| | | | |  | | By Mike DeBonis | | Presented by |  | | | With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | INTERACTIVE DATA DIVE — “Where Kamala Harris lost big city voters in the battlegrounds,” by Jessica Piper, Paroma Soni and Brakkton Booker: “Blue cities represent the core of the Democratic base. … But this year, the major cities accounted for smaller shares of the votes cast in the battleground states than four years ago — effectively ceding political power to suburban and rural voters who are, in aggregate, more conservative.” LATEST FROM BAKU — “Poorer countries face $300B take-it-or-leave-it climate deal after testy meeting,” by Karl Mathiesen, Zia Weise, Sara Schonhardt and Zack Colman
|  Donald Trump picked Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | FRIDAY NIGHT MASS-A-HIRE — In a flurry of Truth Social posts last night, President-elect DONALD TRUMP made a furious pre-holiday-week dent in his list of Cabinet and key sub-Cabinet nominations — naming nine picks in the span of about 70 minutes and ruining happy hour for all the reporters who suddenly had to freshen their pre-writes. Whether by design or by compulsion, the volume and timing of the announcements had the immediate effect of diffusing the scrutiny that might have been trained on any individual nominee. But together they cemented a picture of Trump’s governing echelon as a menagerie of Fox News personalities, ultra-wealthy GOP patrons and MAGA true-believers, with a few genuine surprises sprinkled in. Call it the team of randos. Expect a lot more attention to be paid to each nominee in the coming weeks, but here’s a quick-and-dirty guide to the latest picks: SCOTT BESSENT for Treasury … The early take: Trump put an end to his longest-running and most contentious Cabinet battle by ending up where many Mar-a-Lago insiders thought he would end up all along: picking Bessent, the 62-year-old hedge fund manager who made his money and reputation running big macro plays alongside GEORGE SOROS. More recently, he emerged as one of the most polished proponents of MAGAnomics, with Wall Street cred to boot. Confirmation preview: Expect Senate Finance to drill down on a bipartisan basis on Bessent’s views on tariffs, which have evolved to align closely with Trump’s expansive vision. And expect Democrats to question him closely on his recent investment bets that appear to have gone sideways. Fun fact: If confirmed, Bessent would be the first openly gay Treasury secretary. A noted preservationist, he and husband JOHN FREEMAN are selling their restored Charleston, South Carolina, home for a listed $22 million. Dive deeper: “How Scott Bessent Won the ‘Knife Fight’ to Be Trump’s Treasury Secretary,” by WSJ’s Brian Schwartz and Andrew Restuccia RUSSELL VOUGHT for budget director … The early take: Project 2025 is back, baby. Vought is both the intellectual architect of the Trump campaign to remake the federal government and its most experienced practitioner in trench-level bureaucratic warfare. He did not get full control of the administrative reins until late in the first Trump administration, but he has since spent four years planning for what would happen when he gets the Office of Management and Budget back — helpfully laying it all out in a 25-page Heritage manifesto. Confirmation preview: Senate Homeland Security Democrats will be poring over Vought’s every utterance during the Biden interregnum, including his avowed desire to bring agencies such as the FCC and SEC under direct presidential control. Fun fact: Vought hopefully learned a lesson in opsec earlier this year after undercover British journalists lured him into a two-hour tell-all while posing as agents of a major conservative donor. Dive deeper: “Trump Picks Key Figure in Project 2025 for Powerful Budget Role,” by NYT’s Charlie Savage, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan LORI CHAVEZ-DeREMER for Labor … The early take: Maybe the realignment goes deeper than we think. Trump’s first Labor secretaries, ALEX ACOSTA and EUGENE SCALIA, were classic Republicans out of the traditional pro-employer mold. Chavez-DeRemer, who lost her House seat this month, is not that: She ran as openly pro-union and co-sponsored the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, a key Democratic and Big Labor priority. Confirmation preview: If the early reaction — including measured optimism from the National Education Association and RANDI WEINGARTEN — is any measure, the toughest questioning might come from HELP Committee Republicans. Notably, the head of the Koch-affiliated Libre Initiative called on Chavez-DeRemer to denounce the PRO Act or “resistance will intensify.” Fun fact: Chavez-DeRemer — who had been pushed by Teamsters President SEAN O’BRIEN — interviewed with Trump at Mar-a-Lago yesterday and was offered the job on the spot, per Meredith Lee Hill. Dive deeper: “Trump nominates union-friendly Republican for Labor secretary,” by Lawrence Ukenye and Nick Niedzwiadek SCOTT TURNER for HUD … The early take: Amid rising expectations that BEN CARSON might return to HUD for a second engagement, Trump instead tapped the little-known 52-year-old former executive director of his White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council. He’s a former NFL cornerback, motivational speaker and Texas state legislator, and he currently serves as “chief visionary officer” for a Texas housing developer, but his “selection was met with some befuddlement in the housing industry,” Katy O’Donnell reports. Confirmation preview: Rest assured that Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee will be poring over his four years in the Texas House of Representatives, where he was aligned with the hard right against moderate GOP Speaker JOE STRAUS. Fun fact: Turner recorded five career interceptions and 96 solo tackles in his eight NFL seasons. More recently, he’s served as an associate pastor at a Plano, Texas, Baptist church. Dive deeper: “Trump nominates former Texas lawmaker Scott Turner to lead Housing and Urban Development,” by The Texas Tribune’s Juan Salinas II
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Learn more about open source AI. | | | ALEX WONG and SEBASTIAN GORKA for the NSC … The early take: Wong, formerly deputy assistant secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs and deputy special representative for North Korea, will have the more senior role, as top deputy to incoming national security adviser MICHAEL WALTZ. But it’s Gorka who cuts the wider swath in MAGA world with his long and combative history in the public eye. He’ll now serve as senior NSC director for counterterrorism and deputy assistant to the president. Confirmation preview: Lucky for Gorka, NSC posts are not Senate-confirmed. Fun fact: Former NSC adviser MICHAEL ANTON “was a leading candidate to become deputy national security adviser but pulled himself out of contention when he was told he would have to work with [Gorka],” WaPo’s John Hudson reports. Dive deeper: “Firebrand Gorka returns to Trump White House in NSC role,” by Eric Bazail-Eimil DAVE WELDON for CDC, MARTY MAKARY for FDA and JANETTE NESHEIWAT for surgeon general … The early take: If you thought Trump might appoint some more traditional types to join ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. in running the federal health apparatus, think again. No SCOTT GOTTLIEBS here. Weldon, a former seven-term Florida congressman, has a long history of vaccine skepticism. Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon, is not quite so strident, but has been a vocal critic of the FDA vaccine protocols. Nesheiwat is best known for her appearances on Fox where she was, at least at first during the Covid pandemic, pro-mask and pro-vaccine. Confirmation preview: Senate HELP Democrats will have a wealth of public commentary to draw from on all three health nominees. Makary, notably, got a vote of confidence before the announcement from Sen. RAND PAUL (R-Ky.) as a “real believer in patient freedom,” Lauren Gardner and David Lim note. Fun fact: “Weldon also garnered national attention in the early 2000s for his involvement in the case of TERRI SCHIAVO,” Megan Messerly notes. “He introduced legislation to force a review of the case by the federal government.” Dive deeper: “Trump picks Marty Makary to lead FDA, Dave Weldon to run CDC,” by WaPo’s Dan Diamond and Rachel Roubein Good Saturday morning. Thanks for reading Playbook. No, I didn’t let the president-elect interrupt my happy hour. Drop me a line at mdebonis@politico.com. THE LEFTOVERS … With last night’s nominee dump, there are five Cabinet-level positions now lacking designated nominees: (1) Agriculture secretary, (2) U.S. trade representative, (3) Small Business Administration chief, (4) chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and (5) director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Two people of note still dancing around the Mar-a-Lago musical chairs: RICHARD GRENELL, who was repeatedly mentioned as a possible secretary of State, is now under consideration to be named special envoy on the Ukraine war, per Reuters. And former Sen. KELLY LOEFFLER (R-Ga.) was expected to be offered the Ag spot yesterday, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reports.
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| | | | Want to know what's really happening with Congress's make-or-break spending fights? Get daily insider analysis of Hill negotiations, funding deadlines, and breaking developments—free in your inbox with Inside Congress. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | |  The incoming Trump administration is reportedly already planning firings at the Justice Department. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. DOJ SIREN: Trump intends to fire every Justice Department employee who worked with special counsel JACK SMITH on the federal criminal investigations of him, purging “career attorneys typically protected from political retribution,” WaPo’s Amy Gardner, Josh Dawsey, Ashley Parker and Perry Stein report. He also intends to have DOJ try to turn up examples of voter fraud in the 2020 election, which all evidence indicates was not widespread but which has turned into the “big lie” foundational to Trump’s recent political identity. But that effort is not as clearly formed as his principal goal to “clean house” of employees whom he accuses, without evidence, of weaponizing law enforcement against him. It may not be easy for Trump to fire career civil servants, though, who still (for now) are insulated from such political targeting. Even if Trump reinstates his “Schedule F” rule, years of legal challenges would likely await. Trump’s team responded to the Post that “anonymous sources not affiliated with him have no idea what they are talking about.” Related reads on PAM BONDI: “Swapping Bondi for Gaetz eases fears at Justice Department, but only a little,” by Josh Gerstein … “‘Is she on our side?’: Jan. 6 defendants and allies puzzle over Bondi nomination,” by Kyle Cheney 2. SPEAKING OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES: “Kennedy’s ‘MAHA transition team’ includes anti-vax activists,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Adam Cancryn: “At least three informal advisers connected to the anti-vaccine movement are assisting Kennedy in filling out his staff as he prepares to lead HHS … [T]here is no guarantee that anyone the Kennedy allies are interviewing will be hired. … [But] Kennedy has assembled this kitchen cabinet at the same time he is working to publicly downplay his history of vaccine denial.” The people involved: KIM HAINE, DEL BIGTREE and AARON SIRI. 3. SCOTUS WATCH: Is this the next big opportunity for the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority to weaken federal agencies? The justices said yesterday they’ll take up two cases regarding the “non-delegation doctrine,” in which challengers argue that Congress has improperly delegated some of its powers to the executive branch, WaPo’s Justin Jouvenal reports. The specific matter at hand is whether the FCC may impose fees for certain telecom services, which help subsidize rural service to the tune of $8 billion annually. The Supreme Court hasn’t relied on the doctrine to overturn a federal law in roughly 90 years, but some conservatives see it “as the next frontier in the fight over administrative power.” 4. WHAT SENATE HAWKS ARE READING: “Trump’s intel pick was placed on government watch list for overseas travel and foreign connections,” by CNN’s Katie Bo Lillis, Zachary Cohen and Holmes Lybrand: “TULSI GABBARD, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the intelligence community, was briefly placed on a Transportation Security Administration list that prompts additional security screening before flights after her overseas travel patterns and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm earlier this year … Gabbard was quickly removed from the list, a little-known program called ‘Quiet Skies,’ after going public with claims she had been added to a ‘secret terror watchlist.’” 5. TRADE WARS: China’s economy is weaker than it was the first time Trump launched a trade war against it. But if he follows through on his plans to ramp up the economic fight again, Beijing may be better prepared, CNN’s Juliana Liu writes from Hong Kong. China’s leaders know Trump better this time around, of course, and they’ve also worked for the past few years to limit their reliance on trade with the U.S. So if massive tariffs click into place, the Chinese economy could benefit from a “combination of trade diversification, targeted retaliation against US companies and support for domestic consumption.” Less likely: explicit tit-for-tat retaliatory tariffs or “big, showy moves” like devaluing the yuan or selling Treasuries. Meanwhile, Canada is getting ready for a trade showdown with Trump by opening the door to a Canada-U.S. deal that cuts Mexico out, WSJ’s Vipal Monga and Santiago Pérez report. 6. HEADS UP: “Trump and GOP eye new limits on Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,” by WaPo’s Tony Romm: “Trump and Republicans in Congress are weighing vast changes … The early discussions align the GOP with banks, credit card companies, mortgage lenders and other large financial institutions … [Hill Republicans] have proposed to rethink the CFPB’s leadership structure, curtail its investigative powers and tweak its funding source.” Among the early names being considered for CFPB director: BRIAN JOHNSON, KEITH NOREIKA and TODD ZYWICKI.
| | | | A message from Meta:   | | | 7. NOT A JOKE: The special election to replace Gaetz in Congress will take place April 1 (yes, April Fools’ Day), Florida announced yesterday, per Kimberly Leonard. But the real contest to watch in this safe Republican district is the GOP primary, which will take place Jan. 28, just two months from now. State Reps. MICHELLE SALZMAN and JOEL RUDMAN have filed to run, and state CFO JIMMY PATRONIS is “strongly considering” jumping in. JAMES UTHMEIER has also been floated. 8. UTAH’S NEXT MAVERICK SENATOR: “‘He is not Mitt Romney and he is not Donald Trump’: Romney’s Senate successor makes an early mark,” by NBC’s Ben Kamisar: “Those who know [Sen.-elect JOHN] CURTIS caution not to look at his role in [MATT] GAETZ’s withdrawal too simplistically, through the ‘pro-Trump’ or ‘anti-Trump’ litmus test that’s defined much of Republican politics over the last eight years. Instead, they point to the test Curtis laid out himself during a June primary debate: ‘When President Trump is doing anything that I consider aligned with Utah values … I’m wind at his back. But I’m not going to give him an unconditional yes to anything that he wants.’” 9. KEYS TO THE KEYSTONE STATE: Republicans got a big boost from Amish voters in Pennsylvania this year, and now party organizers are laying the groundwork to make sure they become a reliable voting bloc for the GOP, WSJ’s Kris Maher and David Luhnow report from Lancaster. Many Amish are conservative but fairly politically disengaged or irregular voters, so getting them to turn out could pay dividends for Republicans. One big early target: flipping the state Supreme Court in a trio of elections next year. CLICKER — “The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics,” edited by Matt Wuerker — 17 funnies
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M.Wuerker - Politico | GREAT WEEKEND READS: — “A Trump win, an urban high school and an American identity crisis,” by WaPo’s Greg Jaffe: “At a majority-Latino school in Allentown, Pennsylvania, students struggle to understand what message the election was intended to send about their place in this country.” — “‘No Use for Hatred’: A Village Seeks to Move On From a U.S. Massacre,” by NYT’s Damien Cave in Son My, Vietnam: “The hamlet of My Lai is infamous for American war crimes, but now it holds lessons in resilience and how to let go of anger.” — “A Long Way Home,” by David Sedaris in The New Yorker: “Had I proposed earlier that we invite someone stranded to come with us to New York, Hugh would have said no. But now there was really no way for him to back out.” — “Segregation Academies Across the South Are Getting Millions in Taxpayer Dollars,” by ProPublica’s Jennifer Berry Hawes and Mollie Simon: “North Carolina offers an especially telling window into what is happening across this once legally segregated region where legislatures are now rapidly expanding and adopting controversial voucher-style programs.” — “The Business-School Scandal That Just Keeps Getting Bigger,” by The Atlantic’s Daniel Engber: “The rot runs deeper than almost anyone has guessed.” — “‘Capitalism incarnate’: inside the secret world of McKinsey, the firm hooked on fossil fuels,” by the Guardian’s Ben Stockton and Hajar Meddah: “Interviews and analysis of court documents show how the world’s most prestigious consulting firm quietly helps fuel the climate crisis.” — “A New World Order Is Here, and It Looks a Lot Like Mercantilism,” by Bloomberg’s John Authers: “The chaotic politics of the last 16 years masked the steady development of a new economic order.”
| | | | Don't just read headlines—guide your organization's next move. POLITICO Pro's comprehensive Data Analysis tracks power shifts in Congress, ballot measures, and committee turnovers, giving you the deep context behind every policy decision. Learn more about what POLITICO Pro can do for you. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Matt Gaetz is now on Cameo. Kathy Hochul’s new congestion pricing plan got the federal green light. Mike Rounds is very skeptical of negotiating with Russia to end the Ukraine war. Elon Musk’s SEC sanction was rejected. Jim Risch didn’t get the Eras Tour he expected. OUT AND ABOUT — Future Caucus held its seventh annual Rising Star Awards at the new Arlo Washington DC on Wednesday, honoring Gen Z and millennial leaders who work on bipartisan policies and try to transcend polarization. SPOTTED: Sophia Bush, Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Rebecca Grone, Kansas state Sen.-elect Tory Blew, New York Assemblymember Alex Bores, Pennsylvania state Reps. Justin Fleming and Thomas Kutz, Delaware state Rep. Mike Smith, Vermont state Rep. Mary-Katherine Stone, Layla Zaidane, Reed Howard, Rachel Janfaza, Nick Maschari and Laurie Schultz Heim. — Blue Star Families celebrated its 15th anniversary Thursday at Union Station, where Craig Newmark presented a $25 million donation check that will help launch 10 new chapters to support military and veteran families across the country. Brianna Keilar emceed the evening, which also featured a tasting menu with dishes reflecting each branch of the armed forces via Spike Mendelsohn, Harley Peet, David Guas and Patrice Cleary. SPOTTED: Kathy Roth-Douquet, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Charles Bolden, Emilio Estefan and Victoria Kjær Theilvig. STAFFING UP — Hayley Harrison will be chief of staff to incoming first lady Melania Trump, her office announced. She’s been a longtime aide to Melania Trump during and after the first Trump administration. MEDIA MOVE — Kaylee McGhee White is joining IW Features, Independent Women’s Forum’s storytelling platform, as editor-in-chief. She previously was restoring America editor at the Washington Examiner. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer … Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) and Sean Casten (D-Ill.) … NYT’s Carolyn Ryan … Sheria Clarke … former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) … Geoff Morrell … former Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) … Amy Schatz of Glen Echo Group … Matt Dennis … Katie Wall of True Anomaly … Suzanne Kianpour … AFP’s Bill Riggs … Jeremy Slevin of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-Minn.) office … Colby Nelson … Richard Hunt … POLITICO’s Phelim Kine and Tim Lafayette … Mary Rutherford Jennings … Danny Cevallos … Sheara Braun … former Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle … Alan Rosenberg of RG Group … Charlie Goodyear … Adam Belmar … Zack Laven of Fulcrum Public Affairs … Elizabeth Taylor … GEG Strategies’ Rick Gorka … Geoff Mackler … Robin Roberts THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): FOX “Fox News Sunday,” guest-anchored by Gillian Turner: Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) … Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) … Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.). Panel: Mollie Hemingway, Josh Kraushaar, Mario Parker and Kevin Walling. MSNBC “The Sunday Show”: Bill Clinton … Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) … Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) … Kash Patel … Erik Prince. CNN “State of the Union”: Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) … Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) … Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.). Panel: Scott Jennings, Karen Finney, Shermichael Singleton and Jamal Simmons. CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) … Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) … Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) … Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.) … retired Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster. ABC “This Week”: Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) … Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). Panel: Donna Brazile, Chris Christie, Reince Priebus and Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). NBC “Meet the Press”: Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) … Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Panel: Stephen Hayes, Jeh Johnson, Kelly O’Donnell and Anna Palmer. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) … Chuck Rocha … Rep.-elect Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.). Panel: Meridith McGraw, Paul Kane and Bob Cusack. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com or text us at 202-556-3307. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike DeBonis, deputy editor Zack Stanton and Playbook Daily Briefing producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
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