Trump makes first cabinet pick, eyes Putin Talks
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump made his first cabinet appointment on Thursday following his decisive election victory, signaling his intent to shift away from the outgoing administration’s policies, including by seeking talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump announced that his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, would serve as his White House chief of staff.
Wiles will be the first woman to hold the high-profile role and marks Trump’s first official appointment to his incoming administration.
Trump’s overwhelming win over Democrat Kamala Harris is already making waves in both U.S. and international politics, just two days after Election Day and more than two months before his formal return to the White House.
Meanwhile, Putin praised Trump as “courageous” for his response to an assassination attempt during a rally in July, and expressed readiness to engage in discussions with the president-elect.
Billionaire Donald Trump later told NBC News that, while he had not yet spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin—whom he has repeatedly praised over the years—since his victory, he expected they would have a conversation soon.
This marked a stark contrast to the frosty relations between President Biden and Putin, particularly since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It also highlighted Trump’s ongoing criticism of U.S. support for Ukraine. Trump has previously stated that he would seek to negotiate a peace deal to end the conflict. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke with Trump on Wednesday, cautioned that calls for a ceasefire could be “dangerous.”
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping became one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate Trump, continuing the pattern of international recognition for the president-elect. During the election campaign, Trump had faced criticism from Kamala Harris for his friendly ties with autocratic leaders like Putin and Xi.
Trump also reaffirmed his hardline stance on immigration, doubling down on plans for mass deportations of undocumented migrants. He told NBC that he had “no choice” but to pursue such measures and added that there was “no price tag” too high to enforce stricter immigration policies.
– ‘Orderly’ –
As Trump began to work at his Florida resort on his transition team, Biden pledged a peaceful and “orderly” transfer of power.
Biden, 81, urged Americans in a solemn televised address to “bring down the temperature,” in stark contrast to Trump’s refusal to accept his 2020 election defeat.
The Democrat has invited Trump for talks at the White House. But Biden’s spokeswoman said Trump’s team had not yet signed key documents allowing the legal transition process to start.
In his speech from the Rose Garden of the White House, Biden called for unity while urging Democrats not to lose hope, saying: “Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated.”
Yet finger-pointing has already erupted in the party over Biden’s initial decision to run for a second term despite his age, before dropping out at the last minute in July and handing the reins to Harris, his vice president.
The White House denied Biden had any regrets. “He believed it was the right decision to make at that time,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Trump’s election in the face of a criminal conviction for fraud, two impeachments and the fact that he is the oldest-ever elected president at 78 reflected voters’ desire for change from the Biden years.
Voter concerns over the economy and migration drove Trump’s victory.
– Trump 2.0 –
Trump’s first cabinet pick Wiles enjoys wide support within his team and was notably called on stage during his victory speech on Wednesday morning.
“Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again,” Trump said of the steely 67-year-old Florida native.
The other frontrunners for a place in the Trump 2.0 administration reflect the disruptive shape it is likely to take.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading figure in the anti-vaccine movement for whom Trump has pledged a “big role” in health care, told NBC News on Wednesday that “I’m not going to take away anybody’s vaccines.”
But the former independent candidate reiterated that the Trump administration would recommend removing fluoride — a mineral US authorities say aids dental and skeletal health — from public water supplies.
The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, could also be in line for a job auditing government waste after the right-wing SpaceX, Tesla and X boss enthusiastically backed Trump.
Trump is expected to wield the axe on many of Biden’s signature policies. He returns to the White House as a climate change denier, poised to take apart Biden’s green policies with his pledge to “drill, baby, drill” for oil.
He may find it hard to dismantle some of Biden’s investment legislation, which pumps money into many Congressional districts where members would be loath to see it go.
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