie Wasserman Schulz was DNC Chair when Hillary Clinton ran for president—during the time the DNC got caught spying on Trump’s campaign paying to fabricate the fake Russian Dossier to discredit Trump.”

“The fact that she’s now accusing Tulsi Gabbard of being a Russian asset is so outrageous, I can’t help but laugh at how stupid she thinks we all are.”

HERE ARE THE MOST TALKED-ABOUT CANDIDATES FOR TOP POSTS IN TRUMP’S ADMINISTRATION

Ian Miles Cheong cited a scandal involving Wasserman Schultz’s former IT aide Imran Awan who was indicted for federal bank fraud and conspiracy and was arrested trying to leave the U.S. Wasserman Schultz was criticized over mishandling sensitive information by defending him. Awan eventually made a plea deal with the Justice Department.

“This is pure defamation and it should not go unanswered,” Cheong wrote.

Commentator Bo Snerdley also chimed in and said he truly hopes Gabbard sues Wasserman Schultz “for slander and defamation of character.”

During the Friday interview, Wasserman Schultz attacked Gabbard for secretly meeting with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, in 2017 who was accused of using chemical weapons on his own citizens during the country’s civil war. Gabbard refused to call him a war criminal during her 2020 presidential campaign and said she was skeptical that his government perpetrated a chemical weapons attack earlier that year that killed dozens of Syrians.

“Tulsi Gabbard is someone who has met with war criminals, violated the Department of State’s guidance and secretly clandestinely went to Syria and met with Assad who gassed and attacked his own people with chemical weapons,” Wasserman Schultz said.

Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii who bucked her party and switched to the Republican Party, once called her former party as a “bunch of warmongers.”

It’s not the first time Democrats have accused Gabbard of being a Russian asset.

GOV KRISTI NOEM REFLECTS ON TRUMP WIN, SAYS DEMOCRATS ‘TRY TO PUT WOMEN IN A BOX’

In a 2019 interview, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton labeled her “favorite of the Russians” while citing apparent Russian media support for her. 

Gabbard served in the U.S. House of Representatives from early 2013 through early 2021 as a Democrat. She mounted a presidential bid in 2019 but ultimately dropped out in 2020 and backed Joe Biden.

The Republican is also a veteran who served in Iraq, as well as an Army reservist. She was promoted to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves three years ago.

The former lawmaker supported Trump during the 2024 election and announced that she was joining the Republican Party.

“I’ve been a soldier for over 21 years, and currently serve as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve,” she noted in a post on Veterans Day this week. 

In a statement on Wednesday, Trump said that Gabbard “has fought for our Country and the Freedoms of all Americans.” 

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“As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican!” Trump said, per a statement via his transition team.

“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community, championing our Constitutional Rights, and securing Peace through Strength. Tulsi will make us all proud!”

The director of national intelligence leads the U.S. intelligence community, which includes overseeing the National Intelligence Program and advising the president on security matters. The current national intelligence director is Avril Haines.

Once confirmed to the position, Gabbard will advise Trump, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council on national security matters.

Fox News’ Andrea Margolis contributed to this report. 

President-elect Donald Trump wasted no time in announcing selections for key positions related to immigration and border security, quickly announcing a border czar and Homeland Security secretary, but who else could be appointed to the remaining positions?

Trump announced that Tom Homan will serve as “border czar,” overseeing deportations and border security, while South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was announced as his nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

But it has not yet been decided who will serve in key positions at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

INCOMING TRUMP ADMIN EYES MASSIVE EXPANSION OF IMMIGRATION DETENTION: ‘HE WILL DELIVER’

Fox News Digital understands that discussions have not yet begun in earnest about those positions, and may not begin until December at the earliest, but multiple sources familiar with the situation and with the agencies in general spoke to Fox News Digital about those who are likely to be on the list for key positions.

Here are some of the people those sources believe could be in the running to make up the rest of the Trump team on immigration, which will be focused on securing the border and a mass deportation operation.

Todd Lyons

Lyons currently serves as ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO)’s Field Office Director in Boston. In that role, he is leading the effort to apprehend illegal immigrant criminals, many of whom have been released back onto the streets in the Boston area after committing crimes.

There have been a slew of high profile sex offenders nabbed by Lyons’ unit, and it’s brought attention to the consequences of “sanctuary” city policies, by which illegal immigrant criminals are released back onto the streets.

Lyons appears to be emerging as the favorite to helm the agency, particularly given his experience with sanctuary cities, something that is likely to be a top priority for the Trump administration. One source familiar with discussions of ICE told Fox News Digital that they would be shocked if Lyons were not nominated as the next ICE director.

Rodney Scott 

Rodney Scott is a former Border Patrol chief who served as chief from 2020 until he was ousted by the Biden administration in mid-2021. Since then, he has been a fierce critic of the Biden administration’s immigration policies and its handling of the crisis at the southern border.

He would bring experience as a Border Patrol agent, and before being chief, he had led the San Diego Sector, one of the most challenging sectors in the country. He has been highly critical of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and recently accused him of having “intentionally” opened the southern border.

“We handed them the most secure border in the history of the United States and a roadmap to keep it that way and make it even better, [yet] through 94 executive actions, President Biden completely destroyed border security,” Scott said this year.

Brandon Judd

Brandon Judd is the former head of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents Border Patrol agents across the country. He has been an agent since 1997 and also served as an instructor at the academy.

Under Judd, the union was strongly supportive of Trump and fiercely critical of the Biden administration’s handling of the border crisis, during which there were a number of flashpoints between the Biden administration and agents.

Judd retired as president of the NBPC earlier this year and, along with the union, has been a strong backer of Trump’s re-election campaign.

“Under President Trump, our border was secure, our agents were supported, migrants weren’t suffering at the hands of cartels, and our country was safer,” he said in August.

 ‘LIBERATION DAY’: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ON BORDER SECURITY, IMMIGRATION

John Fabbricatore 

Fabbricatore is a retired ICE field office director. In that capacity, he oversaw Colorado and Wyoming. Before that, he helped ICE establish a number of task forces targeting fugitives, and worked as an instructor in the ICE ERO Academy.

Since retiring in 2022, he has been sounding the alarm about Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang that has taken over apartment complexes and been linked to crimes in Colorado. He ran as a Republican congressional candidate this cycle in Colorado, saying he was “running to secure America.”

Sources told Fox News Digital that it was unclear what Fabbricatore’s role might be, but one said they believed Fabbricatore would “likely” be involved in ICE in some capacity.

Jon Feere

Jon Feere is currently the Director of Investigations at the Center for Immigration Studies. He left CIS to join the immigration policy team on the first Trump transition team, and went on to serve as senior adviser to the ICE director and as ICE chief of staff in the first administration. He rejoined CIS after the end of the administration.

Feere worked closely with Homan, now the border czar, at ICE. He has zeroed in on the damage caused by sanctuary city policies, as well as what he sees as the abuse of employment visa programs like Optional Practical Training. Sources suggested his experience of the agency and in-depth knowledge of policy would make him a strong candidate for a position in ICE enforcement.

Tony Pham

Pham served as acting ICE director from August 2020 to December 2020, having served as ICE’s top legal adviser. Pham is a Vietnamese immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1975.

He oversaw a number of operations targeting illegal immigrants sprung from custody by “sanctuary” cities. Pham has cited his experience as a refugee as something that led him to enforcement.

“I wanted to be a part of the enforcement section of immigration, because what I learned is when people cheat, or when they try to cheat the system, whether it’s immigration, or if it’s a school test or whether it’s the state bar exam, if they cheat they demean and diminish the lawful pathway — what my parents endured to become lawful citizens,” he said in an interview with Fox News Digital in 2020.”

Pham has been floated as a potential candidate to lead the agency, given that he has already stepped into that role before.

Robert Perez

Robert Perez is a former deputy CBP commissioner who served in that role during both the Trump and Biden administrations before leaving in June 2021, warning about the looming impact of a “broken” and “porous” immigration system. 

He is the founder and co-chairman of the CBP Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting CBP employees and their families. While CBP would seem to be the best fit for Perez, one source said he would be “phenomenal” working in any part of the Department of Homeland Security.

 ‘LIBERATION DAY’: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ON BORDER SECURITY, IMMIGRATION

Joe Edlow 

USCIS is often an overlooked agency, and it handles immigration policies regarding legal immigration. That work includes visas, asylum adjudications and the implementation of rules and restrictions. 

It would be the agency spearheading the return of the public charge rule, which restricted immigrants from obtaining green cards if they were deemed likely to be reliant on welfare.

Edlow served as the acting director of the agency under the Trump administration, and he is one of only a few names floated as a potential return to the agency. One source said he was a “very serious” candidate and had done a good job leading the agency.

Rob Law

Law served during the first Trump administration as a senior policy adviser and chief of policy at USCIS. He has since headed the Center for Homeland Security and Immigration at America First Policy Institute. He has also been involved with the Center for Immigration Studies, where he was the director of regulatory affairs and policy.

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He is seen as a strong candidate, given both his prior experience of the agency and also his detailed knowledge of policy. 

Fox News’ Emma Woodhead contributed to this report.

The GOP is projected to control the House majority in the new Congress, giving President-elect Trump another red trifecta similar to what he had during the first two years of his first term in office.

This will make Trump’s agenda easier to pursue without opposition from a Democratic majority. 

Republicans held a governing trifecta from 2017 to 2019. The GOP achieved much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming judges to achieve a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. However, not all of their priorities cleared the finish line.

Here’s a look at their major accomplishments and notable setbacks:

WHAT DOES PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP’S WIN MEAN FOR US AMID WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL, HAMAS?

1. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

One of the GOP’s most notable achievements during Trump’s first term was enacting major tax cuts for individuals and corporations while reshaping the tax code. No House Democrats supported the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

2. The Affordable Care Act (ACA)

While Trump’s allies in Congress tried to completely roll back the Obama-era ACA, including a much-anticipated vote in the Senate that never happened, it failed by a narrow margin in the House. 

Republicans also failed to completely eliminate the so-called individual mandate from the ACA, but did succeed in zeroing out the financial penalty for failure to comply with it.

TRUMP’S PICKS SO FAR: HERE’S WHO WILL BE ADVISING THE NEW PRESIDENT

3. Building the border wall

While Congress passed more restrictive immigration laws, the construction of Trump’s famous border wall was only partially successful. Trump requested $25 billion for building the wall, but Congress only approved $1.6 billion in the 2018 budget negotiations. 

In February 2019, after a monthlong government shutdown, Trump declared a national emergency at the southern border and reallocated roughly $8 billion from other military construction projects and other sources to fund the border wall. 

In total, the Trump administration completed approximately 452 miles of border wall by the end of January 2021. 

TRUMP NOMINATES PETE HEGSETH TO SERVE AS DEFENSE SECRETARY

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4. Federal court appointments

Trump sent the Republican Senate nominations for 161 federal judges, of whom a significant number were confirmed. Two Supreme Court justices, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, were also confirmed in the first half of his term. 

Trump’s third and final Supreme Court nomination, Amy Coney Barrett — who replaced the late liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — was accomplished in 2020, the last full year of his first term.

5. Criminal justice reform

Passing with bipartisan support in Congress, Trump signed the First Step Act into law in 2018 to reduce recidivism rates and expanded eligibility for compassionate release for certain federal inmates. By 2022, the First Step Act had led to the early release or reduced sentences of thousands of inmates. 

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine is considering an Ohio attorney and Trump surrogate to fill Vice President-elect JD Vance’s Senate seat once he vacates the position and moves on to the White House, Fox News Digital has learned. 

Attorney Mehek Cooke, a Republican attorney who served as a political and legal surrogate for Trump in 2024, is under consideration to be chosen to fill Vance’s seat, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital. 

Cooke, known as a formidable fundraiser in the state of Ohio, has appeared on Fox News and was a vocal supporter of President-elect Trump during the 2024 campaign, where he won Ohio by 11 points and his endorsement in the state is viewed as carrying a significant amount of weight.

State law dictates that Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine will select a Republican to take Vance’s spot in the Senate until a special election is held in November 2026 to determine who will serve the rest of Vance’s term, which ends in 2028. The winner of that special election will then have to run again in 2028 in order to start a new six-year term. 

VANCE IN ‘CATBIRD SEAT’ FOR 2028 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION, BUT THESE REPUBLICANS MAY ALSO RUN

Cooke, who ran for Ohio House of Representatives in 2020, spent time as the assistant chief counsel in the Ohio governor’s office from 2012 to 2014 and in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, where she handled criminal cases involving corruption, terrorism, drug trafficking, asset forfeiture, and money laundering. 

Cooke, a wife and mother of two, was born in India and immigrated legally to the United States with her family at the age of 5. Cooke is also the founder and President of American Frontier Strategies and has worked as a political consultant and commentator across the state of Ohio. 

Marty Savko, the chair of the earth moving company Savko & Sons which has been in business in Columbus, Ohio for 75 years, told Fox News Digital that Cooke “is totally 100% in touch with both the average man and wife” in Ohio.

“She’s a proud American citizen, she’s proud of this country and she very much has a kind heart and realizes that not everyone has the same opportunities. She is a firm believer in what’s right and what’s wrong, and you know where she stands.”

“She’s not part of a clique like some people get to Washington or even get in the state house here in Ohio, and they become part of a clique, and they vote with the clique. No, she’s a person of her own determination and what she feels is the best for everyone involved, and she’s honest, extremely honest, extremely forthright.”

Savko, a prominent Trump donor, told Fox News Digital that Cooke is a “fighter” in the same mold as the last two senators who have been elected statewide, JD Vance and Bernie Moreno.

Multiple sources close to the situation told Fox News Digital that elevating women is important to DeWine and that he would like to appoint a woman to the seat, although gender is not the deciding factor. 

Republican Jane Timken, an Ohio attorney who served as chair of the Ohio Republican Party from 2017 to 2021, is also widely considered to be another potential Vance replacement. 

Other candidates reportedly in the mix include Ohio’s Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose, Republican Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, Attorney General Dave Yost, Treasurer Robert Sprague and State Sen. Matt Dolan.

Yost, who has said he wouldn’t accept the position, and Husted are believed to be focused on the upcoming governor’s race to replace DeWine. Former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy had been floated as a possibility but he recently accepted a position in the Trump administration and withdrew his name.

Three Republicans currently serving in Congress – Reps. Mike Carey, David Joyce and Warren Davidson – are believed to be options as well. 

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Carey, who has strong relationships with both Trump and DeWine, reached out to DeWine shortly after Vance was selected, a source familiar with the discussion said this summer. 

DeWine, who is viewed as part of the Republican establishment, will face a balancing act of appointing someone highly regarded by both the Trump base of the party and the more moderate wing. 

Sources tell Fox News Digital that the decision from DeWine is likely not imminent and will be announced in line with whenever Vance officially vacates his seat. 

Cooke and a spokesperson for DeWine’s office declined to comment. 

DeWine press secretary Dan Tierney told Fox News Digital earlier this month that the timing of the governor’s announcement will depend on when Vance officially vacates his Senate seat and that the governor plans to appoint a “workhorse.”

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Tierney said that DeWine will be looking for a “workhorse” who is “qualified and ready to earn the trust of Ohio voters for another term.”

As the contested Pennsylvania Senate race barrels towards a $1 million recount, Democratic officials in a few blue counties are openly admitting to counting disqualified ballots in defiance of state law and court orders. 

The Associated Press has called the race for Republican Sen.-elect Dave McCormick, who currently holds a 26,000 vote lead over incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. But Casey has refused to concede and insisted that every vote be counted. The close margin – within one percentage point – triggered an automatic recount under Pennsylvania law. 

Yet the critical question is which votes should be counted? The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled before the election that mail ballots lacking formally required signatures or dates should not be included in official results. However, Democratic officials in Philadelphia and surrounding Bucks, Centre and Montgomery counties are ignoring that court order. 

“I think we all know that precedent by a court doesn’t matter anymore in this country,” Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, a Democrat, said Thursday as she and other Democrats voted to reject a GOP-led challenge to ballots that should be disqualified. 

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“People violate laws anytime they want. So, for me, if I violate this law, it’s because I want a court to pay attention. There’s nothing more important than counting votes.”

Officials estimate there are fewer than 80,000 provisional ballots left to be counted across the Keystone State, less than two percent of the vote, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. While the chance that Casey could make up his deficit is small, his attorneys and McCormick’s have repeatedly clashed at county commissioner meetings this week as local officials have debated over whether to count small handfuls of ballots. 

Democrats insist they are acting in good faith in believing that rejecting someone’s vote because of a clerical error violates their constitutional rights. 

In Montgomery County, for example, officials deliberated for 30 minutes over whether about 180 provisional ballots without secrecy envelopes should be counted. The Inquirer reported that several of these votes came from the same precincts, suggesting an error made by poll workers. 

Democratic board chair Neil Makhija voted to accept the ballots so that voters would not be disenfranchised. But other members of the board, including one Democrat and a Republican, voted to reject the ballots on the advice of county attorneys who determined the law clearly states they should not be counted. 

“We’re talking about constitutional rights and I cannot take an action to throw out someone’s ballot that is validly cast, otherwise, over an issue that we know … is immaterial,” Makhija said during Thursday’s meeting. The board ultimately voted to count a total of 501 contested ballots. 

Similar disputes over hundreds of votes have played out in Bucks, Chester and Delaware Counties. 

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Separately, there is ongoing litigation over undated mail ballots or those submitted with an incorrect date on the outer envelope. Several local Democratic officials have said an incorrect date should not be grounds to disqualify a person’s vote. Lower courts have agreed with that reasoning, but Pennsylvania’s high court has determined the law requires correct dates for mail ballots to be counted. 

The McCormick campaign and Republican National Committee have asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to reaffirm its Nov. 1 decision to stop Democrats from including undated mail ballots in their final tallies. The Casey campaign and the Pennsylvania Department of State have countered with legal motions arguing that the counties should be left alone and that the high court need not intervene as the challenges work their way through the appellate process.

The open defiance of court precedent has prompted Republicans to cry foul.

“Let’s be clear about what’s happening here: Democrats in Pennsylvania are brazenly trying to break the law by attempting to count illegal ballots. They are doing this because they want to steal a senate seat,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley wrote on X. 

He said the RNC has filed four lawsuits contesting county decisions on undated ballots and vowed to “fight for as long as necessary” to ensure that McCormick’s victory is upheld.

“This is the exact kind of left-wing election interference that undermines voter confidence,” Whatley said.

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Democrats have defended their actions and pointed out that McCormick himself had argued to count contested ballots when he trailed celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz in the 2022 Republican primary for U.S. Senate. 

In that case, McCormick’s lawyer told a state judge that the object of Pennsylvania’s election law is to let people vote, “not to play games of ‘gotcha’ with them.”

There are potentially thousands of mail-in ballots with wrong or missing dates on the return envelope across the state, though most counties have not moved to count them. 

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A state-mandated recount must be finished by noon on Nov. 26. Officials have said they do not expect the process to change the outcome of the race by more than a few hundred votes. 

Both McCormick and Casey were in Washington, D.C., this week. Casey participated in official Senate business and cast votes on the floor while McCormick attended new member orientation and met with other members of the new Republican majority to vote for conference leadership. 

Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ranked choice voting suffered a blow as several states, including Nevada, Oregon, Colorado and Idaho rejected measures last week. 

In Colorado, Proposition 131 would have created an open primary system for candidates of any party, and the top four vote-getters would move on to the general election after voters ranked their choices from first to last. 

“The ranked choice voting movement has pushed really hard to convince everyone it’s a great idea,” data scientist Seth Werfel told Colorado Public Radio. “It has some merits, but it’s not a slam dunk. And I think voters are skeptical of anything that they can’t immediately understand.”

In Idaho, Proposition 1 would also have ended the party primary system. 

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It was rejected by nearly 70% of the voters. 

“You need a scandal, you need corruption, you need something that’s happening statewide to make the case to pass something complicated like this,” CalTech professor Michael Alvarez told Boise State Public Radio. “I’m not super deeply immersed in the politics of these various states, but I don’t see that common ‘why’ there.”

Oregon’s ranked choice voting measure, Proposition 117, was rejected by 58% of the voters. 

“Voters this year were reluctant to make dramatic changes to the way they vote,” Chandler James, who teaches political science at the University of Oregon, told Oregon Public Radio. “But I don’t think that it spells the end for ranked choice voting in the future.”

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A similar measure in Nevada was rejected by 53% of voters. The same measure was passed by nearly 6% in 2022, but Nevada measures that require amendments to the state constitution don’t go into effect until they’re passed in two consecutive elections, according to the Nevada Independent. 

Ranked choice voting is already used statewide in Alaska and Maine and places like New York City, but, in Alaska, a measure to repeal it looks like it could pass narrowly. Hawaii uses ranked choice voting for some special elections. 

In Missouri, voters approved a constitutional amendment banning ranked choice voting. 

“We believe in the one person, one vote system of elections that our country was founded upon,” Missouri state Sen. Ben Brown, who sponsored the measure, previously said in an interview, according to NPR. 

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Other states that have bans on ranked choice voting include Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Montana, South Dakota, Tennessee and Florida. 

President-elect Trump is rounding out his administration with cabinet nominations, but their confirmation ultimately relies on support from linchpins in the Senate who could be skeptical of his appointees.

While the incoming president has the power to appoint members to his Cabinet, it is ultimately up to Congress to have the final say in whether they are confirmed to the positions through a confirmation process. 

While the GOP will hold the majority in the next Congress, however, Senate confirmation could hang on a few key Republicans who have expressed mixed feelings about Trump’s cabinet selections.

Sen. Mitch McConnell

Longtime Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has had a rocky relationship with Trump over the years, most recently releasing a new book that revealed his not-so-flattering thoughts about the president-elect.

According to the book, the Senate minority leader has reportedly slammed Trump as “stupid,” “erratic,” a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist.” 

“I can’t think of anybody I’d rather be criticized by than this sleazeball,” he said in 2022, as Trump continued to attack his wife, former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, calling her “Coco Chow.”  

After the book’s release, McConnell told Fox News Digital that “we are all on the same team now.” 

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said that she is not certain former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Trump’s controversial attorney general nominee, will make it through the confirmation process.

“I don’t think it’s a serious nomination for the attorney general,” the Alaska Republican said. “We need to have a serious attorney general. And I’m looking forward to the opportunity to consider somebody that is serious. This one was not on my bingo card.”

Murkowski also expressed surprise to hear of former Fox News host Pete Hegseth’s nomination to secretary of defense.

“Wow,” Murkowski said. “I’m just surprised, because the names that I’ve heard for secretary of defense have not included him.”

Sen. Susan Collins

Susan Collins, the Republican senator from Maine, said she was “shocked that he [Gaetz] has been nominated.”

“He’s under investigation by the House Committee on Ethics. Obviously, the president has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but this is why the background checks that are done by the FBI and the advice and consent process in the Senate, and public hearings are also important,” she said.

Gaetz was under a yearslong ethics investigation in the House looking into reports of alleged sexual involvement with a minor, illicit drug use and accepting improper gifts.

Sen. Thom Tillis

After Gaetz was nominated, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said that despite a history of sparring with the attorney general nominee on social media, he would go through the confirmation process the same as any other pick.

However, Tillis said that the president should select nominees who can pass the chamber’s vetting process.

“The president deserves to put forth a nominee. The president has an obligation to make sure that that nominee is gonna pass vetting and have the votes on the floor,” the North Carolina Republican told reporters after Gaetz was nominated.

Tillis, however, suggested that the public should not be shocked if the former Florida congressman is not confirmed.

“I will consider Matt Gaetz like I will anyone else, but if they don’t do the homework, don’t be surprised if they fail. Maybe they’ve already done that work,” he added. “Nothing surprises me in politics, nothing. And I’m okay with this. But at the end of the day we have a process, and we’ll just have to run through it.”

Tillis added that he cares about “a defensible résumé, and a really clean vetting. Produce that he’s got a chance, don’t, and he doesn’t.”

Sen. Todd Young

Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., who did not publicly support Trump for the Republican presidential nomination this year, could be another deciding vote on cabinet confirmations.

The GOP senator previously told reporters he would not be supporting Trump’s 2024 presidential run partly because the former president’s “judgment is wrong” on the Russia-Ukraine war.

Asked about Gaetz’s nomination, he did not respond and instead began praising Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as Trump’s Secretary of State pick.

Sen.-elect John Curtis

Utah Republican John Curtis, recently elected to fill the being left by retiring Sen. Mitt Romney, said that he believes the Senate should have the final say in whether a Trump nominee is confirmed or not.

“Senator-elect Curtis believes that every president is afforded a degree of deference to select his team and make nominations,” Corey Norman, Curtis’ chief of staff, told KSL TV in a statement. “He also firmly believes in and is committed to the Senate’s critical role to confirm or reject nominations.”

Other senators have voiced uncertainty about Gaetz’s chances of being confirmed.

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Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said that Gaetz has got an “uphill climb” ahead of him, while Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said, according to The New York Times, that “I think all but Gaetz are very doable — maybe not lovable, but doable.”

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., was “adamant” he would carry out President-elect Trump’s agenda as leader as he made his case to GOP senators before they selected him to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Wednesday. 

“I will just say that Sen. Thune said over and over and over and over in this long meeting that he was 100% behind President Trump — 100% behind his agenda,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo.

“He was adamant about it.” 

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Hawley noted that he did not vote for Thune, instead publicly endorsing Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. 

“But I will hold him to that pledge,” Hawley said of Thune. 

The incoming Republican Senate majority leader’s insistence to his conference that he would be a force for Trump’s agenda in the upper chamber came as an air of concern existed in Washington, D.C., regarding whether Thune and the president-elect had truly mended their previously fractured relationship. 

But Republicans of all stripes expressed degrees of confidence in him to do so after the leadership elections. 

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., an ally of Trump who publicly backed Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., to be the next Republican leader, told Fox News Digital, “I think it’s very clear that this is going to be a conference for all of us. He’s going to do this by consensus with us.” 

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Sen.-elect Jim Banks, R-Ind., another top Trump ally, emphasized, “Sen. Thune is very supportive of President Trump and his agenda. And, most importantly, the Senate majority is too. So, I’m very optimistic.”

One of Thune’s top advocates in the leader race was an early endorser, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., who also happens to be close to Trump. “I know President Trump, and I know Thune has personally — they have visited multiple times,” he told reporters after Thune won the election. 

“They are at a good place with each other. There’s no rift between them,” Mullin said, adding the two were on “the same page.

“I have no concerns about their relationship at all.”

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Trump never publicly weighed in on the GOP leader race despite a number of vocal figures in his orbit choosing to get behind Scott, who was considered by some to be more aligned with Trump’s “MAGA” ideology. 

Billionaire and X owner Elon Musk, who Trump has said will be a part of his administration, had endorsed Scott and criticized Thune, claiming he was the candidate Democrats were supporting. 

While Trump didn’t issue an endorsement, it didn’t stop observers from speculating he was supporting Scott for the role. However, Trump might have actually been backing Thune in private. Two sources familiar with the situation, including a senator in the room during the leader election, told Fox News Digital that National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Chair Steve Daines, R-Mont., insinuated ahead of the elections that Trump may have been privately backing Thune. 

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Daines gave one of the nominating speeches for Thune before the secret ballot vote Wednesday. 

When initially contacted regarding the claims, Daines’ office told Fox News Digital he told his Republican colleagues, “Trump likes Thune.” After publication, Daines’ deputy communications director, Rachel Dumke, denied the senator suggested Trump had been backing Thune. 

“This anonymously sourced story is false. Sen. Daines told his colleagues that President Trump likes Sen. Thune, but he never said he endorsed him. If President Trump endorsed in that race, everybody would have known about it,” she said in a statement. 

Similar criticisms to Musk’s were lobbed on social media, in addition to claims Thune would replicate the leadership McConnell showcased during his tenure. 

But Mullin argued against these suggestions.

“His leadership is very different,” he said. “I mean, Thune is someone that involves the conference before he makes a decision.”

According to the Oklahoma Republican, Thune will be involved in engaging the conference like a team and making decisions like a “play call.”

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“Not everybody may agree with the play call,” he warned, “but the majority of the Republicans will be on board before we make a decision to move forward.”

Thune’s office declined to comment to Fox News Digital. 

Democrat New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who announced on Friday that he is running for governor in 2025, suggested the need to “stand up to” President-elect Donald Trump following the “horrible” election outcome.

Gottheimer, who entered into a crowded Democratic field for New Jersey governor, said that Trump’s win was a “terrible loss for America.”

“Let’s pause for a minute, the election outcome was a horrible loss for America. Every candidate running for governor agrees,” he said on Friday at a diner in South Hackensack.

“We need to stand up to Trump,” he said.

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Gottheimer pointed to Trump’s stance on abortion, the environment and gun safety as “major issues” with the president-elect.

“On the major issues from healthcare to the environment to gun safety, every candidate shares the same goals, and on the issue of abortion rights, we will all stand up to Trump and his extremist attacks on women’s health care,” he said. “We must reinstate Roe.”

After promising to “stand up” to Trump, the representative of New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District stated his main priority as governor would be lowering costs for New Jersey residents.

“But there is one more issue that defines who I am, and what I’ll fight for,” he said. “Jersey is now the fourth most expensive state in the entire nation to live in, and unlike everyone else in this race, I’m focused like a laser beam on the need to lower your taxes and lower your costs.”

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Gottheimer joins a slew of Democratic candidates, including former state Sen. Stephen Sweeney, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, in the state’s gubernatorial race.

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The Republican nominees so far include former gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, state Sen. Jon Bramnick, former state Sen. Ed Durr, talk radio host Bill Spadea, and candidates Robert Canfield, Jim Fazzone, Hans Herberg and Robert Bacon.