JD Vance leads effort to get Trump’s dream Cabinet picks supporters in the Senate
Vice President-elect JD Vance will be making the rounds on Capitol Hill this week, arranging meetings between key GOP senators and Trump cabinet picks Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth, a source told Fox News Digital.
“President Trump’s incoming administration is moving at an accelerated schedule in order to make good on getting key nominees confirmed in order to start delivering for the American people,” Brian Hughes, a Trump-Vance Transition spokesman, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“Rep. Collins (VA), Rep. Gaetz (DOJ), Pete Hegseth (DOD), and Rep. Stefanik (UN) will all begin their meetings this week with additional Hill visits to continue after the Thanksgiving recess.”
GOP senators say Vance, a Republican from Ohio elected to the Senate in 2022, is taking the lead in reaching out to gather support for Trump’s controversial nominees.
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President-elect Trump announced Gaetz as his pick for attorney general Wednesday, an unexpected selection that took many, including fellow House Republicans, by surprise.
Gaetz almost immediately resigned from Congress after Trump tapped him for the job.
If confirmed, Gaetz will head the Justice Department after Trump is sworn in for his second term in January.
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Gaetz, a longtime Trump ally, had been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, which subpoenaed him as recently as September for an ongoing investigation into alleged sexual misconduct with a minor. Gaetz in response told the panel he would “no longer voluntarily participate” in its probe.
It is unlikely the investigation itself would block Gaetz’s path to confirmation in the Republican-led Senate, though it could make it more difficult.
Trump also nominated former FOX personality Pete Hegseth to serve as his secretary of defense.
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Hegseth, 44, an Army National Guard veteran who served tours in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, previously hosted FOX Nation’s “Patriot Awards,” which is the network’s version of a Hollywood awards show honoring heroes like first responders.
Hegseth was nominated even though he has no senior military or national security experience.
Vance, who missed all of Monday night’s votes in addition to the first vote on Tuesday, received backlash from several senators.
The Vice President-elect initially said his reasoning for missing the meetings was to join Trump and be part of the interviews for potential candidates for the next FBI director, among other open spots.
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“I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45,” Vance wrote in a post on X.
Vance has since backtracked and deleted the post from X.
Brazil’s first lady swears while insulting Elon Musk during G20 event, billionaire reacts
The first lady of Brazil turned heads when she dropped an f-bomb directed at Tesla CEO Elon Musk during an official event over the weekend.
At the time, Brazil’s first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, was speaking about misinformation on social media during a pre-G20 social event on Saturday. The G20 summit began on Monday in Rio de Janeiro.
Lula, who is married to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, stopped mid-speech when she heard a ship’s horn blaring in the distance.
“I think it’s Elon Musk,” the first lady joked in Portuguese. “I’m not afraid of you, by the way.”
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“F–k you, Elon Musk,” Lula added in English, prompting cheers from the audience.
The clip, which was posted on X, drew the attention of Musk, who responded with laughing emojis.
“They will lose the next election,” the entrepreneur wrote.
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Brazil banned X in September, prompting outrage across the world. Brazilian Supreme Court’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes imposed the ban, citing misinformation on X, which the judge felt was not adequately moderated on the platform.
The country lifted the ban a month later, and de Moraes wrote that the decision “was conditioned, solely, on [X’s] full compliance with Brazilian laws and absolute observance of the Judiciary’s decisions, out of respect for national sovereignty.”
“X is proud to return to Brazil,” X said in a statement at the time. “Giving tens of millions of Brazilians access to our indispensable platform was paramount throughout this entire process. We will continue to defend freedom of speech, within the boundaries of the law, everywhere we operate.”
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The Brazilian first lady’s joke took place two days before the G20 summit officially began. President Biden was present at the summit, though he did not appear during the annual family photo with fellow world leaders and missed the photo-op “for logistical reasons,” the White House said.
Liberal hub votes to officially become sanctuary city after Trump victory
Los Angeles city lawmakers voted Tuesday to formally adopt a sanctuary city ordinance, weeks after President-elect Trump’s victory, amid promises to carry out mass deportation raids.
The 13-0 vote will prohibit Los Angeles from providing any city resources or personnel to be used to help federal enforcement of immigration laws.
City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, along with Mayor Karen Bass, released the draft ordinance last week that was written with help from immigration groups.
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Council members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Monica Rodriguez, who chair the council’s Civil Rights and Public Safety committees, respectively, waived the matter from their jurisdictions to expedite a vote on the matter.
California has been a sanctuary state since 2017 with the passage of SB 54, which prohibits local law enforcement agencies from using resources to investigate, detain, report or arrest people for immigration violations.
During a debate Tuesday, many public speakers pushed for the sanctuary ordinance, saying immigrant communities should be protected from “unimaginable cruelty” of raids that could separate families and target migrants who come to the U.S. to work.
Others raised concerns about the depletion of resources given to help illegal immigrants, given that the city is contending with mass homelessness and a housing crisis.
Sanctuary cities typically don’t cooperate with federal immigration authorities, refusing to honor detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which are used to take custody of criminal illegal immigrants for deportation.
Many times, such jurisdictions will release the suspects back onto the street without informing ICE. Some have gone on to reoffend, sometimes violently, before being apprehended again.
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The vote will come two weeks after President-elect Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, following a campaign in which he promised to tighten the southern border and carry out mass deportations of millions of illegal immigrants, targeting criminals who’ve committed a variety of crimes after illegally entering the United States.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump representatives.
Tom Homan, who previously served as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and has been tapped by Trump to serve as his “border czar,” previously suggested mass deportations are necessary in the wake of the “historic illegal immigration crisis.”
“President Trump has made it clear we will prioritize public safety threats and national security threats first. And that’s what the focus should be,” he told Fox News host Sean Hannity last week.
Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti issued an executive directive in 2019 that offered protections to immigrants. Los Angeles has followed sanctuary city guidelines but an ordinance was never codified into law. Additionally, the Los Angeles Police Department mandates that its officers not inquire about immigration status or make arrests related to a migrant’s legal status.
Newly appointed Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell has said the department won’t participate in immigration enforcement.
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The Los Angeles County Republican Party criticized the ordinance, saying sanctuary protection would shield criminals who have entered the United States illegally.
“A country without secure borders isn’t a country at all. So-called ‘sanctuary’ cities and states sound warm and fuzzy, but the protections they offer aren’t for abuelas (grandmothers) getting ice cream, they’re for people who’ve entered the country illegally and committed additional crimes,” LACGOP Communications Director Rozanne Hodge told Fox News Digital. “Whether drunk driving, robbery, sexual violence, assault or murder, none of those should go unpunished. Perpetrators should definitely not be protected by the largesse taken from hard-working taxpayers.”
If the City of Los Angeles would like to have thriving, safe, clean streets and businesses in time for the Olympics, maybe they could accept the will of the people who just tossed George Gascon out on his ear and focus on public safety for everyone,” she added.
Trump’s victory has spurred officials in various parts of the country to vow to push back on deportations.
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On Sunday, Boston’s Democrat Mayor Michelle Wu said her city won’t cooperate with any deportation operation from ther incoming Trump administration, despite her region seeing a number of illegal immigrants being charged with crimes and released back onto the streets.
Arizona’s Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs said her state, which voted for Trump, will not be aiding the incoming administration with its “misguided” plan to launch a mass deportation operation.
Following California Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to fight the incoming Trump administration.
“Whether it be our fundamental civil rights, reproductive freedom, or climate action — we refuse to turn back the clock and allow our values and laws to be attacked,” he said.
Bill Clinton makes bold prediction about the first female president
Former President Bill Clinton said during a recent interview that the country may not be ready for a female president following Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to President-elect Donald Trump, and suggested a Republican woman might have an easier time getting elected.
“Maybe,” Clinton replied to CBS’ Tracy Smith’s question about whether the U.S. isn’t ready for a woman president. “I think in some ways we’ve moved to the right as a reaction to all the turmoil. And I think if Hillary had been nominated in 2008, she would’ve walked in, just like Obama did.”
Clinton spoke to Smith about his new book, “Citizen,” and was asked if the country had changed following Harris’ loss. The book also reportedly details his frustration while being questioned about his infamous affair with Monica Lewinsky.
“Well, I think all these cultural battles that we’re fighting make it harder in some ways for a woman to run,” he said.
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“So, you think it has more to do with party than gender?” Smith followed up.
“No,” Clinton responded. “Although I think it would probably be easier for a conservative Republican woman to win.”
The former Democratic president said it was because that was what Margaret Thatcher did and added, “I still think we’ll have a female president pretty soon.”
Smith also asked Clinton about why his book includes a portion on his affair with Lewinsky.
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“Because I thought I needed to say something about it, and I wanted to be as helpful as I could to let her turn the page. I think she should be given a chance to build a life that is about her and the future, and not, you know, being whiplashed into an old story,” Clinton said.
“I live with it all the time,” Clinton wrote in “Citizens” of the Lewinsky scandal, according to a report. He also reportedly complimented her work on bullying.
“I wish her nothing but the best,” he wrote.
Clinton campaigned for Harris in the final stretch, and appeared alongside President Biden while he was still in the race and campaigning. The former president also said it would be a “travesty” if Trump became the president again.
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Reporter asks top Republican if incoming transgender rep is a man or a woman
House Speaker Mike Johnson declined to answer whether transgender Rep-elect Sarah McBride, D-Del., is a man or a woman, vowing to “treat all persons with dignity and respect.”
At the House GOP weekly press conference on Tuesday, a reporter asked Johnson, “Is freshman elect Sarah McBride a man or a woman?”
“Look, I’m not going to get into this. We welcome all new members with open arms who are duly elected representatives of the people,” Johnson responded. “I believe it’s a… command that we treat all persons with dignity and respect, and we will. And I’m not going to engage in… silly debates about this. There’s a concern about uses of restroom facilities and locker rooms and all that. This is an issue that Congress has never had to address before. And we’re going to do that in a deliberate fashion, with member consensus on it. And we will accommodate the needs of every single person.”
Fox News Radio Capitol Hill and White House correspondent Ryan Schmelz posed a follow-up question to Johnson, asking if he plans on bringing up a resolution brought by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., to ban transgender women from using women’s restrooms at the U.S. Capitol “and putting that into the rules package”?
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“I’m not going to address the plans on any of that,” Johnson said. “I just told you what I’m going to say about the issue. I’m not going to engage in this. We don’t look down upon anyone. We treat everybody with dignity and respect. That’s a principle that I’ve pursued my whole life. And we will take care of this, you know, issue – a first impression for Congress – as we will any other thing. We will provide the appropriate accommodation for every member of Congress.”
Mace introduced a resolution on Monday that moves to prohibit members, officers and employees of the House from using “single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.” It asserts that “allowing biological males into single-sex facilities, such as restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms designed for women jeopardizes the safety and dignity of Members, officers, and employees of the House who are female.”
In X posts on Monday, McBride derided the resolution as “a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing.”
“Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness,” McBride wrote.
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“The radical left is calling me an extremist for being a feminist fighting to protect the rights of women and girls,” Mace said in a follow-up video message shared to X on Tuesday. “If being a feminist makes me an extremist or bigot or a monster, I am totally here for it because I am going to fight like hell for every woman and every little girl across this country to protect you and to keep you safe.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said Tuesday that she asked the men in the House Republican Conference what they were going to do to prevent biological males from using spaces reserved for biological females at the U.S. Capitol.
“You know, Sarah McBride, as he calls himself, formerly Tim McBride, is a biological man, and he should not be using any of our restrooms in the Capitol, and that in our office buildings. But Nancy Mace’s resolution doesn’t go far enough,” Greene told reporters. “America gave a mandate at this election and said, not only are they sick of the open borders, the invasion, the out of control inflation, foreign wars, but they’re sick of the trans ideology being shoved down our throats. And it’s an attack on women and children all over the country.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., told reporters that the Democratic caucus supports McBride “100%,” and condemned the resolution brought by Mace.
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“It’s just disgusting,” Garcia told reporters. “I was actually sick to my stomach when I read that yesterday. And I think it’s really unfortunate that someone is being attacked. She just got to Congress. She is going to use whatever restroom that she needs to use. This is just sick that we’re having to have this conversationn… I’ve heard disgust, to be honest, on both sides of the aisle. And so I hope that this just moves forward and let’s let her legislate and move on.”
Trump’s response when asked if he’s reconsidering Matt Gaetz for AG
President-elect Trump isn’t reconsidering his nomination of Matt Gaetz to serve as his attorney general despite criticism over the pick and the uphill battle the former congressman may face during confirmation hearings next year.
Trump was in Boca Chica, Texas, to watch SpaceX launch its Starship rocket for its sixth test flight when he was asked about Gaetz.
“Mr. President, are you reconsidering the nomination of Matt Gaetz?” Trump was asked.
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“No,” Trump replied before walking away.
He didn’t answer a question about how far he was willing to go to get Gaetz confirmed.
The nomination of Gaetz has come under fire because of the yearslong investigation related to sexual misconduct and illicit drug use allegations against him. He was previously under investigation by the Justice Department, but the agency decided against pressing charges.
The Florida Republican resigned last week, hours after he was tapped to serve as Trump’s attorney general.
The House Ethics Committee investigation into Gaetz began in 2021. The panel was slated to release a report about the allegations, but the resignation changed things.
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“Once the investigation is complete, then a report will be issued — assuming that, at that time, that Mr. Gaetz is still a member of Congress,” House Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss, said when asked about the probe.
“If Mr. Gaetz were to resign because he is taking a position with the administration as the attorney general, then the Ethics Committee loses jurisdiction at that point. Once we lose jurisdiction, there would not be a report that would be issued. That’s not unique to this case.”
In an effort to assure his confirmation, Gaetz has been calling Senate Republicans. It would only take a handful of Republican votes to deny him.
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Several GOP senators have expressed concerns about Gaetz, and the Senate GOP will only have a 53 to 47-seat majority next year.
Zelenskyy urges calls for diplomacy and unity in the Russian war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fears it is “very dangerous” if his country starts losing unity as the conflict with Russia surpasses 1,000 days.
Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yingst caught up with Zelenskyy in an interview that aired Tuesday on “Special Report,” asking how to end the Russia-Ukraine way after 1,000 days.
After meeting Zelenskyy outside the front lines, Yingst asked Zelenskyy about the state of the war compared to its beginning. Zelenskyy remarked that while the early days were the most difficult, any movement now would depend on unity against Russia.
“I think that was the most difficult period, but now this period, this moment depends, I think, on our unity in Ukraine, and I think that what is very dangerous is if we lose unity in Europe and, what is most important, unity between Ukraine and the United States,” Zelenskyy said.
He argued diplomacy was the only way to end the war, though he was hesitant over whether Russian President Vladimir Putin should be involved in discussions.
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“Isn’t Putin the one who can make this decision to end this war?” Yingst asked.
“I’m sure that, as of today, it depends on Putin, really a lot. He can do that. He can be willing and end this war,” Zelenskyy answered. “But, it also depends on the United States of America much more. Putin is weaker than the United States of America. The President of the United States of America has the strength and authorities and weapons, and he can decrease the price for the energy resources. By the way, I heard the signal in the media from President Trump that he is thinking to decrease the prices for energy resources, for oil, and it is needed to be done.”
Yingst followed up, “Are you hopeful that President-elect Trump will be able to influence Putin to end the war?”
“It will not be simple, but I think if, to use all the issues that the United States has, yes, he can. Because he is much stronger than Putin. He’s stronger. The United States is stronger. Economy, stronger. The United States has a very big influence,” Zelenskyy answered.
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Yingst also asked about the possibility of the U.S. cutting defense funding to Ukraine.
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“If they will cut, I think we will lose. Of course, anyway, we will stay and we will fight. We have production, but it’s not enough to prevail. And I think it is not enough to survive. But it will be, if such choice will be the American choice, so we will decide what we’ll have to do,” Zelenskyy said.