CNN
—
President-elect Donald Trump has already wielded raw power and indicated he may seek to subvert checks and balances in Washington, leaving foreign leaders scrambling to accept his victory. are.
Early signs from Mar-a-Lago, the Florida club and estate where President Trump is building his new administration, are boosting his Democratic mission with a big win as he returns to the White House in January. It suggests that you will do your best to be there. force.
President Trump has already issued an order on social media to Senate Republicans running for majority leader this week to support recess appointments of Cabinet nominees, and all three candidates quickly moved on the idea. He showed that he was positive. He has laid out plans to govern the Republican power monopoly with unwavering authority if Republicans win a House majority, which CNN does not yet predict. He views Congress more like a rubber stamp than an independent and equal branch of government.
The president-elect’s decision heralds a new administration infused with outsider populism rather than traditional power brokers. For example, it excluded the Cabinet posts of Mike Pompeo and Nikki Haley, who held the top foreign policy spot last time. On Sunday, he offered New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik the job of ambassador to the United Nations, two sources told CNN. And Trump’s inclusion of billionaire tech visionary and mob instigator Elon Musk on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a privilege usually reserved for senior foreign policy aides, showed how illegitimacy can challenge all governance practices.
What Caitlan Collins’ sources are telling her about Elon Musk’s influence on Trump
The long-term effects of President Trump’s victory are slowly sinking in. Speculation about future Supreme Court justice positions and possible retirements underscores the possibility that the next president will further extend the control of the ultra-conservative majority that he built until mid-century.
Federal officials now fear an anticipated purge of career bureaucrats by Trump allies bent on installing political appointees who won’t hesitate to carry out orders that could shred the regulatory state and the authority of the national government. And CNN reported last week that the Pentagon’s decision on how the military would respond to orders to deploy against Americans came after Trump warned as a candidate that he could break the taboo on the use of force on U.S. soil. I reported on the discussion.
Another question is becoming even more urgent. With impeachment, indictment, and one conviction at the heart of his campaign, how far will President Trump go in fulfilling his promised retribution against his political opponents? Cabinet nominations expected in the coming days, including attorney general, will reveal the depth of his thirst for revenge.
Meanwhile, Democrats are immersing themselves in self-deprecation while coming to terms with the enormous consequences of their failure to prevent President Trump from returning to power. If Republicans retain their House majority, they lack clear leadership to restore their message and power base. This will only strengthen President Trump’s hand in the coming weeks.
Overseas, Trump’s victory is forcing a major geopolitical reassessment. From Europe to Taiwan, Iran to Russia, foreign leaders are pondering how to respond to the unpredictability of President Trump’s return. Some people are vying to be the next president. Some are preparing for his wrath.
The growing sense of frenzied consolidation and recalculation in the United States and abroad highlights that Mr. Trump will return to office less restrained and even more powerful than he was in his first term. . His march to victory in all seven battleground states — including a win in Arizona, CNN predicted on Saturday — has given him national legitimacy. And his historic feat of becoming only the second president to be elected nonconsecutively means he is now a historical figure, not an anomaly.
This new Washington reality will become clear on Wednesday when President Trump returns to the White House and has lunch with President Joe Biden, who defeated him in 2020, but it’s important to note that President Trump has President Biden’s power is waning by the minute as he becomes more established.
Staffing: President Trump’s quick move to appoint campaign co-chair Susie Wiles as his first female White House chief of staff means he wants a fast start.
His rejection of Mr. Pompeo and Ms. Haley told its own story. Pompeo, a former CIA director and secretary of state, was seen as loyal to President Trump during his first term. But he was recently branded a denizen of the “deep state” by President Trump’s consigliere Roger Stone. Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, scolded Trump while running for office in the primary, but Trump ignored the former South Carolina governor’s offers of support on the campaign trail. The message is clear. Only Ultra MAGA supporters should apply for new management positions.
Stefanik, who currently chairs the House Republican Conference, came to Congress as a moderate Republican from upstate New York, but rose to leadership status as a staunch defender of Trump.
Haberman breaks down Trump’s approach to deciding top Cabinet picks
Consolidating his advantage over Washington Republicans: Mr. Trump has operated mostly behind closed doors since last week’s victory rally. However, his social media posts have become very important. On Sunday, he signaled his desire to control multiple branches of government by setting conditions for who will lead the Senate Republican leadership.
“Republican senators seeking coveted leadership positions in the U.S. Senate must agree to recess appointments (in the Senate!) or they will not receive timely confirmation. ” President Trump wrote on X.
Presidents have tried to use recess appointments as a last-ditch effort to get Cabinet nominees approved despite opposition. President Trump created the system to secure multi-year temporary appointments for candidates deemed too unusual or unqualified by some senators, potentially including Republicans. There is a possibility that they will try to expand their use. However, Democrats could filibuster the resolution and force the House to adjourn.
Tony Kirk, executive director of the nonpartisan watchdog group Accountable US, said in a statement: “President-elect Trump is calling on Senate Republicans to ignore their constitutional obligations and publicly sue their nominee.” “By demanding that they be established, they are trying to undermine the checks and balances in our country and consolidate their power.” Scrutiny. ”
Florida Sen. Rick Scott, backed by MAGA figures including Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy as majority leader, immediately vowed to go along. Sens. John Thune of South Dakota and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, both members of the old Senate guard who are considered favorites in Wednesday’s secret ballot election, quickly announced they were open to the idea. suggested. We must stand with President Trump.
Thune, the current minority leader, wrote in a post on X that all options are on the table, including a planned adjournment. Cornyn also told “I’m giving it to you,” he posted.
Retaliation: Washington waits anxiously to see if President Trump will follow through on his pledge to use his new powers to go after his enemies.
“I don’t think anything like that will happen,” House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan insisted on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. The Ohio Republican told Dana Bash, “We are a party that opposes political prosecution. We are a party that opposes using the law to go after our opponents.” Yet Jordan has already Special counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal criminal investigation into President Trump, has been formally warned to preserve his records to avoid a possible congressional investigation.
Trump’s best political bet may be to spend all his money on his first 100 days of work. However, his philosophy in life is to fight on equal footing with the enemy.
Dana Bash asks Jim Jordan if the 2024 election was fair. listen to his reaction
Mr. Musk at the center of government: One moment last week showed that President Trump’s second term is likely to be even more unconventional than his first.
Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX pioneer, participated in a phone conversation between President Trump and Zelensky the day after the election, a person familiar with the situation told CNN.
The next president could allow anyone to answer the phone. However, since Mr. Musk has a huge contract with the US government, Mr. Musk, who vigorously campaigned for Mr. Trump and promoted it with his own company X, is the only one who exists alongside Mr. Trump. This represents a clear and significant conflict of interest.
Musk’s Starlink internet service is also critical to Ukraine’s military fighting Russia’s brutal invasion. Trump has vowed to end the war and is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, so Musk’s presence could give him leverage over Zelenskiy if he refuses to comply with Trump’s demands in the future. I can’t help but interpret it.
In a broader sense, Trump and Musk’s friendship is a fascinating glimpse into the unconventional inner circle the president-elect will bring to Washington. Their relationship affirms that President Trump has the blessing of the world’s richest man. Musk gains inside access to the man who will soon become the most powerful man in the world. And both are examples of outsiders who bypassed the usual routes and gained significant influence through vast wealth. Both now wield enormous power that was once the exclusive preserve of traditional political elites.
Competition for foreign leaders: While presidents and prime ministers are trying to please the president-elect with congratulatory telegrams, they are facing intense scrutiny domestically over their treatment of the president. President Trump has promised to return to the erratic foreign policy that characterized his first term, some of which he will continue to do. I fear he will ignore NATO’s core principle of mutual self-defense or undermine Taiwan’s security by saying the United States will not come to the democratic island’s aid if China invades. There are already concerns that this may be the case.
Thus, nearly all assumptions about American power and policy that underpinned the post-World War II and post-Cold War world are now uncertain. The challenge facing America’s allies was posed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been on a rollercoaster ride during President Trump’s first term.
With transatlantic tensions expected to rise again, Macron last week pointed out that Trump was elected to represent the interests of the American people and questioned whether Europe would protect its interests. . “I do not intend to leave Europe as a stage for herbivores, only for carnivores to come and devour (us) according to their objectives,” Macron said in a translation of his remarks on his official X account. .
