Here’s what we’re watching in transition world today:
🗓️ What we’re watching
- Pete Hegseth and his allies attempted to salvage his nomination to lead the Pentagon on Wednesday, but it’s unclear whether their joint efforts would be enough. Donald Trump was still publicly supporting the nomination, but people close to the president-elect said he has been mulling contingency plans.
- Trump is eager for details on Hegseth’s meetings on the hill, Playbook reports this morning. He’s especially keen on learning more about Hegseth’s conservation with Sen. Joni Ernst, who described it as “frank and thorough.”
- Trump is finally allowing the FBI to vet his nominees, but it doesn’t mean he has to listen to the bureau. As president, Trump can grant security clearances to anyone, even if the FBI raises issues.
- A return to the White House for Trump is helping revitalize Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political fortune.
👀 What’s Trump up to?
- Trump has lined up his first network interview since winning the election with NBC’s Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” set to air at 10:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. The interview will take place on Friday.
📝ICYMI: Here are the latest Cabinet picks
- Trump tapped former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler to lead the Small Business Administration
- Former Missouri Rep. Billy Long was picked to be the IRS’s new commissioner
- Trump changed his mind Wednesday about his White House’s top lawyer, elevating David Warrington to the role just three weeks after initially giving the job to veteran GOP lawyer William McGinley
- Trump said he will nominate former Wall Street regulator Paul Atkins to run the Securities and Exchange Commission
- Trump selected finance professor Michael Faulkender to be deputy Treasury secretary
- Investor Daniel Driscoll was tapped to become the next secretary of the Army
- Trump picked Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and space explorer, to be the head of NASA.