CNN
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Donald Trump is barking at full strength seven days before his return to the Oval Office, while Joe Biden is looking for a final hostage deal as he bids farewell to his administration in the final weeks of his term. .
The back-to-back Senate confirmation hearings for President Trump’s Cabinet appointments starting Tuesday are a sign of the president-elect’s aggressive approach to exercising swift and consequential powers after taking the oath of office on January 20. This will demonstrate our efforts. President Trump will also make new efforts this week to secure the presidential election. The strategy is to push a sweeping, disruptive agenda through the narrowly divided House and Senate before starting a weekend of celebrations ahead of Inauguration Day.
Biden, 82, will deliver his farewell address from the Oval Office on Wednesday, the second day since telling Americans he would not run for re-election in July after a disastrous debate exposed his declining abilities. It turns out. The outgoing administration still hopes for a deal to release American and Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, and Biden also announced a deal with the Taliban to release three Americans the United States considers unjustly held in Afghanistan. I’m looking for.
The president also issued preemptive pardons to people the White House believes could be targeted for retaliation by the president-elect, including former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, one of the president-elect’s most prominent Republican critics. I am still considering whether to grant it. Biden on Friday said he was closely monitoring Trump’s rhetoric to gauge his intentions, as the outgoing president tries to use his appearance to make last-minute adjustments to how he will be remembered by history. He said there was.
Given the fragile personal relationship between Trump and Biden, an already tense transition was made worse by the devastating wildfires that have destroyed thousands of homes and killed at least 24 people in the Los Angeles area. The shadow will fade.
This tragedy will be the first crisis Trump will have to deal with as soon as he takes office. But he has already thrown out accusations against California Democratic leaders and misinformation about the cause of the fires. Angelenos in desperate need of billions in federal aid are left in a delicate position as Democratic-run cities and states strike deals with a Republican White House and Congress determined to cut spending. It turns out. President Trump on Sunday blamed one of America’s “worst catastrophes” on the “incompetent Polish government,” in a post on Truth Social at 1:24 a.m. what’s wrong with them? ”
California Sen. Adam Schiff, one of President Trump’s most prominent Democratic opponents, said Sunday he hopes Trump doesn’t use wildfire aid as a political lever against the state. “We’re all in this together. It’s the United States of America. We need the next president to see it that way,” Schiff said on ABC’s “This Week.”
President Trump’s cabinet choices reflect a desire for total loyalty and a desire to apply shock therapy to government agencies, but the incoming president was often constrained by establishment forces during his first term. This is a surprising statement of intent.
This week, Republican senators will weigh whether they intend to further reject Trump’s nominations after hesitating to make former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz his first choice for attorney general. will begin to show.
One of the most controversial candidates is former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth, whom President Trump wants to nominate as secretary of defense. Critics say he is unqualified for the important national security role. And the Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran faces allegations of sexual assault and personal misconduct, which he denies. Hegseth will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, with all eyes on Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst. Joni Ernst initially expressed concerns about the selection, but met with Hegseth several times and secured assurances on one key issue: female combatants. . Two other cabinet nominees, Douglas Collins for Veterans Affairs and former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior, will also have hearings Tuesday.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer told his caucus last week that the confirmation hearings provided an opportunity for Democrats to “hold their feet to the fire” for nominee Trump and prepare to later tell the American people, “We warned you.” on Sunday, CNN’s Morgan Rimmer reported.
Last week, Trump was unconditionally removed from office in a hush money lawsuit in New York, a move that ensured that he would officially take office as president as a convicted felon. He warned that he would turn the Ministry into an enemy. That makes confirmation hearings for Pam Bondi, the nominee to replace attorney general, particularly important. The hearings, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, could be an early indicator of the extent to which the Justice Department’s nominal independence from the White House will be eroded during President Trump’s second term. be.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President Trump’s pick to head the Department of Homeland Security, is also scheduled to have a hearing Wednesday. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state, will also have a hearing, but may have an easier ride among his colleagues than some of Trump’s colleagues.
Comparisons between Mr. Trump’s impending inauguration and the final days of Mr. Biden’s administration will be played out in a series of governor general addresses. The president will visit the State Department on Monday to finalize a foreign policy marked by staunch support for Ukraine against Russia’s illegal aggression. Meanwhile, President Trump is preparing to hold a summit early in his second term as president to alleviate the pariah status of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday that America’s alliances are better than they were when Biden took over from Trump in 2021, including NATO. has strengthened, and U.S. adversaries have weakened.
Biden’s team is still holding intense talks in Qatar aimed at finally forcing a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in the Gaza Strip, and the president met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Israeli officials have expressed cautious optimism about the meeting, with Biden and Trump warning that if the hostages are not released before the inauguration, there will be “hell to pay”. His team works closely together.
“We’re very, very close,” Sullivan told Tapper on “State of the Union.” But he added, “So close still means we’re far away, because we’re not there until we actually cross the finish line.”
The administration is also seeking the release of Ryan Corbett, George Glezman, and Mahmoud Habibi, who have been held by the Taliban since 2022. The president met with the families of the three men on Sunday, and the top U.S. hostage envoy, Roger Carstens, pursued a breakthrough in Doha, Qatar, last week. CNN’s Jenny Hansler reported last week that the United States has proposed a man swap for Muhammad Rahim al-Afghani, a prisoner at Guantanamo Bay who is described as Osama bin Laden’s “inner entourage.”
Biden’s focus on foreign and national security policy this week is a reminder of how he repeatedly told world leaders after defeating Trump in 2020 that “America is back.” is. But after his supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, his soon-to-be nemesis in the White House paid tribute to the tradition of transfer of power rejected by his predecessor and now his successor. will be handed over to.
So this week will serve as a reminder that Biden will not be able to secure the hoped-for legacy of putting Trump into history. Instead, he will cede power to someone he considers a threat to the soul of the nation.
