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President-elect Donald Trump campaigned for president in 2016 in part by styling himself as a tough-on-crime contender who, if elected, would institute a national anti-crime agenda, crack down on immigration and bring “very strong, very swift,” law and order. 

His incendiary rhetoric and messaging on crime had set off alarm bells among many Democrats and criminal justice advocates ahead of his January 2017 inauguration. 

“I am the law and order candidate,” he told voters, before adding in the next breath, “I am also the candidate of compassion.”

But the second part of his remarks did little to assuage fears that under Trump, the U.S. would see an indiscriminate crackdown on crime. 

Jessica Jackson, a human rights attorney and CEO of criminal justice advocacy group REFORM Alliance, told Fox News Digital that she originally had some reservations of her own.

“First and foremost, I’m a Democrat,” Jackson said in an interview.  “So, to work with President Trump back in 2018 was considered a little bit unusual.” 

But Jackson did just that, lobbying for the First Step Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at reducing federal prison populations through curbing disproportionate sentences, promoting rehabilitation and allowing certain inmates the possibility of early release. 

GAETZ WITHDRAWS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE

Secret Service and prison guards stand on the roof as then-President Barack Obama tours a cell block at the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma. (Saul Loeb/Getty) (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Jackson was part of a large group of police groups, religious leaders, prosecutors and celebrities who lobbied on behalf of the First Step Act. 

Their efforts were successful, and in December 2018 Trump signed the First Step Act into law.

The law has been roundly praised for both helping to reduce the federal prison population and, importantly, cutting down the rates of recidivism—the rate of formerly incarcerated persons who re-offend.

Jackson noted that the law has resulted in a reduction of recidivism “from about 49% to 9.7%.” A 2024 report from the Brennan Center for Justice estimates a slightly lower, but still striking, reduction rate of 46.2% to 9.7% of recidivism among former inmates aided by the First Step Act.

“I think the biggest lesson that I learned in the first administration was if you engage with the administration, there are opportunities to make progress on the issues that you care about,” Jackson said of working with Trump.

Now, she and other criminal justice advocates see more opportunities to work together in Trump’s second term. 

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President Donald Trump hangs up after a phone call in the Oval Office of the White House, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020, in Washington.  ((AP Photo/Alex Brandon))

One major opportunity that Jackson sees for Trump is passing the Safer Supervision Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at helping formerly incarcerated persons transition back into their communities. Proponents see the bill as a way to build on the success of the 2018 legislation.

Former inmates overwhelmingly struggle to readjust to life after prison, and the Safer Supervision Act seeks both to aid in employment opportunities for former inmates and to reduce the litany of burdensome parole and probation requirements.

It looks to address major hurdles faced by ex-cons, including a lack of structure, trouble finding a job and the many gaps in the federal parole and probation system, which is itself made up of understaffed and underfunded programs.

These hurdles have, at times, landed ex-cons behind bars for what appear to be largely innocuous reasons—ranging from missing a meeting with a parole officer to leaving a judicial district without permission or associating with people who have former convictions or are engaged in criminal behavior. At times, it is not communicated to the ex-prisoner what exactly the restrictions are. 

Prison inmates wearing firefighting boots line up for breakfast in Yucaipa, California, November 6, 2014. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

Jackson said that her team once worked with a former inmate who had traveled to and from work on public transit, eventually saving up enough money to make a down payment on a car.

Unfortunately, when he went to finance the car, she said, “It turns out that unbeknownst to him, and buried in the list of onerous conditions, was that he couldn’t open a bank account without talking to a supervision officer.”

“So, here’s a guy who thinks he’s doing something great—getting a car to go back and forth to work; taking his kids to school. And the next thing you know, he’s got a violation of his supervision and is being sent back in,” Jackson said. 

As a whole, former inmates are highly prone to recidivism: A 2023 Justice Department analysis of prisons in 24 states found that a whopping 82% of people released were rearrested at least once in the 10 years following their release. (A still-significant 43% were rearrested within a single year.)

Jackson hopes that Trump will make good in his second term on expanding these criminal justice reform initiatives—by passing the Safer Supervision Act and implementing other measures, such as second-chance hiring. 

Asked whether she had been in talks with any transition team staffers, Jackson laughed. “It’s funny, because everybody keeps asking me like, ‘Well, have you talked to anybody over there?’”

“We came together in a very unlikely coalition, and we were able to make real progress—we never actually stopped talking to them,” she said.

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“And I think we’re excited about the opportunity to continue those conversations and to make progress where we can.”

Just hours after former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be attorney general, President-elect Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his AG nominee.

“For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump wrote in his announcement. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.

“I have known Pam for many years – She is smart and tough, and is an AMERICA FIRST Fighter, who will do a terrific job as Attorney General!”

Bondi chairs the Center of Litigation and co-chairs the Center for Law and Justice at the America First Policy Institute. 

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ANNOUNCES PAM BONDI AS HIS NEW PICK FOR US ATTORNEY GENERAL

Here’s what to know about Trump’s new AG pick:

Bondi worked as a prosecutor before becoming Florida’s first female attorney general

Bondi, 59, is a Tampa native and earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Florida and her law degree from Stetson Law School. She was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1991.

She worked as a prosecutor out of the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office for more than 18 years, trying a variety of cases from domestic violence to murder.

After former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to be attorney general, President-elect Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his AG nominee. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Bondi made history in 2010 as the state’s first female attorney general. Her campaign emphasized challenging the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and later focused on human trafficking issues once in office. She also notably shut down pill mills and tackled the state’s opioid crisis. 

She held the post until 2019. 

Bondi has worked closely with Trump, including on his defense team for his first impeachment trial 

Bondi worked as one of Trump’s defense lawyers in 2020 after he was first impeached on allegations that he had abused his power and obstructed Congress. 

“They have not charged the president with any crime because the president did nothing wrong,” Bondi said when articles of impeachment were sent by the House to the Senate. “There was no crime. The transcript of that phone call speaks for itself.”

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Bondi also worked on Trump’s Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission during his first administration. In her role on the commission, Bondi collaborated with national leaders on drug prevention and treatment. 

Bondi is a partner at a lobbying firm with ties to Trump and incoming chief of staff Susie Wiles

Bondi is a partner at Ballard Partners, a Florida-based lobbying firm founded by Brian Ballard. Bondi splits her time between Florida and Washington, D.C., chairing the firm’s corporate regulatory practice. 

Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, is also linked to the firm after becoming a partner there after Trump’s 2016 victory.  (Getty)

The D.C. office notably earned more than $70 million in lobbying fees during Trump’s first term by representing various corporate clients, according to federal disclosures. 

Trump’s incoming chief of staff, Susie Wiles, also works for the firm after becoming a partner there following Trump’s 2016 victory. 

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Bondi has been a staunch supporter of Trump throughout his legal troubles

Bondi has been vocal in her criticism about Trump’s prosecutions, going so far as appearing alongside Trump in New York City during his hush money trial. 

Bondi has been vocal in her criticism over prosecutions of Trump, going as far as appearing alongside the former president in New York City during his hush money trial.  (Getty)

“They make it sound like it’s a first-degree murder case, and I’ve tried plenty of trial cases, Trace, and never seen anything like this,” Bondi told Fox News host Trace Gallagher in April, shortly after Trump was issued a gag order in his New York case. 

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“They’re trying to gag him not only of his First Amendment rights but of defending himself,” Bondi said at the time. 

Fox News Digital’s Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report. 

President Biden is making a last-ditch effort to cancel more student debt before the end of his term, after facing years of setbacks in his attempts to erase billions of dollars in borrowed money. 

The Department of Education announced an interim final rule this month to extend the deadline for student loan borrowers to enroll in long-term pay-over-time programs.

The provision would amend the Income Contingent Repayment (ICR) to extend the deadline for borrowers to enroll in ICR or Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE), a program which cancels all student debt for borrowers after 20 years of on-time payments. The enrollment deadline would be extended by three years, from July 2024 to July 2027.

The regulations, however, are slated to go into effect in July 2026, meaning the incoming Trump administration could intercept any handout initiatives going into effect after his term.

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President Biden speaks during an event in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 8. Biden’s alternative student-debt relief plan could forgive loans for as many as 26 million people. 

The announcement comes just weeks after the Biden administration put forward an additional new rule, that, if finalized, would authorize student debt forgiveness on a one-time basis for people who the department considers to have at least an 80% chance of defaulting on loans based on a “predictive assessment using existing borrower data.”

Also in October, the administration announced plans to remove $4.5 billion in debt for more than 60,000 borrowers who work in public service.

BIDEN PUSHES TO FINALIZE MORE STUDENT DEBT RELIEF BEFORE END OF TERM, INCLUDING FOR ‘FUTURE BORROWERS’

During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden pledged to forgive student loans for millions of Americans if elected, but the president has faced continuous legal roadblocks in his attempt to eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in debt.

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, D.C., on April 25. (Mariam Zuhaib)

Biden’s initial plan sought to provide up to $10,000 in debt relief, and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients, for people who make less than $125,000 a year — which was estimated to cost more than $400 billion. 

However, in June 2023, the Supreme Court issued a ruling against Biden’s loan cancelation plans which stated that the secretary of education cannot cancel more than $430 billion in student debt.

The president, however, made another attempt to cancel debt for roughly 30 million Americans. Biden’s second proposal sought to cancel up to $20,000 in interest for Americans who owe more than they borrow, as well as cancel all debt for those who have been repaying undergraduate loans for 20 years or more.

President Biden speaks during an event in Madison, Wisconsin, on April 8. (Daniel Steinle/Bloomberg)

President-elect Trump has not said specifically how he will approach the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness plans, but has said he plans to rework the entire education system during his term.

The former education department secretary under Trump recently told Fox that Biden’s attempt at student loan handouts needs to be reevaluated by the incoming administration. 

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“There is every argument for if the taxpayers are going to be funding student lending, there better be ways to oversee it and actually do it effectively and efficiently,” former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “And it has not been happening. It is a huge mess, and it needs to be rethought and re-examined, and frankly, the private sector, private sector lending needs to come back into it and be an option.”

Fox News’ Alec Schemmel, Chris Pandolfo, and Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Experts say President-elect Donald Trump’s chances of appointing judges to the federal bench remain positive, despite Senate Democrats’ push to confirm as many of President Biden’s picks as possible.

Amid their efforts to appoint Biden’s judicial picks ahead of Trump’s administration and a new Congress starting in January, both parties struck a midnight deal Wednesday after Republicans planned to slow down judicial confirmations earlier this week. 

The agreement would allow Democrats to hold votes on four district court judges in exchange for pulling four higher-tier circuit court judicial nominees, a senior Senate source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital. 

DEMOCRATS ADVANCE 5 MORE BIDEN JUDICIAL NOMINEES

The four vacancies would then be Trump’s to fill. 

A Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spokesperson told Fox News Digital the trade included four circuit nominees – all of which lack votes to get confirmed – “for more than triple the number of additional judges moving forward.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer addressed the floor Thursday, saying they had confirmed six new judges this past week alone. (Getty Images)

“I’m glad that Republican senators are starting to show up to vote because some of the worst nominees are still awaiting confirmation precisely because they didn’t have adequate support,” Carrie Severino, president of JCN, told Fox News Digital. 

When asked about the deal, Devon Ombres, senior director of courts and legal policy at CAPAction said, “Frankly, I’m at a loss as to why they would get here.”

“It would be nice to see Democratic leadership and the White House try and push through and fill those vacancies where possible,” Ombres said.

Schumer addressed the floor Thursday, saying they had confirmed six new judges this past week alone – one circuit court judge and five district court judges, bringing Biden’s total number of confirmations to 220. Trump notably secured 234 confirmations during his first term. 

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Despite the push, Ombres stated he predicts circuit judges appointed primarily by former president George W. Bush will take senior status, which would then give Trump additional vacancies to fill. Likewise, Ombres said those appointed by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama will avoid taking senior status.

“[Trump will] still have a handful of vacancies that he’ll be able to appoint,” Ombres said. “But if the Senate Republicans maintain the blue slip process, it will be tougher sledding to appoint in those in blue states, but he will still have an opportunity to bolster where there is already strength, especially the 11th Circuit.”

Experts say President-elect Donald Trump’s chances of appointing judges to the federal bench remain positive despite Senate Democrats’ push to confirm as many President Biden picks as possible. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

“When Trump comes into office, he’s going to have dozens more vacancies to fill,” Severino said. “And that’s not even counting the judges who will take senior status over the next four years.”

According to a Senate Democrat leadership aide familiar with the agreement reached, the deal allowed for the Senate to vote on cloture on nine district court judges this week and vote to confirm them when they return after Thanksgiving.

The source also noted that the new deal did not mean Republicans were going to allow the Biden district judges to sail through without opposition. GOP senators are still expected to fight and vote against the Democrat-nominated judges as they have done throughout Biden’s term.  

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“I think certainly appellate judges are always going to be more important in our judicial system than district court judges,” Ombres said. “But district court judges are still capable of instituting nationwide injunctions and striking down programs and issuing sweeping opinions.”

The Senate slowdown was spearheaded by Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who was recently elected as the next Republican Senate leader. Republicans sought to delay the confirmation process through tactical maneuvers on the floor. 

The Senate slowdown was spearheaded by Senate Minority Whip John Thune. (Reuters)

Trump has previously been vocal about not wanting judicial confirmations during the lame-duck session, writing on Truth Social, “No more Judges confirmed before Inauguration Day!” 

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Shortly after Senate Dems began to ramp up energy to confirm Biden’s judicial picks after the Nov. 5 election, Trump-Vance transition spokesperson Brian Hughes told Fox News Digital in a statement, “In his first term, President Trump appointed constitutionalist judges who interpret the law as written. He will do so again.”

“He had a wonderful record last time around, and I hope he’s going to have a similar track record this time of putting up principled and highly qualified nominees,” Severino said.

Fox News Digital’s Julia Johnson contributed to this report. 

MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — With his convincing White House victory this month, President-elect Donald Trump’s grip over the Republican Party is firmer than ever.

But a popular Republican governor who has long been a vocal critic of the former and future president says that there’s still room in the GOP for those outside of the MAGA and America First base.

“The party is a big-tent party. There’s no question about it,” Sununu said in a Fox News Digital interview this week along the sidelines of the Republican Governors Association winter meeting, which was held at a waterfront resort in southwest Florida.

Sununu, who was a top surrogate and supporter of former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump’s final challenger in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries, backed the Republican nominee in the general election.

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Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu visit a polling location on Jan. 23, 2024, in Hampton, N.H. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“It was a huge victory across the country, and the people of this country have spoken very loudly and unequivocally,” Sununu said of Trump’s electoral college and popular vote victory.

And the governor acknowledged that Trump is “the standard-bearer of the party” and “the voice of the party.”

“But this is a very large party. If it wasn’t, he (Trump) wouldn’t have won. If it wasn’t, we wouldn’t have had convincing wins all across this country in a variety of different states,” Sununu said.

REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS SAY WITH TRUMP ELECTION, ‘WE’VE GOT A FRIEND IN THE WHITE HOUSE’

Asked about the president-elect’s flurry of announcements on Cabinet nominations this month, Sununu said that “he definitely has a couple of controversial Cabinet picks that … I don’t mind saying I’m not the biggest fan of, but the vast majority of them are terrific.” (Sununu was interviewed before former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew his name from consideration as attorney general amid a growing scandal.)

President-elect Donald Trump is shown after speaking at the America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“He’s bringing folks from the private sector, he’s bringing in governors, he’s bringing in folks that have real experience in all of these issues and that understand the mission, which is fiscal responsibility,” Sununu said, “getting regulations out of the way, which effectively lowers costs on business, lowers costs on consumers, lowers costs for everyday citizens.”

Sununu didn’t stump on Trump’s behalf in swing state New Hampshire, but he crisscrossed the campaign trail on behalf of down-ballot Republicans. The governor was a top surrogate for former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the GOP gubernatorial nominee who emerged victorious on Election Day and has pledged to continue the Sununu agenda.

Asked if Ayotte’s nearly nine and half point win was also a victory for him, Sununu said, “It was [a] victory for New Hampshire.“

Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte and Gov. Chris Sununu meet in the New Hampshire governor’s office at the State House in Concord on Nov. 7, 2024. (Office of New Hampshire governor)

“Kelly’s going to be phenomenal. She has that experience as an attorney general, as U.S. senator. She understands how the systems work,” Sununu said. “Our transition is already going incredibly smoothly; discussions virtually every single day about all aspects of government, where it’s going, how to build good teams and, most importantly … the opportunities to listen to what’s happening in the communities.”

“She’ll have my cell number. I don’t know if she’ll need it, because I think she’s going to be fantastic on her own, but she’ll always have my cell number,” Sununu said when asked if he’d be offering advice to his successor.

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And pointing to his two Democrat predecessors as governor, who Sununu said shared their cellphone numbers with him: “We want New Hampshire to be successful. So it’s not just me helping Kelly out. It is always a team effort. She’s going to have a host of people that she can lean on for any advice when she needs it.”

After mulling a 2024 White House run, Sununu announced in the summer of 2023 that he would launch a presidential campaign, and weeks later he also said he wouldn’t seek an unprecedented fifth two-year term steering the Granite State. (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial elections every two years.)

Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire speaks at a news conference at the State House in Concord on Nov. 15, 2023. (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

“I’m excited to get back to the private sector. I like businesses, I like deal sourcing,” he said. “I’m not sure exactly what the private sector is going to bring, but I think it’s going to be pretty exciting.”

New Hampshire will likely have a competitive Senate contest in 2026 when longtime Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a former governor, is up for re-election.

But Sununu reiterated what he told Fox News Digital in July.

“Definitely ruling out running for the Senate in 2026. Yeah, definitely not on my dance card,” he said.

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But the governor predicted that Republicans will “have a good candidate. There’s no question about it. A couple of different folks that might be interested in running. I think that’d be fantastic. We’ve had an all-Democrat [congressional] delegation for a long time. I think the people in the state, especially with Kelly’s convincing win, would love a different voice, would love just some sort of change.”

Asked if there’s another run for office in his future, the 50-year-old governor said he’s “not thinking about that at all, excited for the private sector. And that’s all … that’s in my windshield.”

But he didn’t entirely shut the door, adding, “We’ll see what political chapters write themselves down the road.”

Officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Buffalo, New York, took a shot at Gov. Kathy Hochul’s disastrous immigration policies while announcing the arrest of a wanted illegal migrant.

Buffalo Field Office Director Thomas Brophy said that they will continue to protect residents “regardless of what the governor of New York says.”

“The men and women of ERO [Enforcement and Removal Operations] will continue to protect our communities from dangerous offenders, regardless of what the governor of New York state says,” he said in a release on Friday. 

“We will not be deterred by politicians putting votes over protecting the citizens of this nation,” Brophy said.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference addressing NYC congestion pricing. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Brophy’s response came after ICE Buffalo announced the arrest of a Brazilian national who had a slew of local charges as well as charges in his home country of Brazil.

The agency said that the unidentified migrant had pending charges for strangulation and endangering the welfare of a child. He was also under investigation in Brazil for several crimes, including homicide.

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“This is the second case in as many days of ERO Buffalo officers arresting a foreign national attempting to outrun his criminal past by illegally entering the United States,” Brophy said.

Migrants line up outside a migrant re-ticketing center in New York City in 2023. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

He said that this case is a reminder of the dangers of the state’s sanctuary status for migrants.

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“These cases highlight the dangers of ‘sanctuary’ jurisdictions and state policies that obstruct law enforcement from cooperating with ERO,” Brophy said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has said that New York, which has seen over 220,000 migrants arrive in the city since spring 2022, has been “devastated” by the surge of migrants.

The New York Times reported that Manuel Castro, New York’s commissioner of migrant affairs, has vowed not to follow “the instructions of the federal government in cases of mass deportations.”

Migrants board a state-sponsored bus in Eagle Pass, Texas, destined for New York City on March 11. (Christopher Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Castro’s statement reflects a trend by state and local officials saying they would reject President-elect Trump’s immigration policies. Trump campaigned, in part, on enforcing stringent immigration laws and deporting migrants.

‘SANCTUARY’ CITY MAYOR VOWS SHE WILL DEFY TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATION PUSH: ‘CAUSING WIDESPREAD FEAR’ 

In Illinois, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker promised to uphold sanctuary status, boldly declaring, “If you come for my people, you come through me.”

In Los Angeles, Democratic Mayor Karen Bass was instrumental in passing a local ordinance limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities. 

“Especially in the face of growing threats to the immigrant communities here in Los Angeles, I stand with the people of this city,” Bass said. “This moment demands urgency. Immigrant protections make our communities stronger and our city better.”

In Denver, Democratic Mayor Mike Johnston pledged to resist Trump’s proposed immigration policies, predicting a “Tiananmen Square moment” if federal immigration officials attempted to do their job.

President Trump, left, and acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thomas Homan talk during a law enforcement discussion on sanctuary cities in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 20, 2018. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS

“More than us having DPD [Denver Police Department] stationed at the county line to keep them out, you would have 50,000 Denverites there,” Johnston told the Denverite. “It’s like the Tiananmen Square moment with the rose and the gun, right? You’d have every one of those Highland moms who came out for the migrants.”

Trump has vowed to initiate deportation efforts on his first day back in office, recently saying he would be open to declaring a national emergency and using the military to make it happen.

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Trump’s commitment to closing the border was cemented by his pick for “border czar,” Tom Homan, who served as the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration.

“If you don’t want to work with us, then get the hell out all the way. We’re going to do it,’ Homan recently said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE Buffalo and Hochul’s office for comment.

President-elect Trump has nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general.

In a statement on Friday evening, Trump said that Dr. Nesheiwat is a “fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.”

“I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” he said.

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat at the 2018 CHARM Back To School Bash in Nashville, Tenn. (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

Nesheiwat is a former Fox News medical contributor.   

“She is committed to ensuring that Americans have access to affordable, quality healthcare, and believes in empowering individuals to take charge of their health to live longer, healthier lives,” he added. 

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Dr. Janette Nesheiwat attends the 2023 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Oct. 16, 2023. (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

Nesheiwat serves as a medical director at CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey, and she was previously a physician at Washington Regional Medical Center and at Northwest Medical Hospital.

Trump said that during the pandemic, Nesheiwat “worked on the front lines in New York City treating thousands of Americans and helped patients in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s Historic Operation Warp Speed that saved hundreds of millions of lives.”

He also praised her “expertise and leadership” after Hurricane Katrina and the Joplin tornadoes. 

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, left, Scott Stapp from the rock band Creed, and founder of the CHARM foundation, Jaclyn Stapp, at the 2018 CHARM Back To School Bash in Nashville, Aug. 4, 2018.  (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

“She is also a member of Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Assistance, Relief Team, and has provided lifesaving care during crises in Morocco, Haiti, and Poland,” he added. 

Nesheiwat graduated from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and was inspired by her widowed immigrant mother’s “resilience and compassion” to pursue a “life of service, transforming her deep-seated desire to help others into a distinguished medical career.”

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He added, “Dr. Nesheiwat will play a pivotal role in MAKING AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN!”

President-elect Trump announced on Friday he is nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., for secretary of labor. 

“I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor,” Trump wrote in an official statement. “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America. I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.”

He added, “Lori’s strong support from both the Business and Labor communities will ensure that the Labor Department can unite Americans of all backgrounds behind our Agenda for unprecedented National Success – Making America Richer, Wealthier, Stronger and more Prosperous than ever before!” 

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ANNOUNCES PAM BONDI AS HIS NEW PICK FOR US ATTORNEY GENERAL 

Chavez-DeRemer was first elected to Congress in 2022 and lost re-election in a close race against Democrat Janelle Bynum earlier this month.  (Ben Lee/Handout via REUTERS )

Chavez-DeRemer was first elected to Congress in 2022, and lost re-election in a close race against Democrat Janelle Bynum earlier this month. 

Chavez-DeRemer’s candidacy was backed by the Teamsters union, who Trump allies had been trying to court earlier this year in their bid to broaden the Republican base ahead of the 2024 election.

“Thank you @realDonaldTrump for putting American workers first by nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for US Labor Secretary,” Sean O’Brien, General president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, wrote on X after the announcement. “Nearly a year ago, you joined us for a @Teamsters roundtable and pledged to listen to workers and find common ground to protect and respect labor in America. You put words into action. Now let’s grow wages and improve working conditions nationwide. Congratulations to @LChavezDeRemer on your nomination! North America’s strongest union is ready to work with you every step of the way to expand good union jobs and rebuild our nation’s middle class. Let’s get to work! #TeamsterStrong.” 

TRUMP’S SPEEDY CABINET PICKS SHOW HIS ‘PRIORITY TO PUT AMERICA FIRST,’ TRANSITION TEAM SAYS

Chavez-DeRemer’is the fourth current House Republican selected for the new Trump administration after House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. Gaetz withdrew from consideration on Thursday. 

Chavez-DeRemer is the fourth current House Republican selected for the new Trump administration.  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

She previously shared a statement after the Teamsters endorsed her for the role. 

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“I’d be honored to have the opportunity to support President Trump’s mission to empower and grow our nation’s workforce,” she said. “Hardworking Americans finally have a lifeline with the president, and I’d work tirelessly to support his impressive efforts to remake the Republican Party into the Party of the American worker,” she said.

Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

President-elect Trump on Friday announced that former State Department official Alex Wong will be appointed assistant to the president and principal deputy national security advisor, and that Sebastian Gorka, a former aide, will serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism.

Both men served under Trump during his first term. Wong served in the State Department as deputy special representative for North Korea, and the deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and pacific affairs. 

Rep. Mike Waltz, who was tapped by Trump to serve as his national security adviser, praised Wong on X. 

MATT GAETZ SAYS HE WILL NOT SERVE IN THE UPCOMING SESSION OF CONGRESS

Sebastian Gorka and Alex Wong will serve under President-elect Trump for a second term.  (Getty Images; Department of State)

“Alex has a proven record of delivering results during President Trump’s first term where he helped negotiate the historic summits with Kim Jong Un that stabilized relations,” he wrote. “He will have an essential role in helping keep America safe!”

Gorka, who Trump noted was a “legal immigrant,” previously served as deputy assistant to the president during Trump’s first term. He’s also a former Fox News contributor.

“Since 2015, Dr. Gorka has been a tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA Movement, serving previously as Strategist to the President in the first Trump Administration,” Trump said in a news release.  

Gorka previously served during the first seven months of the Trump administration as a deputy assistant and strategist focused on foreign policy and national security.

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He left the Trump White House in 2017.

The appointments were part of a slew of announcements from Trump as he begins to shape his cabinet for his second term. 

President-elect Trump on Friday announced he is nominating Johns Hopkins School of Medicine professor Dr. Marty Makary for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner. 

“I am very pleased to nominate Marty Makary MD, MPH, FACS, for FDA Commissioner,” Trump said in a statement. “FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator. The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency.” 

Makary’s nomination comes after Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to “Make America healthy again.”

TRUMP APPOINTS DR. OZ TO KEY HHS POSITION IN NEW ADMINISTRATION

Dr. Marty Makary was picked for FDA commissioner in the Trump administration.  (Fox News)

Trump said Makary will “work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic.” 

Trump in his statement added that Makary, who was a Fox News medical contributor, is also a “member of the prestigious National Academy of Medicine” and “has devoted his career to improving Medical Quality and lowering Hospital and Drug Costs for all Americans. In addition, Dr. Makary is an accomplished Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and a leading advocate for Healthcare Transparency. He has authored more than 300 scientific articles and three New York Times bestselling books on Healthcare.

“I am very pleased to nominate Marty Makary MD, MPH, FACS, for FDA Commissioner,” Trump said in a statement. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for HBO)

TRUMP NOMINATES SCOTT BESSENT AS TREASURY SECRETARY; PICKS RUSS VOUGHT TO LEAD BUDGET OFFICE

Trump called Makary a “pioneer in the fields of Public Health, Cancer Care, and Surgery, and a tireless voice for vulnerable populations. He is the recipient of the Nobility in Science Award from the National Pancreas Foundation and numerous teaching awards. Dr. Makary currently leads the Evidence-Based Medicine and Public Policy Research Group at Johns Hopkins.”

Makary will work under HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., above. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

He added, “I am confident that Dr. Makary, having dedicated his career to High-Quality, Lower-Cost Care, will restore FDA to the Gold Standard of Scientific Research, and cut the bureaucratic red tape at the Agency to make sure Americans get the Medical Cures and Treatments they deserve.”

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Trump made several other announcements Friday evening as he continues his transition, including Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general, and Dr. Dave Weldon to head the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

A clearer picture emerged of who will serve in the Cabinet of America’s 47th President, with President-elect Trump assembling more of his top cabinet picks on Friday evening.

All of Trump’s Cabinet choices must be confirmed by the Senate, with the process set to begin in January. The confirmation process will be made easier by a 53-seat Republican majority, after GOP candidates flipped four seats in this election.

The president-elect chose a slew of key Trump supporters who assisted in his election.

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced his choices to lead the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as his pick for the surgeon general post.  (Getty Images)

Scott Bessent – Treasury Secretary 

Scott Bessent, founder of Key Square Group, was chosen for the coveted post of Treasury secretary. Bessent was a key economic policy adviser and fundraiser for the Trump campaign.

“Scott is widely respected as one of the World’s foremost International Investors and Geopolitical and Economic Strategists. Scott’s story is that of the American Dream,” Trump said on Friday.

TRUMP NOMINATES SCOTT BESSENT AS TREASURY SECRETARY; PICKS RUSS VOUGHT TO LEAD BUDGET OFFICE

He has been an advocate for economic policies like lower taxes, spending restraint and deregulation that have long made up the core of the Republican Party’s platform, and has also been supportive of Trump’s use of tariffs in trade negotiations.

Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), listens during an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2020. 

Russ Vought – Office of Management and Budget

On Friday, Trump tapped Russ Vought to lead the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Vought served OMB director during Trump’s first term. He also served as deputy OMB director and acting director.

“He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term – We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. 

Vought is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 and a close Trump ally. 

Scott Turner, former executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, during the America First Policy Institute’s America First Agenda summit in Washington, D.C., US, on Monday, July 25, 2022.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Scott Turner – Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development

Trump nominated Scott Turner as the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Turner, who is chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and is a former professional football player, previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC).

TRUMP PICKS SCOTT TURNER AS SECRETARY OF DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

“Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in a Friday statement. “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!”

Turner, a former Texas state lawmaker, played nine seasons in the NFL as a member of the Washington Redskins, San Diego Chargers and the Denver Broncos.

Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer – Labor Secretary

Trump nominated Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., on Friday for secretary of labor. 

“I am proud to hereby nominate Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, from the Great State of Oregon, as United States Secretary of Labor,” Trump wrote in an official statement. “Lori has worked tirelessly with both Business and Labor to build America’s workforce, and support the hardworking men and women of America. I look forward to working with her to create tremendous opportunity for American Workers, to expand Training and Apprenticeships, to grow wages and improve working conditions, to bring back our Manufacturing jobs. Together, we will achieve historic cooperation between Business and Labor that will restore the American Dream for Working Families.”

Chavez-DeRemer was first elected to Congress in 2022, and lost re-election in a close race against Democrat Janelle Bynum earlier this month. Her candidacy was backed by the Teamsters union.

Dr. Dave Weldon – Director of CDC

President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., is his pick as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said in the Friday evening announcement. 

Trump said that Dr. Wedlon would restore trust in the agency and transparency.

Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, a New York City-based double board-certified doctor, and, Dr. Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins health policy expert and surgeon. (Fox News)

Dr. Marty Makary – FDA commissioner

Trump on Friday nominated Dr. Marty Makary, a pancreatic surgeon at Johns Hopkins University, as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

Makary is the chief of Islet Transplant Surgery at Johns Hopkins, according to the university’s website, and was a Fox News medical contributor. 

“FDA has lost the trust of Americans, and has lost sight of its primary goal as a regulator. The Agency needs Dr. Marty Makary, a Highly Respected Johns Hopkins Surgical Oncologist and Health Policy Expert, to course-correct and refocus the Agency,” Trump said on Truth Social.

TRUMP PICKS DR. JANETTE NESHEIWAT AS NATION’S NEXT SURGEON GENERAL

“He will work under the leadership of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to, among other things, properly evaluate harmful chemicals poisoning our Nation’s food supply and drugs and biologics being given to our Nation’s youth, so that we can finally address the Childhood Chronic Disease Epidemic,” Trump said.

Janette Nesheiwat – Surgeon General

Trump also nominated Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as surgeon general, saying that she would be a “fierce advocate and strong communicator for preventative medicine and public health.”

“I am proud to announce that Dr. Janette Nesheiwat will be the Nation’s Doctor as the United States Surgeon General. Dr. Nesheiwat is a double board-certified Medical Doctor with an unwavering commitment to saving and treating thousands of American lives,” he said.

Nesheiwat is a former Fox News medical contributor.  

Sebastian Gorka and Alex Wong will serve under President-elect Trump for a second term.  (Getty Images; Department of State)

Sebastian Gorka – Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism

Trump announced Friday that his former White House adviser, Sebastian Gorka, will serve in his incoming administration. Gorka will serve as deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism. 

Gorka, a former Trump aide, previously served as deputy assistant to the president during Trump’s first term. He’s also a former Fox News contributor.

“Since 2015, Dr. Gorka has been a tireless advocate for the America First Agenda and the MAGA Movement, serving previously as Strategist to the President in the first Trump Administration,” Trump said. 

Alex Wong – Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor

Similarly to Gorka, Alex Wong served under Trump during his first term. 

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Wong served in the State Department as deputy special representative for North Korea, and the deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and pacific affairs. 

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and Louis Casiano Jr. contributed to this report.

President-elect Trump nominated Scott Turner as the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Turner, who is chair of the Center for Education Opportunity and is a former professional football player, previously served as executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC).

“Scott is an NFL Veteran, who, during my First Term, served as the First Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council (WHORC), helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities,” Trump said in a Friday statement. “Those efforts, working together with former HUD Secretary, Ben Carson, were maximized by Scott’s guidance in overseeing 16 Federal Agencies which implemented more than 200 policy actions furthering Economic Development. Under Scott’s leadership, Opportunity Zones received over $50 Billion Dollars in Private Investment!”

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

Scott Turner, former executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, during the America First Policy Institutes America First Agenda summit in Washington, D.C., July 25, 2022.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Turner, a graduate of the University of Illinois, played cornerback for the Washington Redskins before winning a state house race in Texas. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.

“Scott is the Founder & CEO of his Family’s Foundation, Community Engagement & Opportunity Council (CEOC), working to revitalize communities across America through Sports, Mentorship, and Economic Opportunity,” he said. “He is also on the Board of the American Cornerstone Institute, and an Associate Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church.”

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“Scott will work alongside me to Make America Great Again for EVERY American,” Trump said. “Congratulations to Scott, his wonderful wife, Robin, and his son, Solomon!”

President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., is his pick as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“In addition to being a Medical Doctor for 40 years, and an Army Veteran, Dave has been a respected conservative leader on fiscal and social issues, and served on the Labor/HHS Appropriations Subcommittee, working for Accountability on HHS and CDC Policy and Budgeting,” Trump said in the Friday evening announcement. 

“Dave also served in a leading role in Government Oversight and Reform Committee Hearings, addressing issues within HHS and CDC. Dave has successfully worked with the CDC to enact a ban on patents for human embryos,” Trump said.

President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., as his pick as the director of the CDC. (Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly/Getty Images)

Trump said that Dr. Weldon will play a key part in “Making America Healthy Again,” saying that he will work on correcting “past errors.”

“Americans have lost trust in the CDC and in our Federal Health Authorities, who have engaged in censorship, data manipulation, and misinformation,” he said. 

“Given the current Chronic Health Crisis in our Country, the CDC must step up and correct past errors to focus on the Prevention of Disease. The current Health of Americans is critical, and CDC will play a big role in helping to ensure Americans have the tools and resources they need to understand the underlying causes of diseases, and the solutions to cure these diseases,” Trump added.

GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR?

President-elect Trump announced that former Rep. Dr. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., as his pick as the director of the CDC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Trump said that Dr. Weldon “understands American Family Values.”

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“As a father of two and a husband of 45 years, Dave understands American Family Values, and views Health as one of utmost importance,” he said. “Dave will prioritize Transparency, Competence, and High Standards at CDC. Dave will proudly restore the CDC to its true purpose, and will work to end the Chronic Disease Epidemic, and Make America Healthy Again!”

President-elect Trump will take office just as Iran has the potential to become the world’s 10th nuclear-armed state, and it’s unclear if either side knows how it will approach the other. 

Judging by Trump’s last time in office, it would suggest he would come out the gate with a combative tone — having instituted a “maximum pressure” campaign to “bankrupt” the regime. His secretary of state pick, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been an unyielding Iran hawk in the Senate. 

After the regime fired 200 missiles toward Tel Aviv last month, Rubio said: “Only threatening the survival of the regime through maximum pressure and direct and disproportionate measures has a chance to influence and alter their criminal activities.”

That could reinstate — and eliminate — any waivers for oil sanctions. It could mean threatening not to conduct business with countries that buy Iranian fuel products. 

Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., Trump’s pick for national security adviser, is of a similar mind. 

Last month, when the Biden administration urged Israel to keep its counterstrikes “proportional,” Waltz slammed President Biden for pressuring Israel “once again to do less than it should.” 

A big banner depicting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is placed next to a ballistic missile in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran. (Hossein Beris/Middle East Images/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

He suggested Israel strike oil facilities on Kharg Island and Iran’s nuclear plants in Natanz, a move the Biden team feared Iran would deem escalatory. 

Last month, Trump appeared to rule out the U.S. getting involved in any effort to take out Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khameini and his government. “We can’t get totally involved in all that. We can’t run ourselves, let’s face it,” he said.

“I would like to see Iran be very successful. The only thing is, they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump has said he does not want Iran to have nuclear weapons, but has not laid out how he would stop it from doing so. 

“I’m not looking to be bad to Iran, we’re going to be friendly, I hope, with Iran, maybe, but maybe not. But we’re going to be friendly, I hope, we’re going to be friendly, but they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said at a New Jersey press conference in August. 

Last month, Trump suggested Israel strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. 

Following the Iranian missile attacks, he suggested Israel should “hit the nuclear first and worry about the rest later.” 

On Thursday, Iran said it was activating “advanced” centrifuges after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors censured it for failing to cooperate with the U.N. nuclear watchdog. Without cooperation, the world is in the dark about how quickly Iran is advancing its technological capabilities to use its uranium fuel for a bomb. 

“We will significantly increase enrichment capacity,” Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran’s atomic energy organization spokesman, said after the censure. 

IRAN HIDING MISSILE, DRONE PROGRAMS UNDER GUISE OF COMMERCIAL FRONT TO EVADE SANCTIONS

What’s standing between Iran and a fully formed nuclear weapon is both a political and a technological question. 

While the nation has enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon, the process of turning that into a warhead could take anywhere from six to 12 months, according to Nicole Grajewski, nuclear policy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

“That’s when Iran would be most vulnerable to attack,” she said. “Iran could probably make a dirty bomb from its current stockpile.” 

Over the years, Iran’s nuclear progress has been set back by international sanctions, COVID-19, high-profile assassinations of its nuclear scientists and attacks and sabotage on its nuclear facilities led by Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad. 

And announcing they have a nuclear weapon could threaten Iran’s longtime goal of regional hegemony. 

“Iran is less isolated than it was four years ago, but it’s still pretty isolated. Announcing they are nuclear would trigger an arms race in the Middle East,” predicted Simone Leeden, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East. 

“Saudi Arabia and the UAE would decide they will pursue nuclear weapons the minute Iran declares it has its own. Another action they could and would take is deepening ties with Israel.” 

IRAN VASTLY INCREASED NUCLEAR FUEL STOCKPILE AHEAD OF TRUMP RETURN, UN AGENCY FINDS

Iran also understands that producing a nuclear bomb would likely evoke a military response from Israel and the U.S. under Trump. 

Heavy weapons, including ballistic missiles, air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, are displayed at Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran on Sept. 26, during the 44th anniversary of the eight-year war with Iraq. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

After years of trying to assassinate Trump, the Iranians don’t seem to have figured out whether to approach the U.S. relationship under Trump with a combative or diplomatic tone. Just last month, they told President Biden they would not make any efforts to kill the president-elect going forward. 

“I think that there’s been a lot of mixed signaling from the kind of Trump transition team is, you know, you see Brian Hook being appointed, who was behind this maximum pressure and sanctions,” said Grajewski. But then, on the other hand, Trump envoy Elon Musk reportedly met with Iranian officials to discuss how the two nations could dial back tensions. 

“I think that he is being opaque on purpose,” said Leeden. “I don’t think he wants to show his cards as a negotiator.” 

“In all likelihood, maximum pressure is going to be restored,” said Behnam Taleblu, Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “U.S. partners are asking now, to what end? Is it towards regime collapse? Is it towards a deal? What if the Iranians don’t negotiate in good faith?”

Former Israeli officials have suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be emboldened to strike Iranian nuclear facilities with the go-ahead from the Trump administration. But a lot of Iran’s centrifuge and enrichment facilities are deep underground, complicating a bombing campaign against them.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Image)

To get to them, Israel would need the U.S.’ Massive Ordnance Penetrators (MOP), or “bunkbuster bombs.” 

“It would require U.S. involvement — either the direct transfer of this, which is currently not really discussed — that would be pretty escalatory — or Israel getting the United States to also conduct this mission,” said Grajewski. 

The Trump team will also place a high priority on bringing Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords, solidifying the Sunni Muslim alliance against Iran. But the Saudis have insisted the U.S. and Israel must recognize a Palestinian state for such a deal to get done. 

“The incoming administration wants to quiet down this kinetic energy in the Middle East quickly, because we have bigger fish to fry as a country,” said Leeden.

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The U.S. has long looked to pivot its military focus away from the Middle East and toward the Indo-Pacific. The outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas after Oct. 7 tore that focus back to the Arab world. 

Joe Sanberg, the entrepreneur and anti-poverty advocate who spearheaded a recently defeated state ballot measure to raise California’s minimum wage, said he felt “frustrated and disappointed” by the loss, but vowed to continue advocating for struggling Californians. 

Proposition 32, which would have raised the state’s minimum wage from $16 to $18 per hour by 2026, narrowly failed at the ballot box 50.8% to 49.2%.

The measure was pushed by Sanberg, a progressive business leader, investor and co-founder of the socially-conscious financial firm Aspiration.

OPPONENTS OF FAILED CALIFORNIA MEASURE TO RAISE MINIMUM WAGE SAY VOTERS ‘MADE THE RIGHT CALL’

Joe Sanberg spearheaded Proposition 32 in an effort to raise California’s minimum wage to $18 per hour.  (Fox News Digital)

“I thought it was going to pass by a narrow margin,” he told Fox News Digital. “I’m frustrated and disappointed that we lost by a narrow margin. I also recognize that… people are very angry and frustrated about inflation, and they don’t know who and where to blame.”

“We should all be able to agree that if you work full-time, you should be able to afford life’s basic needs,” he added. “And there are millions of Californians for whom that is not the case.” 

Advocates of Prop 32 said roughly 2 million workers, including hotel and grocery store employees, stood to benefit from the measure, The Associated Press reported.

In recent years, California has raised its minimum wage in an effort to offset increased costs for housing, gas and other necessities. In April, fast-food restaurants in the state with 60 or more locations were mandated to start paying their employees at least $20 per hour.

Business groups, including the California Chamber of Commerce, California Restaurant Association and California Grocers Association, opposed Prop 32, saying high labor costs would hurt small businesses, as well as lead to an increase in prices for customers. 

“It’s understandable that policymakers, and even many Californians, might be allured and attracted to the concept of a few extra dollars in someone’s pocket, but unfortunately, they did not seem to understand the economic fallout of that kind of concept,” John Kabateck, the California director for the National Federation of Independent Business, told Fox News Digital. 

GAVIN NEWSOM: CRITICS SAID CALIFORNIA’S MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE WOULD BE A JOB-KILLER. THE OPPOSITE HAPPENED

Proposition 32, which would have raised the state’s minimum wage from $16 to $18 per hour by 2026, narrowly failed at the ballot box 50.8% to 49.2%. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Opponents also argued that raising the minimum wage too fast would result in job losses.

“When a worker loses a job, or the company goes out of business, the wage is ZERO DOLLARS PER HOUR,” business leaders wrote in their official ballot argument. 

Sanberg has spent years advocating for anti-poverty legislation and raising awareness about California’s tax credit that helps lift people out of financial uncertainty. Despite the loss at the ballot box, Sanberg said he remained optimistic.

He noted that in Imperial County, which sits east of San Diego on the California-Mexico border, President-elect Trump made significant gains with voters, despite Vice President Kamala Harris winning the overall vote count there. 

“It’s clear that working-class voters are in favor of raising the minimum wage. To me, that sends a message about how we can get both parties working toward making work pay better,” Sanberg said. 

Moving forward, Sanberg, who grew up with a single parent who struggled financially, said he plans to keep advocating for better pay for workers so they can at least afford the basics. 

“I’m open to every approach to get us to that outcome. But that’s the outcome that we ought to pursue. I just can’t imagine that we can be satisfied with anything less than that,” he said. “What is more American than the idea of working full-time and knowing that you can afford your house, your transportation, your food and your health care?”

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“That is not some aspiration. That’s a basic covenant that I think all Americans are taught to believe that we have with each other,” he added. “I think that covenant has been broken now for some time for tens of millions of working-class people around the country.”

In response to the Biden administration loosening key immigration restrictions, a spokesperson for New York City Mayor Eric Adams sounded off on the federal government, saying that New Yorkers and Americans are “fed up with our broken immigration system.”

The Biden Department of Homeland Security is launching an ICE Portal app in December that will allow migrants to skip their in-person check-ins at an ICE office and instead check in with immigration officials via an app on a phone or computer.

The app reportedly has severe glitching issues and does not track a migrant’s location if he or she is using an Android phone or laptop. Further, the app does not check migrants for past arrests or outstanding warrants and allows them to opt out of or contest government orders to undergo electronic tracking.

This comes after the Biden administration set the record for the highest number of illegal migrants entering the country in a single year in 2023, with 3.2 million entries. This surpassed the previous record of 2.7 million set the year before.

‘100% ON BOARD’: BORDER STATE OFFERS TRUMP MASSIVE PLOT OF LAND TO AID MASS DEPORTATION OPERATION 

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection border patrol agent talks to people on the Mexican side of the border wall at Border Field State Park in San Diego on Nov. 28, 2018. (Reuters/Chris Wattie)

Adams has said that New York, which has seen over 220,000 migrants arrive in the city since spring 2022, has been “devastated” by the surge of migrants.

Kayla Altus, a spokesperson for Adams, told Fox News Digital that “cities should not have to carry the cost and burden of a national problem.”

“For decades, Washington has endlessly talked about comprehensive reform, but delivered nothing of substance,” she said. “This election, the American people sent a resounding message: they are fed up with our broken immigration system.”  

1 IN 10 INMATES IN TEXAS’ HARRIS COUNTY JAIL WANTED BY ICE, RECORDS SHOW

An asylum seeker shows his documents to Army soldiers at the entrance of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived migrant families in New York City, on Sept. 27, 2023. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

She said the election, which saw a blowout victory for former President Trump and Republicans gaining unified control of Congress, gave the federal government a clear mandate to fix the immigration problem.

“Democrats and Republicans must come together to pass meaningful immigration reform for the first time in four decades,” she said. “That is what’s best for the American people, as well as the immigrants who come here, seeking the opportunity to build a better life and have a shot at the American Dream.”

In addition to the presidency, Republicans retained control of the House of Representatives and gained a majority in the Senate in the election earlier this month.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Down in the border city of Laredo, Texas, Mayor Victor Trevino told Fox News Digital that he is working with state and Mexican authorities to prepare for the possibility of another migrant surge before Trump takes office. 

He said that although the city currently has “adequate” resources for everyday legal crossings, “no community is equipped enough to handle unnatural surges.” 

Trevino noted that the city is not equipped for a surge in migrant children as Laredo “does not have a pediatric intensive care unit.” 

The Rio Grande is seen from Laredo, Texas, on Sept. 19, 2020. (Reuters/Veronica G. Cardenas)

Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that other sanctuary cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Denver are also struggling with the fiscal costs of the migrant surge. He said that in many instances, illegal migrants are even crowding out resources meant for citizens.

Camarota pointed to testimony he gave to the House Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs in September, in which he listed the fiscal costs to individual sanctuary cities: $12 billion in New York over the next three years on housing, food, health care and other services for recently arrived illegal immigrants, $361 million in Chicago and $36.4 million in Washington, D.C., in 2023, and $180 million in Denver in 2024.

“The real policy that would save the cities’ money is robust enforcement that both increased removals, made people go home, and encourage people to go home on their own,” he said. “If you’re increasing removals and you’ve increased just normal outmigration, you could really cut into these numbers and start to save some real money.”

Laken Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Feb. 22. An illegal immigrant was convicted of her murder this week. (Laken Riley/Facebook)

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Jessica Vaughan, who works as director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that while the murder of nursing student Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant has garnered lots of attention, she said that tragic stories like that are not isolated but rather part of a larger patten. 

“Only ICE knows for sure how often someone who’s released by a sanctuary has been subsequently arrested for another crime,” she said. “There’s a human cost to the sanctuary policies and there is no reasonable law enforcement or public safety or even community trust justification for having this policy. It is political and it has to stop.” 

President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday to head up the U.S. Department of Justice in his second term—a swift decision but one met with little surprise among many in Trump’s orbit.

That’s because Bondi, 59, has emerged as a close ally of the president-elect in recent years—including defending him in his impeachment proceedings, and more recently, in the run-up to Election Day, where she serves as the co-chair of the Center for Law and Justice at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) a think tank set up by former Trump staffers.

Like former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew his name from consideration for attorney general Thursday afternoon, Bondi is from Florida and is considered by many to be a staunch loyalist of the president-elect, dedicated to rooting out what the president-elect has described as the “weaponization” of the Justice Department. 

Beyond that, however, the two appear to have little in common. 

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Pam Bondi speaks during a press conference while on a break from former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial outside Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images) (Getty)

A Florida native, Bondi has spent years as a prosecutor in the Sunshine State—spending 18 as a prosecutor in the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office before being elected in 2010 to serve as Florida’s first female attorney general. 

More recently, Bondi has used her perch at AFPI to voice concerns about election security—a major issue that Republicans sought to emphasize as they filed a flurry of re-election lawsuits, mainly in major swing states.

If confirmed, it is likely that Bondi will use her post to implement many of Trump’s tough-on-crime policy proposals, including cracking down on cartels, fentanyl, trafficking and more. 

A website for Trump’s Agenda47 called for policies such as extending the death penalty for human traffickers, ending welfare for migrants living in the U.S. illegally, and cracking down on violent crime in major cities, which Trump has described as having declined into “cesspools of bloodshed and crime.”

In the hours after her nomination, however, it remained unclear how—or whether—she planned to implement some of these proposals. 

One member of the Trump transition team pointed Fox News Digital to a widely circulated clip of CNN legal analyst Elie Honig highlighting Bondi’s qualifications for the role.

“Pam Bondi is, without a question, qualified to be attorney general,” Honig said in the clip, calling her experience “on par with, or better than, most United States attorneys general that we’ve seen over the past 50 years or so.”

“Even CNN is fawning over her qualifications,” a source familiar, who declined to be identified, told Fox News Digital.

MATT GAETZ SAYS HE WILL NOT SERVE IN THE UPCOMING SESSION OF CONGRESS

Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi displays a court order granting Trump’s campaign more access to vote counting operations at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Nov. 5, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Those close to Bondi have praised her long record as a prosecutor, and her staunch loyalty to the president-elect, alongside whom she has worked since 2020—first, helping to represent him in his first impeachment trial, and currently in her post at AFPI.

Bondi is “all about integrity and the proper application of justice and fairness,” said Gianno Caldwell, the head of the Caldwell Institute of Public Safety, an organization designed to fight violent crime. Bondi serves on the advisory board of that group.

“I think she’s going to be able to root out a lot of the bad apples,” Caldwell added. “And return the Justice Department to its traditional focus, which is law and order, and fighting crime.”

MIKE ROGERS REPLACING WRAY AS FBI DIRECTOR IS NOT HAPPENING, TRUMP ADVISER SAYS
 

Pam Bondi, former attorney general of Florida, arrives at the Fiserv Forum on the second day of Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wis., on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Like other top contenders for the role. Bondi has not been shy in going after Trump critics, including special counsel Jack Smith, who was tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland in 2022 to investigate both an alleged effort by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and Trump’s keeping of allegedly classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. 

Smith appears to be winding down his investigation—a welcome relief for the president-elect, who had vowed as a candidate to fire him “within two seconds” after taking office. 

Still, Bondi has shared in Trump’s criticisms, using a recent radio interview to describe Smith and his team of prosecutors as “horrible” people trying to make a name for themselves by “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.”

“Attorney General nominee Bondi is looking forward to the confirmation process and answering any questions senators might have,” said Alex Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Trump transition team.

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Bondi’s life “has been dedicated to keeping Americans safe,” he added. “She looks forward to continuing that work at the Department of Justice.” 

Senate Republicans faced criticism over several vote absences this week that allowed Democrats to confirm judges or agree to end debate on nominees that otherwise could have been blocked if each of the missing GOP lawmakers were there. 

One particularly crucial vote was on Monday for a lifetime appointment to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court, a coveted appeals court slot to which Democrats did not have the votes to confirm President Biden’s nominee, since outgoing Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., voted against. 

However, since Sens. Mike Braun, R-Ind., Steve Daines, R-Mont., Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., JD Vance, R-Ohio, and Marco Rubio, R-Fla., did not vote, the nominee was confirmed by 49 votes to 45 votes. 

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Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer scored judicial wins as a result of GOP Senate absences. (Reuters)

“This leftist judge would have been voted down and the seat on the important 11th circuit would have been filled by Donald Trump next year had Republicans showed up,” wrote Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., on X. “Now, the leftist judge will have a lifetime appointment and the people of FL, AL and GA will suffer the consequences.”

Mike Davis, the former chief counsel for nominations to former Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, told Fox News Digital, “A senator’s only job is to show up and vote.”

“President Biden is jamming through bottom-of-the-barrel radical left-wing judges for lifetime appointments to the federal bench after the American people voted for dramatic change. Senate Republicans must do everything they can to stop this lame-duck conveyor belt of radicals. But if these Senate Republicans cannot even show up to vote, let alone debate for four hours on each judge, why should we vote for these deadbeat senators?”

Davis is also founder and president of the Article III Project. 

GOP SENATOR DEBUTS BILL TO ABOLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING TRUMP CAMPAIGN PROMISE

DeSantis criticized Republicans over a circuit court confirmation. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

A senior Senate source confirmed to Fox News Digital that there was irritation among the Republican conference about their colleagues’ absences. The most vocal about it was Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., they said.

In a statement, Vice President-elect Vance said, “As a co-chairman of the transition, it’s vital that I’m focused on making sure President Trump’s government is fully staffed with people who support his America First agenda and will be ready to hit the ground running on January 20th.”

“However, it’s also important to me to do everything in my power to block more radical judges from getting confirmed. So while it may be outside of the norm for an incoming VP to take Senate votes in the lame duck period, if my colleagues here in the Senate tell me that we have a real chance of beating one of these nominees, I’ll move heaven and earth to be there for the vote,” he added. 

SENATE SHOWDOWN: GOP SECURES DEAL WITH SCHUMER TO SAVE COVETED APPELLATE JUDGES FOR TRUMP

In a separate statement, Brian Hughes, Trump-Vance Transition spokesman said, “We cannot allow Chuck Schumer to play games with the transition’s ability to staff the incoming administration. Under no circumstances should we allow radical left judges to be jammed through the Senate at the 11th hour, but the Vice President-elect is needed for the transition to continue working ahead of schedule.” 

Vance is notably the first senator in over a century to vote on a judicial nomination after being elected to be vice president. 

The vice president-elect was at the Capitol during the latter part of the week facilitating meetings between senators and Trump selections for key administration posts. 

Vance was in attendance for pivotal votes on Wednesday, while some Republicans were still absent. 

A spokesperson for Daines pointed Fox News Digital to an X post from the senator, in which he detailed travel issues he ran into on his way to Washington, D.C. “Runway closed due to ice, then prolonged de-icing, then a medical emergency…then Delta flight attendants timed out. Landed DC at 10 pm and voting until ~ midnight,” he said. 

Vance said he would ‘move heaven and earth’ to be at crucial votes. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Daines’ office said he went immediately to the Senate floor to vote once he finally landed in the capital. 

The offices of Braun, Hagerty and Rubio did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication. Rubio was recently selected by Trump to be his nominee for Secretary of State.

While the circuit court confirmation was the most important vote that GOP absences helped to advance, it wasn’t the only case of it happening this week. 

Braun, Hagerty, Vance, Rubio and Sens. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Ted Cruz, R-Texas were absent for a vote on a district court nominee on Tuesday that was ultimately confirmed, despite Manchin opposing and Democrats not otherwise having enough votes. 

Cruz was in Texas on the day of the vote with Trump and billionaire Elon Musk for the launch of a SpaceX rocket. The senator is the soon-to-be chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and told reporters this week that space legislation “will be a significantly higher priority of the full committee.” 

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He cited his trip to the launch, saying, “My number-one priority is jobs. And commercial space generates tens of thousands of jobs across Texas and across the country.”

Cramer’s office did not provide comment in time for publication. 

On Wednesday, both Cruz and Braun missed another district judge confirmation that Manchin opposed, handing Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Biden another accomplishment. 

Braun further missed another Wednesday vote on a district judge that was opposed by outgoing Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., allowing the nominee to be confirmed. 

Braun was elected to be Indiana’s next governor. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, Tillis spoke on the Senate floor on the subject. “Schumer’s trying to ram through Biden’s liberal judicial nominees. We can block some of them, but it requires ALL GOP senators to be here. VP-elect [Vance] is a busy man right now, but he’s still here on the Senate floor holding the line, and so should all of our GOP colleagues,” he wrote on X. 

The outgoing Indiana senator returned on Wednesday evening before Republicans managed to make a deal with Schumer on further judicial confirmation votes, securing four vacancies on valuable circuit courts for Trump in exchange for allowing votes on a number of district court judges without further stalling. 

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One GOP senator told Fox News Digital that Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., who was recently elected to be the next GOP Senate leader, applied pressure to absent senators such as Vance, Rubio and Braun, which resulted in the ultimate deal with Schumer. 

A senior Senate Republican source familiar told Fox News Digital that Thune underscored the importance of attendance at the GOP conference, especially concerning judicial confirmation votes. 

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., resigned from the House last week. That is final. The precedent of the House is that once you bow out, it is done. So, Gaetz cannot revoke his letter of resignation last week. It declared he was stepping aside “effective immediately.”

As reported earlier, Gaetz could serve in the new Congress. He was duly re-elected to his seat for the new Congress to be seated on Jan. 3. In his letter to the clerk of the House, Gaetz declared, “I do not intend to take the oath of office for the same office in the 119th Congress to pursue the position of Attorney General in the Trump Administration.”

GAETZ WITHDRAWS AS ATTORNEY GENERAL

Reps. Matt Gaetz (R) and Andy Ogles listen as former President Donald Trump speaks to the media during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 16, 2024, in New York City. (Angela Weiss-Pool/Getty Images)

However, Fox is told that Gaetz would have to inform the clerk of the House that he, in fact, does intend to serve in the new Congress – if he elects to do so. Gaetz has not signaled his future plans. That part of the Gaetz letter is not binding. 

Technically, the House Ethics Committee must wrap up its inquiry into Gaetz by the end of this Congress at 11:59:59 am EST on Jan. 3. However, there is precedent for the House Ethics Committee voting to carry over an inquiry from one Congress to another. So it’s not unheard of that this is a done deal.

PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP ANNOUNCE PAM BONDI AS HIS NEW PICK FOR US ATTORNEY GENERAL

Matt Gaetz heads to the House chamber as members of the US House of Representatives vote on the articles of impeachment against the US Homeland Security Secretary on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 6, 2024. (Brendan Smailowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The committee still wants to finish its current work. However, if Gaetz is not going to serve in the new Congress and has withdrawn his nomination for attorney general, this likely diminishes the importance of publicly releasing the report of a former member. Yes, there may be damning information in the report, but the House usually does not release reports about former members – even though there is precedent for doing so. Moreover, the Senate Judiciary Committee isn’t interested in the report, now that Gaetz is not before them as the attorney general nominee.  

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In addition, if Gaetz does elect to serve in the House, that would help the GOP with their numbers, with Reps. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Michael Waltz, R-Minn. – and maybe more – leaving to join the Trump administration. 

A new poll finds that Democrats are feeling glum about their party’s prospects after Republican President-elect Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

Democratic pessimism about the party’s future is at its highest point in eight years, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Republicans, on the other hand, are riding high and have the most optimistic outlook about their party recorded since the 2016 election, Trump’s last presidential victory.

For the first time since 2016, more Americans say the GOP, not the Democratic Party, represents the interests of “people like them” very or somewhat well, 50% to 43%.

Trump defeated Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, winning 312 Electoral College Votes to her 226 votes and sweeping all the battleground states. Republicans also flipped control of the Senate and managed to cling to their majority in the House of Representatives as well – guaranteeing full control of the federal government with a favorable 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

DEMOCRATIC PENNSYLVANIA ELECTION OFFICIAL APOLOGIZES FOR CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS AS SENATE RECOUNT BEGINS

President-elect Donald Trump waves to supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Short of a filibuster-proof supermajority in the Senate, there is not much more Republicans could ask for in terms of power to enact their agenda at the federal level. So Democrats, understandably, are not thrilled about their party.

A majority of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents, 51%, still say they are optimistic about the party’s future. However, 49% are pessimistic – an increase of 20 percentage points from how Democrats felt after the 2022 midterm election’s mixed results, according to the Pew Research Center. The number of pessimistic Democrats is also about 10 percentage points higher than when Hillary Clinton lost to Trump in 2016.

DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST HINTS AT RUNNING TO LEAD THE DNC IN ORDER TO MAKE ‘DEMOCRATS FUN AGAIN’

Vice President Kamala Harris gestures as she delivers a concession speech for the 2024 presidential election on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024 on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Those who are under age 50 and those further to the left than conservative and moderate Democrats tended to be more pessimistic.

Republicans, however, are far more optimistic about their party today (86%) than they were after the 2022 midterms (65%) and Trump’s 2016 victory (79%).

WHAT WEARY SAN FRANCISCANS ARE SAYING AFTER VOTERS REJECTED ‘STRANGLEHOLD’ OF THE PROGRESSIVE LEFT

Chairs and trash sit in an empty field after the election night watch party for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at Howard University on Nov. 6, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

The Pew Research Center noted the partisan gap in Republican and Democratic views of their respective party’s futures is at 35 percentage points, the largest of any recent election.

Additionally, more Americans now say the GOP best represents their interests than those who say it is the Democratic Party who does so. About half of Americans say Republicans best represent “people like them” compared to 43% who say so about Democrats – a shift from recent years when the Democratic Party was believed to be more representative of “people like them.” 

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That swing of opinion is almost entirely among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 85% of whom now say the GOP represents them well or somewhat well. That is a 14-point gain from a previous Pew Research Center survey in June 2023.

Most Democrats, 72%, still say their party represents them at least somewhat well. A small minority on both sides say their respective parties do not represent their interests well.