Trump on Wednesday announced that he chose Matt Gaetz, the firebrand who has been a harsh critic of the Justice Department even as he was investigated by it, as attorney general.
He also tapped former congresswoman and Army veteran Tulsi Gabbard as his nominee for director of national intelligence, a cabinet-level post. Gabbard is a former Democrat who has become one of Trump's most vocal supporters.
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But there are still plenty of pivotal roles for Trump to fill as he prepares for a second term. He'll even have full control of Congress in 2025 after Republicans managed to win enough seats to keep the House on Wednesday.
Keep up with live updates from the USA TODAY Network.
Trump lawyer Alina Habba not interested in White House press secretary job
Donald Trump’s lawyer won’t be sparring with the press after all. At least not from the White House briefing room.
Alina Habba, who joined Trump’s legal team three years ago, ended speculation Thursday that she was in line to become White House press secretary when the president-elect takes office next year.
“While I am flattered by the support and speculation, the role of Press Secretary is not a role I am considering,” she wrote on X. “Although I love screaming from a podium I will be better served in other capacities.”
Habba has represented Trump in several high-profile legal cases, including author E. Jean Carroll’s defamation suit that ended in a $83.3 million verdict against him.
– Michael Collins
Elon Musk: John Bolton is 'staggeringly dumb' but Matt Gaetz is 'great'
Elon Musk, billionaire tech titan and friend of Donald Trump, is defending the president-elect’s nomination of Matt Gaetz as attorney general.
Musk pushed back against John Bolton’s criticism of Gaetz, a former Florida congressman, to serve as the nation’s top law enforcement officer. Bolton, who served for more than a year as national security adviser during Trump’s first term, called Trump’s choice of Gaetz as “the worst” Cabinet nomination in history.
“John Bolton, who is a staggeringly dumb warmonger, being against someone is a great sign!” Musk fired back in a message on X. “Gaetz will be great.”
Musk has landed a job of his own in the incoming Trump administration. Trump has tapped him and former Republican presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new Department of Government Efficiency, which will work to slash federal government spending, waste and regulations.
– Michael Collins
Nikki Haley: Donald Trump can be 'shallow' at times
Nikki Haley is hitting back at her old boss.
The former South Carolina Republican governor who served as Donald Trump’s first U.N. ambassador took a swipe at the president-elect after he announced she would not be given a job in his incoming administration.
“I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation,” Trump wrote last week on Truth Social. “I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country.”
Haley, who was highly critical of Trump during her own unsuccessful bid for the GOP presidential nomination earlier this year, said on her radio show on SiriusXM that, despite Trump’s public pronouncement, she had already made it known that she wanted no role in his new administration.
“I know the game he was playing," she said. "I don’t need to play that game." She later added: “He can be shallow at times, and I think he showed that.”
– Michael Collins
Matt Gaetz, Trump's pick for attorney general, resigns from Congress
Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress shortly after President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to nominate the Florida Republican as attorney general.
Gaetz, a firebrand who represented Florida's 1st congressional district since 2017, submitted his resignation, effective immediately, on Wednesday following Trump’s decision to make him the country’s chief law enforcement officer.
USA TODAYGaetz’s resignation came just days before the House Ethics Committee was to decide whether to release a report on its investigation into allegations he had engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use and had accepted improper gifts. Gaetz’s resignation effectively ends that investigation.
Gaetz also was investigated by the Justice Department, which Trump has tapped him to lead, on suspicion of having sex with a 17-year-old girl and allegedly paying for her to travel with him. The department ended its investigation last year without charging him.
– Michael Collins
Matt Gaetz attorney general nomination sparks criticism
Donald Trump's choice of Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general signaled a like-minded approach to overhauling the Justice Department after both men were investigated criminally.
But the choice also sparked some of the first criticism of Trump's cabinet selections, as senators questioned whether Gaetz would be a serious choice to become the country's top law enforcement official.
After Trump announced Gaetz's nomination, the Florida Republican resigned from office "effective immediately," setting a special election for the western Florida district in motion.
Check out USA TODAY's five takeaways from the surprising announcement.
- Bart Jansen
Trump picks Tulsi Gabbard as his director of national intelligence
Trump on Wednesday picked former congresswoman and Army veteran Tulsi Gabbard as his nominee for director of national intelligence, a cabinet-level post.
"I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our intelligence community, championing our constitutional rights, and securing peace through strength," Trump said in a statement.
Gabbard was a Democrat when she served in the House of Representatives from Hawaii from 2013 to 2021. She ran for president in the Democratic primary in 2020 before leaving the party in 2022 and becoming a Republican this year.
− Tom Vanden Brook and Erin Mansfield
Marco Rubio given nod for Secretary of State
Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed he's chosen Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to serve as Secretary of State in his next administration.
Rubio has deep foreign policy experience and has transformed from a Trump opponent to a close ally who was a finalist to serve as Trump's vice president.
He is currently the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee and serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rubio, a Cuban American, would be the first Latino person to serve as Secretary of State.
Rubio has expressed support for Ukraine's war effort against Russia, but voted against additional aid for the country last year. He recently said the war in Ukraine is going to end with "a negotiated settlement," something Trump has also supported. He's also advocated for a tough approach to American adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela.
Trump and Rubio, 53, ran against each other in the 2016 Republican primary, which turned nasty as they lobbed insults at each other. But they patched up their relationship and worked together on shared foreign policy goals during Trump’s first administration. They grew closer during the 2024 campaign, when Rubio was on the short list to be Trump’s running mate and campaigned relentlessly for him.
