Donald Trump commended Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for calling for a special state legislative session to implement the president-elect’s immigration agenda.
“Thank you Ron, hopefully other governors will follow!” Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday.
The president-elect was responding to DeSantis’s decision to call for a special session on Jan. 27 in a post on X.
“State and local officials in Florida must help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” DeSantis told reporters on Monday. “In order to do that effectively we are going to need legislation to impose additional duties on local officials and provide funding for those local officials. There also needs to be measures to hold people accountable for violating our anti-sanctuary policies and that Florida needs to make sure that we don’t have any lingering incentives for people to come into our state illegally.”
The exchange between the two is another indication the working relationship between Trump and DeSantis continues to mend after theywent head-to-head in the Republican presidential primary.
However, DeSantis’s announcement was immediately met with criticism by some state Republicans.
“Florida’s constitution compels our attendance at a special session unilaterally called by the Governor,” Florida state Senate President Ben Albritton (R) and state House Speaker Daniel Perez (R). “However, the power to convene a special session also resides with the presiding officers. As the people’s elected representatives, the Legislature, not the Governor, will decide when and what legislation we consider.”
DeSantis responded to the criticism in a post on X, saying “State and local officials in Florida will actively facilitate the Trump Administration’s policies against illegal immigration, and to do that we need to immediately set aside and approve the necessary funding and resources now.
“As part of the special session I called for January 27, the week after President Trump is sworn in, I am calling on the legislature to appropriate funding for detention, relocation, transportation infrastructure, local law enforcement support, and everything else needed for Florida to carry out this mission.”
President-elect Donald Trump has revealed plans to establish a new government agency, the External Revenue Service (ERS), which is supposedly set to begin operations on Jan. 20, 2025.
The ERS, likely to operate under the Treasury Department, will focus on collecting revenues from foreign sources. Trump framed the move as part of his broader efforts to address trade imbalances and ensure foreign entities contribute their “fair share” to the U.S. economy.
“We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share,” Trump stated in a Truth Social post shared Tuesday morning. He described the agency’s launch date as the “birth date of the External Revenue Service.”
🚨 #BREAKING: President-elect Donald Trump announces the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE will be formed on Jan. 20.
It will collect all revenues from foreign sources.
"We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair… pic.twitter.com/F1PIrWJUrh
However, Andrew Feinberg, the White House correspondent for the U.K.’s Independent, argues that “the president-elect seems unaware that an ‘external revenue service’ has existed since July 31, 1789.”
Feinberg stated that this day marks the anniversary of George Washington signing the legislation that created the U.S. Customs Service, the predecessor of today’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The Hillhas more as reactions continue to come in:
Trump pledged during his 2024 campaign to impose import taxes of 10 percent to 20 percent on all foreign goods, with tariffs of up to 60 percent on Chinese goods. He stepped up those threats after his election with threats to impose additional tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China — the U.S.’s three largest trading partners.
Collecting tariffs is currently the responsibility of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is housed within the Department of Homeland Security.
Under the current system, CBP collects tariffs from U.S.-based importers of foreign goods subject to import taxes. The importer — not the foreign country or company from which the product was exported — must pay the tax to CBP.
In his first term in office, Trump imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, including from Canada and Mexico, and compelled both countries to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with terms meant to boost U.S. manufacturing and improve compliance with labor laws.
Details regarding the structure and implementation of the ERS remain unclear, but the announcement aligns with Trump’s campaign promises to prioritize American interests in global trade.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.
Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced in a statement that he intends to vote to confirm Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to serve as Secretary of State.
“Senator Rubio and I share many similar views on foreign policy and as a result, have worked closely together in the Senate to move forward with legislation regarding human rights around the world, the continued threat of China, and the recent sham election in Venezuela,” Durbin said in the statement.
“I believe Senator Rubio has a thorough understanding of the United States’ role on an international scale, has served with honor on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and is a good choice to lead the State Department. I plan to vote yes on his nomination when it comes before the Senate,” the Democrat lawmaker noted.
President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Monday, announced Rubio as his pick for the cabinet post back in November.
Rubio is likely to sail through confirmation on a bipartisan basis.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) previously called Rubio “a strong choice,” and indicated that he will support confirmation.
Rubio’s current Senate term runs through early 2029, so if he resigns to serve in the Trump administration, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will tap a replacement to represent the Sunshine State in the U.S. Senate until voters select a replacement during a 2026 special election for the seat.
Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, is currently on Capitol Hill meeting with the Armed Services Committee.
On Monday, U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon allowed the release of the volume of special counsel Jack Smith’s report dealing with President-elect Trump’s efforts to block the peaceful transfer of power.
In a five-page ruling, Cannon denied an effort by Trump and his two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago documents case to block the release of both volumes of the report, noting that prosecutors argued the election inference report has little to do with the ongoing trial against the two men.
“Based on these representations, the Court sees an insufficient basis to grant emergency injunctive relief as to Volume I,” Cannon wrote.
However, Cannon ordered a Jan. 17 hearing on whether to release the Mar-a-Lago report, something Attorney General Merrick Garland said he planned to keep sealed from the public given the ongoing prosecution into valet Walt Nauta and property manager Carlos de Oliveira.
Special Counsel Jack Smith resigned from the Department of Justice on Friday, days after finishing his criminal investigations into President-elect Donald Trump and ahead of his inauguration.
According to a footnote in a court filing sent to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Saturday afternoon, Smith concluded his investigations on Tuesday and would depart from the DOJ on Friday. The court filing from DOJ officials asked Cannon not to further extend a court order she issued in January to block the release of Smith’s report into Trump temporarily.
CNN’s Manju Raju predicted President-elect Trump’s Cabinet nominees will cruise through the confirmation process.
Raju’s colleague Jim Acosta kicked off a segment on Monday morning by noting that “13 of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks will be on Capitol Hill this week for their confirmation hearings before the Senate,” including Secretary of Defense-designate Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio.
“Manu, are any of these picks in jeopardy? What do you think?” asked Acosta.
“Right now, it appears that a lot of them — if not all of them — will be confirmed. But there are still questions about how they will perform at this, these critical sometimes make-or-break moments during these confirmation hearings,” answered Raju. “Do they stumble? Do they offer any ammunition to one side or the other?”
He continued:
But for the moment, the Republicans are in line. And that’s really all that these nominees need in order to be confirmed. Remember, in order to get confirmed by the United States Senate, you need to have a simple majority of support. That means for the Republican-led Senate, which is 53-47, they can afford to lose three Republican senators on any party line vote. At the moment, we’re not hearing any opposition from Republican senators, many of them keeping their cards close to the vest. But there are several ones that we’re watching very closely this week.
One of them, Pete Hegseth, coming before the Senate Armed Services Committee tomorrow. He has had a number of controversies emerge, including allegations of sexual assault back in 2017, allegations of excessive drinking on the job, and mismanagement of a veterans organization that he headed up. He has denied all of that. How does he perform when he is asked about that at the hearings?
President-elect Donald Trump’s former adviser Steve Bannon is not afraid to publicly go to battle against billionaire businessman Elon Musk, calling him “truly evil” during a recent interview.
In an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, as highlighted by Mediaite, Bannon sharply criticized Musk, who was tapped by Trump to co-lead the “Department of Government Efficiency.”
“I will have Elon Musk run out of here by Inauguration Day,” Bannon said. “He is a truly evil guy, a very bad guy. I made it my personal thing to take this guy down.”
Trump is set to take office for the second time next Monday. Musk’s influence in the next administration remains unclear but he has been tapped to help lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which is tasked with cutting wasteful government spending.
Bannon criticized Musk over the continued debate over H-1B visas. Musk is supportive of the work program that allows the U.S. to attract international talent. Trump’s base, however, is not supportive of the program, fueling a fight over the topic.
Musk himself was once an H-1B visa holder, as he is from South Africa.
“This thing of the H-1B visas, it’s about the entire immigration system is gamed by the tech overlords, they use it to their advantage, the people are furious,” Bannon said.
He slammed Musk’s heritage, calling South Africans the most racist people on Earth.
“He should go back to South Africa,” Bannon said. “Why do we have South Africans, the most racist people on Earth, white South Africans, we have them making any comments at all on what goes on in the United States?”
Bannon continued to pile on the criticism, saying Musk has a maturity of a “little boy” and only has an interest in increasing his wealth.
President Joe Biden hugs his family during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. (DOD Photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Carlos M. Vazquez II)
The House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said the panel will continue its investigation into Hunter Biden’s criminal activity in a Thursday interview with Politico.
“We think we need to look at David Weiss, the special counsel,” Jordan told the outlet.
“There will be some additional work we need to do, I think, there because when we deposed him, he wasn’t willing to — he didn’t answer any questions, really, because it was [an] ongoing investigation,” he added.
He criticized President Biden for pardoning his son ahead of his exit from the White House on all crimes committed in a 10-year period.
“I didn’t agree with it. I think a lot of Americans didn’t,” Jordan said.
But he added that “the president can pardon anyone he wants to pardon.”
Jordan’s committee launched a broad probe into Hunter Biden and his uncle James Biden for alleged unethical business dealings which prompted their testimony before members of Congress last year.
Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Ohio Senator JD Vance officially resigned from the Senate ahead of being sworn in as vice president on January 20.
Vance, who has served in the Senate since early 2023, resigned around two years into his six-year Senate term.
“I hereby resign my office as a United States Senator from the State of Ohio, effective January 10, 2025,” Vance said in the resignation letter to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine that is circulating online.
“As I prepare to assume my duties as Vice President of the United States, I would like to express that it has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve the people of Ohio in the Senate over the past two years,” Vance added.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) noted in a post on X that he “will really miss having” Vance as a Senate colleague.
“Over the last two years, he’s become a dear friend and trusted ally,” Lee noted. “But the Senate’s loss is also the Senate’s gain, as he is about to become the president of the Senate—a job that belongs to the vice president.”
“To the people of Ohio, I extend my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of representing you in the United States Senate. When I was elected to this office, I promised to never forget where I came from, and I’ve made sure to live by that promise every single day,” Vance said in a statement about his Senate resignation.
“The American people have granted President Trump an undeniable mandate to put America first, both at home and abroad. Over the next four years, I will do all that I can to help President Trump enact his agenda. Together, we will make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous than ever before,” he added.
President-elect Trump has named a number of nominees to flesh out his incoming Administration…
Check back in to stay up-to-date on the Trump administration:
Vice President JD Vance
Status: Certified
Current: Kamala Harris
Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio Senator and author of the bestselling book Hillbilly Eulogy, will be confirmed. The certification of the election will occur on Jan. 6 2025.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
Status: Announced
Current: Ron Klain
Trump announced the appointment of Wiles as White House chief of staff. This position does not require Senate confirmation.
Wiles will make history as the first woman White House Chief of Staff.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio
Status: Announced
Trump nominated Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to succeed Antony Blinken as Secretary of State.
Blinken was confirmed on January 26, 2021, by a vote of 78-22.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
Status: Announced
Current: Ret. Gen. Lloyd Austin
Trump announced the selection of Fox News contributor Pete Hegseth as his nominee for secretary of Defense. Hegseth has faced an uphill road to confirmation over allegations of sexual assault and alcohol abuse which he has vehemently denied.
Sen. Joni Ernst recently annoucned her plans to support Hegseth’s confirmation in a statement:
I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.
1/5/24 UPDATE: According to three sources, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told incoming President Trump that Hegseth has the votes to be confirmed, though he refused to publicly comment on the matter
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem
Status: Announced
Current: Alejandro Mayorkas
Trump tapped South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to serve as the next Secretary of Homeland Security.
HOLY SH*T 🚨 DHS Secretary Kristi Noem fully supports Donald Trump’s deportation plan 🔥
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Status: Announced
Current: Xavier Beccera
President-elect Donald Trump announced Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has his choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). RFK Jr. previouslt ran against Trump as an Independent before suspending his campaign and endorsing the Republican.
Attorney General Pam Bondi
Status: Announced
Current: Merrick Garland
President-elect Donald Trump nominated Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to the key Cabinet position in late November after former Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination.
Trump initially nominated Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz to be Attorney General but he withdrew from consideration after it became clear he would not muster the required support for confirmation. Congress recently released an ethics report finding the former lawmaker “engaged in sexual misconduct, used illicit drugs, “shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, and/or accepted a bribe, improper gratuity, or impermissible gifts.”
Gaetz has not been charged with any crimes.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard
Status: Announced
Current: Avril Haines
Trump tapped former Democrat presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard to be his Director of National Intelligence.
In a statement, Trump said, “For over two decades, Tulsi has fought for our Country and the Freedoms of all Americans. As a former Candidate for the Democrat Presidential Nomination, she has broad support in both Parties – She is now a proud Republican! 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.”
United Nations Ambassador Elise Stefanik
Status: Announced
Current: Linda Thomas-Greenfield
“I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter,” Trump said in a statement to the New York Post.
Stefanik, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, also released a statement:
“I am truly honored to earn President Trump’s nomination to serve in his Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations,” Stefanik told the Post. “During my conversation with President Trump, I shared how deeply humbled I am to accept his nomination and that I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate. President Trump’s historic landslide election has given hope to the American people and is a reminder that brighter days are ahead — both at home and abroad.”
FBI Director Kash Patel
Gage Skidmore Flickr
Status: Announced
Current: Christopher Wray
“Kash did an incredible job during my First Term, where he served as Chief of Staff at the Department of Defense, Deputy Director of National Intelligence, and Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Kash has also tried over 60 jury trials,” Trump posted to Truth Social shortly after his announcement.
“This FBI will end the growing crime epidemic in America, dismantle the migrant criminal gangs, and stop the evil scourge of human and drug trafficking across the Border. Kash will work under our great Attorney General, Pam Bondi, to bring back Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity to the FBI.”
Check back for updates…
The article was published with permission from Official Trump Tracker.
