Newsom talked about getting California lawmakers on the same page ahead of the Trump administration

California Governor Gavin Newsom rallied Democratic members of the state’s California delegation as they steeled themselves for a Trump presidency in a closed-door lunch meeting over sandwiches in a Capitol office building Wednesday afternoon. Newsom told reporters he and the lawmakers talked about getting on the same page ahead of California’s upcoming special legislative session […]

Rubio report casts spotlight on Trump transition leaks

News of Marco Rubio’s selection as Donald Trump’s secretary of State Monday night prompted a flurry of reports about Trump’s forthcoming announcement of one of his most important cabinet positions. Except Tuesday rolled around, and now Wednesday, and Trump has yet to officially name Rubio as his pick. As of midday Wednesday, more than 41 […]

Cotton defeats Ernst for No. 3 spot in Senate GOP leadership

Senate Republicans have tapped Sen. Tom Cotton, an unwavering conservative, to be their Republican Conference chair, elevating a lawmaker known for his hawkish foreign policy positions and efforts to restrict immigration into a top-tier leadership role. Cotton (R-Ark.), who is serving his second term after being elected in 2014, bested Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa.) for […]

Trump thanks Biden for smooth transition

President-elect Donald Trump thanked President Joe Biden for overseeing a smooth transition of power during an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday that marked the rivals’ first face-to-face meeting since the election. “I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth,” Trump said as the two men sat stiffly in oversized chairs, a fire roaring in […]

House Democrats start to air post-election grievances

Rank-and-file House Democrats started to air their grievances with leadership about what they think went wrong on Election Day, as the party began its internal reckoning in their first closed-door meeting since last Tuesday’s vote led to the likely loss of their majority. House Democratic leaders announced a series of three listening sessions over the […]

Thune wins contested race for Senate GOP leader

John Thune will lead the Senate Republican conference next term, winning a three-way election to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in a closed-door vote on Wednesday. The South Dakotan will take over in January at the turn of the new Congress, when Republicans are expected to control the government trifecta: the House, Senate and the […]

Trump endorses Johnson hours ahead of GOP speaker vote

President-elect Donald Trump appeared to back Mike Johnson’s speakership bid during his visit with the House GOP Wednesday morning, hours ahead of an internal party leadership vote, according to five people in the room. “He said, ‘I am with him all the way,’” according to two people. Trump is meeting with House Republicans hours before […]

Trump names 4 top campaign advisers to senior White House roles

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that a handful of loyalists from his campaign will join him in the White House as senior aides. Dan Scavino will serve as deputy chief of staff; Stephen Miller will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security adviser; James Blair will serve as deputy chief […]

Johnson tells House GOP he has no challengers for leadership race

Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans behind closed doors that he doesn’t have any challengers to his candidacy right now, according to four people familiar with the matter. The private comments come after two people familiar with the private discussions told POLITICO on Tuesday night that members of the House Freedom Caucus would not throw […]