Trump show starts in earnest this week with cabinet picks

Donald Trump doesn’t take office for another week, but the Trump show starts in earnest this week with a confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, followed shortly by Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem, Doug Burgum, Doug Collins and others.

While some drama is to be expected, Trump’s current nominees have mostly run the gauntlet unscathed. Not all were so lucky, however. Former congressman Matt Gaetz quickly withdrew his name from consideration to be attorney general once he felt that he no longer had a foreseeable path forward; another Florida man, Hillsborough County sheriff Chad Chronister, withdrew his name from consideration due to concerns from the right about his record during Covid-era lockdowns.

At this juncture, most Trump nominees appear poised to be confirmed on a fairly easy, and in some cases bipartisan, basis. Interestingly, the Washington Post provided a useful barometer for examining which may prove more controversial than others. The Jeff Bezos-owned Post just endorsed all but three of Trump’s top picks: only Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at HHS, Tulsi Gabbard at DNI and Russ Vought at OMB didn’t get the paper’s approval.

Some of the Post’s endorsements are backhanded (Scott Turner at HUD: “The former motivational speaker has never run a big organization, but that is not disqualifying”), and others are more thought-out (Doug Burgum at Interior: “The outgoing North Dakota governor and Stanford MBA built a successful software company that he sold to Microsoft”). 

As long as every Senate Republican votes for each individual Trump pick, every one will be confirmed. Democrats and their allies in the media seem most eager to attempt to derail Hegseth and Gabbard. Some Democrats, like Senator John Fetterman, sound almost eager to advance Trump’s nominees; at this point, the lumbering lawmaker from Pennsylvania’s willingness to work with Trump shouldn’t come as a surprise. He just made the trek down to Mar-a-Lago to speak with the next president.

Elsewhere, some other Trump nominees have picked up unexpected support. Kennedy, who is one of Trump’s most unorthodox picks, may be getting support from senators like Bernie Sanders. 

-Matthew Foldi

On our radar

HIT THE ROAD, JACK Special counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Department of Justice last week, but his report on President Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 election will be released. 

BURGLING THE HARRIS HOUSE Two people have been arrested in connection with a burglary that happened at Kamala Harris’s house in Brentwood, California. 

X RATED Former Trump darling Steve Bannon told an Italian newspaper he is intent on taking down “evil” Elon Musk.

Report: a ceasefire is in sight

Officials in President Joe Biden’s White House tell CNN that a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Palestine is in sight.

The report comes just a week out from Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. If finalized, it would likely become the departing president’s last major foreign-policy move, as officials indicate that the deal may be announced later this week.

While CNN’s sources emphasize that “officials will remain cautious until the negotiations produce a final deal to end the Gaza conflict,” the report suggests that a deal between the Israeli government and Hamas is closer than ever, showcasing an unprecedented level of optimism.

“I am not going to sit here and make predictions — this has been a long time coming,” US deputy national security advisor Jon Finer told CNN. “Fundamentally, we believe there is progress being made. There is a deal on the table that Hamas should accept.”

Israeli foreign minister Gideon Saar has also signaled optimism, claiming that “progress has been made” in the negotiations underway in Doha, Qatar. “Soon we will know whether the other side wants the same thing,” Saar added.

Optimism has also been evident in Hamas officials. Others, including Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, oppose the deal altogether, describing it as a “surrender deal” and a “catastrophe” on X.

–Juan P. Villasmil