President-elect Donald Trump had a busy day yesterday in Washington, D.C., setting the stage for his sweeping legislative agenda.
He spoke to House Republicans in the morning following an invitation from Speaker Mike Johnson, whom the President-elect has backed to keep his gavel. A vote will be held in January, and Johnson will need 218 votes to remain in office.
At 11 a.m., Trump visited the president in the White House, a longstanding tradition that the billionaire broke in 2020.
“It was indeed very cordial,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who briefly met with Biden following the meeting. “Very gracious and substantive. National security was discussed. Domestic policy issues were discussed. [Biden] wanted you all to know that the president-elect, again, was gracious. [Trump] came with a detailed set of questions”
Biden also said that he plans to attend Trump’s inauguration.
The men spoke for about two hours. They were accompanied at one point by Biden’s chief of staff, Jeff Zients, and his successor, Susie Wiles.
The president reportedly spoke to Trump about what he aims to achieve in the next few weeks. He focused on funding the government and securing disaster relief. He also told Trump to continue the support his administration has shown for Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia.
Trump has also been rapidly nominating candidates to fill out his cabinet positions.
A decision that shocked many in the Senate was the selection of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general.
Gaetz is a controversial figure currently under a bipartisan investigation by the House Ethics Committee over allegations that he “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct.” He was cleared of criminal charges last year.
Trump wrote on TruthSocial that, “Matt will end weaponized government, protect our borders, dismantle criminal organizations and restore Americans’ badly shattered faith and confidence in the Justice Department.”
The majority of Senate Republicans will now need to choose if they will certify these choices or push back against Trump’s first wishes when he is back in power.
