President-elect Trump — whose power was immense after his comeback win, enhanced by the coming full Republican control of Congress — has expanded that power substantially in the nine weeks since his victory.
Why it matters: It’s rare, if not unprecedented, for a newly elected leader to have so many world leaders and CEOs shift their policies or posture so blatantly during the transition to curry favor with a new president.
Trump will start his presidency with a very loyal GOP Senate and House, a vastly empowered MAGA-friendly media and information ecosystem, businesses scrambling to make amends or further improve cozy relationships, and money flowing fast into his family’s business endeavors.
•His Democratic opposition is weak and largely powerless — although Republicans’ tiny margin in the House will be a constant threat.
In two short months…
•Major tech CEOs traveled to meet Trump in person and cut $1 million checks to his inauguration.
•Meta shifted top personnel and its social media policing policies to match Trump’s interests.
•With the news media more fractured and less trusted than ever, outlets that once covered Trump with skepticism — and even disdain — have made surprise overtures to the president-elect.
•Democrats’ post-2016 “resistance” movement is in complete disarray: Some lawmakers instead want to work with the Trump administration on bipartisan goals, with border security and his new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) emerging as two early examples.
•Trump-aligned nationalist movements are disrupting long-liberal foreign allies — from Canada to Britain to Germany — in part because of aggressive information wars waged by Elon Musk and his supporters.
•Two billionaire CEOs announced big U.S. investments to kick off Trump press conferences at Mar-a-Lago: Before Christmas, SoftBank Group CEO Masayoshi Son announced plans by the Japanese company to invest $100 billion in U.S. projects over the next four years. This week, the UAE’s Hussain Sajwani, a close business partner of the Trump family, made a $20 billion commitment to build data centers in the U.S.
•Trump moved the Overton window on American expansion by publicly musing about seizing or acquiring Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal — a reminder to the world and media that Trump is willing to say or do anything. Trump even said he’d move to rebrand “the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring … what a beautiful name.”
•Trump is by far the most popular politician in Israel, giving him enormous leverage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose coalition is weak and polls are bad. Trump said at his press conference this week that if the hostages in Gaza aren’t “back by the time I get into office, all hell will break out in the Middle East.” With Trump’s prodding, Bibi sent his negotiators back to Doha, Qatar, three weeks ago to resume indirect talks with Hamas in an effort to reach a deal by Jan. 20.
•The Trump effect in the Middle East extends beyond Israel. Iran is trying to keep a low profile in the region, shelved a retaliation plan against Israel, signaled several times it wants to negotiate a new nuclear deal and is uncharacteristically staying out of today’s presidential election in Lebanon.
•Trump has raised a record $170 million for his inauguration — with so much still coming in that VIP events are over-capacity and “some donors have taken the unusual step of offering donations as high as $1 million without receiving anything in return,” the N.Y. Times reports (gift link).
Read the full story from Axios here.
STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP
I am pleased to announce that Christine Jack Toretti will serve as the next United States Ambassador to Sweden.
Christine is an incredible businesswoman, philanthropist, public servant, and RNC Committeewoman for the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. She is Chairman of S&T Bancorp, and a former director of the Pittsburgh Federal Reserve Bank. Christine has been a tireless supporter of important causes as a Board Member of the International Medical Corps, former Chair of the Andy Warhol Museum, Director of the NCAA Foundation, founding Director of the Gettysburg Foundation, Trustee of the Sarah Scaife Foundation, and Chair of the Anne B. Anstine Excellence in Public Service Series in Pennsylvania, and the Dodie Londen Excellence in Public Service Series in Arizona. Christine is one of fewer than sixty women who have received the Athena International Global Award.
Congratulations Christine!
Read the TRUTH here.
ICYMI: Support Pours In For Pam Bondi As Attorney General
Law enforcement officers, state Attorneys General, and Department of Justice officials from both parties agree: Pam Bondi is historically qualified to serve as Attorney General.
The letter praised Bondi’s work as Florida’s attorney general, where she led an aggressive crackdown on opioid drugs and the many “pill mills” operating in the state when she took office. They also praised what they described as Bondi’s “national reputation” for her work to end human trafficking, and prosecuting violent crime in the state.
Officials also emphasized Bondi’s other achievements in Florida, where she secured consumer protection victories and economic relief on behalf of residents in the Sunshine State. After the 2008 financial crisis, her work leading the National Mortgage Settlement resulted in $56 billion in compensation to victims, the letter said — and in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Bondi’s lawsuit against BP and other companies responsible resulted in a $2 billion settlement in economic relief.
The nation’s largest police union endorsed Pam Bondi, President-elect Trump’s pick for attorney general, ahead of her confirmation hearings in the Senate.
In a letter to the Trump transition team first shared with The Hill, Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, expressed “strong support” for Bondi and said she was “a longtime ally of the FOP” from when she served as Florida’s attorney general.
The letter praised what signatories described as Bondi’s “unwavering” commitment to public safety and the rule of law in her time in the Sunshine State, where she sought to crack down on violent crime, protect consumers and combat the opioid crisis— which was at its height when she was elected as attorney general in 2010.
Bondi “was and remains a valued and respected member of the State Attorney General community,” they wrote. “Thus, we are confident that she will serve with distinction as United States Attorney General.”