Johnson re-elected House Speaker
Mike Johnson has been nominated by Republican members of the House of Representatives to continue as their speaker.
Johnson will still need 218 votes on the House floor in January to actually secure the speakership. As of now, he is just the Republican nominee.
He has served as the 56th speaker of the House since October last year, and is a strong supporter of Donald Trump.
Both chambers of Congress – the House and the Senate – are under Republican control following a comfortable election victory for the GOP.
House Republicans also re-elected majority leader Steve Scalise and majority whip Tom Emmer to their current positions.
More images from the Trump-Biden meeting
The White House has issued some more pictures from Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s meeting in the Oval Office today…
Rubio ‘honoured’ to be nominated for secretary of state position
In the last few moments, Donald Trump’s nomination for secretary of state has been speaking to reporters.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio said it was an “honour” to be backed by the president-elect, especially in a position of “such high importance”.
He said the role carried a “tremendous responsibility”.
Democrat plans to file resolution reiterating that Trump can serve only two terms
A Democrat plans to file a resolution in the House of Representatives tomorrow that would express support for the 22nd Amendment of the American constitution – effectively reiterating that Donald Trump can only serves two terms as president.
Term limits are already enshrined in the constitution, so Dan Goldman’s resolution would have little tangible effect and it’s unclear if it will receive a vote on the House floor, which is controlled by Republicans.
However, he could potentially introduce it as a privileged resolution to force Republicans to vote on the matter.
Earlier, Trump joked about running a third time in 2028.
The resolution, which has been obtained by our partner network NBC News, says that the 22nd Amendment “applies to two terms in the aggregate as president of the United States” and reaffirms that it “applies to president-elect Trump”.
The resolution lists a number of instances in which Trump has joked or floated the idea of serving longer than two terms in the White House or being a dictator.
Elon Musk may already be overstaying his welcome in Trump’s orbit
By Dasha Burns and David Ingram at NBC News
Tech billionaire Elon Musk was handed a major win yesterday when president-elect Donald Trump announced he would co-lead a new department of government efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy.
The announcement reinforces the closeness Musk appears to have achieved with Trump. But for some people in Trump’s orbit, Musk’s presence has felt overbearing.
Musk has been so aggressive in pushing his views about Trump’s second term that he’s stepping on the toes of Trump’s transition team and may be overstaying his welcome at Mar-a-Lago, according to two people familiar with the transition who have spent time at the Palm Beach, Florida, resort over the past week.
The sources said that Musk’s near-constant presence at Mar-a-Lago in the week since election day had begun to wear on people who’ve been in Trump’s inner circle longer than the tech billionaire and who see him as overstepping his role in the transition.
“He’s behaving as if he’s a co-president and making sure everyone knows it,” one of the people said of Musk.
“And he’s sure taking lots of credit for the president’s victory. Bragging about America PAC and X to anyone who will listen. He’s trying to make president Trump feel indebted to him. And the president is indebted to no one,” this person added.
Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A second person said that Musk has an “opinion on and about everything”, and that he shares them so forcefully that he’s begun to pester Trump insiders.
“He wants to be seen as having say in everything [even if he doesn’t],” this source said.
The individual said that some Trump advisers said they were concerned that Musk didn’t understand one key to being effective in Trump’s world: keeping a low profile. Musk’s engagement has been overly aggressive and may hurt his standing in the long run, the source said.
The second source also said that Musk appeared to be pushing his own agenda, instead of focusing on Trump’s. They said that while Musk is clearly a smart and capable person, the transition is about ensuring those loyal to Trump will be the ones carrying out government policies.
In a statement, Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said: “Elon Musk and President Trump are great friends and brilliant leaders working together to Make America Great Again.
“Elon Musk is a once in a generation business leader and our federal bureaucracy will certainly benefit from his ideas and efficiency.”
Gaetz named attorney general
Outspoken Republican and staunch Trump ally Matt Gaetz has been named attorney general.
“Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan weaponisation of our justice system,” Donald Trump said when announcing the appointment.
“Matt will end weaponised government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organisations and restore Americans’ badly shattered faith and confidence in the justice department.”
The AG represents the US in legal matters generally and gives advice and opinions to the president and to the heads of the executive departments.
Gaetz was instrumental in the removal of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023.
The Florida representative as the one who initially filed the motion for the Speaker to vacate his position…
‘We got to know each other again’: Trump outlines Biden meeting
Donald Trump has spoken to the media to share his side of the two-hour meeting he held with Joe Biden earlier today.
He and Biden “both really enjoyed seeing each other”, Trump told the New York Post in a phone interview as he left Washington DC.
“It’s been a lot of work on both sides and he did a very good job with respect to campaigning and everything else. We really had a really good meeting… we got to know each other again.”
Trump also said he asked the sitting president for his views on the Middle East and Ukraine, but didn’t offer much detail.
“I asked for his views and he gave them to me,” Trump said of Ukraine.
“Also, we talked very much about the Middle East, likewise – I wanted to know his views on where we are and what he thinks and he gave them to me, he was very gracious.”
Former Democrat joins Trump’s top team
Another announcement to bring you… A former Democratic congresswoman has been chosen as Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence.
Tulsi Gabbard joined the Republican Party at the end of last month, having served as a Democrat representative for Hawaii from 2013 to 2021, before becoming independent in 2022.
“Tulsi has fought for our country and the freedoms of all Americans,” Trump said.
“As a former candidate for the Democrat presidential nomination, she has broad support in both parties – she is now a proud Republican,” he added, referencing her run for Democratic candidateship in 2020.
“I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights, and securing peace through strength.”
Trump confirms Marco Rubio as choice for America’s top diplomat
Donald Trump has confirmed Marco Rubio as his choice for US secretary of state.
The president-elect said the Florida senator was a “highly respected leader” and a “very powerful voice for freedom”.
“He will be a strong advocate for our nation, a true friend to our allies and a fearless warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” he added.
The secretary of state is America’s top diplomat, with the role currently filled by Antony Blinken.
Rubio is the vice-chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and also sits on the Foreign Relations Committee.
He is considered a hardliner on Iran and China – like many other Trump appointees.
In 2016, Rubio and Trump were up against each other for the Republican presidential nomination.
Biden looking forward to ‘peaceful transition of power’
Joe Biden has said he is looking forward to leading a “peaceful transfer of power” after meeting Donald Trump.
The US president hosted the incoming leader at the White House for two hours today, with the pair discussing a range of topics, including the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
In a post on X after the meeting, Biden said his team is “committed to doing everything” it can to make sure Trump’s administration has “what they need”.