Republicans gear up to take control of Washington

Good morning and welcome to White House Watch. Let’s dive into:

• Republicans’ impending grip on Washington

• The anti-woke Pentagon pick

• A shocking attorney-general choice

Donald Trump took a victory lap through Washington yesterday, meeting Joe Biden and relishing Republicans’ impending grip on power.

The president-elect’s hold on Washington is complete. Last night Republican lawmakers secured a majority in the House, giving them control of both chambers of Congress. With loyal allies in the House and Senate, Trump will have a firmer grasp on Congress than in his first term and latitude to push through his legislative priorities. [free to read]. 

A top aim will be renewing and expanding the sweeping tax reforms Trump enacted during his first term. He also wants to curb regulation, overhaul healthcare, carry out “mass deportations” of undocumented migrants and slap huge tariffs on imported goods.

Yesterday, the president-elect gave Speaker of the House Mike Johnson a ringing endorsement, calling for the fierce Trump ally to keep his gavel should the chamber be called for Republicans.

But this doesn’t mean it will be completely smooth sailing for Trump.

Republicans chose South Dakota senator John Thune to be the Senate majority leader, setting him up as a potential check on Trump’s agenda. This was a rebuke to Trump allies, including Elon Musk, who pushed for Florida senator Rick Scott to get the job. 

Thune is viewed as more of an “establishment” Republican. He and Trump have had a frosty relationship in the past, though the senator said that “this Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda”.

Even though Johnson has won an internal Republican nod to keep the speakership, holding on to the gavel is not guaranteed. He faces election by the full House, and many of his potential detractors saw this closed-door election as a soft vote, with real negotiations to take place between now and January 3, Florida representative Anna Paulina Luna told reporters. 

As Trump plucks House Republicans for executive branch roles, he also threatens Johnson’s margins.

And Democrats, along with a handful of moderate Republicans, could still throw up roadblocks by exerting leverage in narrow but meaningful ways. Most legislation needs to pass the Senate with 60 votes. Since Republicans hold 53 seats, Democrats could block some of Trump’s legislative goals.

Transitional times: the latest headlines

What we’re hearing

As Trump stacks his national security team with hardliners and loyalists, his pick for secretary of defence is particularly eyebrow-raising [free to read].

Pete Hegseth, a military veteran, has built a lucrative career as a Fox News personality by blaming wokeness for US blunders in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his rightwing broadcasts, he’s outlined a vision for the US military that closely aligns with Trump’s view of the country: an intrepid fighting force that has been reduced to impotency by trying to be more inclusive.

His nomination has prompted a backlash in the US. Paul Rieckhoff, founder of Independent Veterans of America, which helps politically independent veterans run for office, said:

He is unqualified, and he is the most overtly and extreme political nominee we’ve ever seen. This is a bomb thrower.

Former Trump administration officials who have liked the president-elect’s other picks for top national security jobs have been dismayed by his Pentagon choice, with one telling the FT that the decision was “crazy”. And some Republican senators — who will need to confirm Hegseth’s appointment — don’t seem completely convinced by his nomination.

His selection has also shocked the US’s European allies. He’s “a total clown show”, said John Foreman, former UK defence attaché in Moscow. “The guy seems interested in fighting culture wars within the Department of Defense and purging enemies.”

Hegseth’s view of the military can be boiled down to a line in his book, titled The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free, where he warns that “red-blooded American men will have to save” the liberal elite’s “candy asses”.

Team 47: who’s made the cut

Controversial Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, who resigned last night, has been tapped to be attorney-general.

Trump has nominated former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who is known for her pro-Russia views, to be director of national intelligence.

John Ratcliffe, who was DNI during Trump’s first term, has been selected as CIA director.

Trump has chosen Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a “department of government efficiency” to slash government rules, bureaucracy and spending.

Ex-Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee will be the US ambassador to Israel, while investor Steve Witkoff will be Trump’s special Middle East envoy, choices celebrated by the Israeli right.

Wall Street investors Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick are the leading contenders to be Treasury secretary.

Viewpoints