The once-fringe idea of Democrats appearing on conservative-leaning media is suddenly going mainstream in the wake of the party's 2024 election losses.

Why it matters: Nearly a dozen House Democrats tell Axios that party members need to increase their appearances on conservative-leaning and non-traditional platforms, or risk irrelevance.

• They say they no longer can look past the huge audiences offered by Fox News and conservative podcasts, whose messaging power became evident when Republicans swept the White House and both chambers of Congress in last month's election.
• "If half the country is watching and we gotta win 50% plus one, how can you reach anybody when you're not talking where they go?" Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) told Axios.

Driving the news: Most Democrats still prefer to stick to friendly outlets such as MSNBC or the more neutral CNN, where they can typically avoid confrontations and adversarial interviews.

• "I think one of the lessons learned from the 2024 election is that we have all but ceded alternative media to the conservative movement," said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).
• "If we have confidence in our message, we should be prepared to take our message to every corner of the ecosystem — including in politically hostile environments."

Zoom in: Some Democrats — inside and outside of Congress — have expressed post-election jealousy over how President-elect Trump used a hyper-focused media strategy to connect with specific voter demographics, particularly young men, by appearing on podcasts and YouTube shows with massive followings.

• Democrats say many of their own campaigns — from Vice President Harris' on down — focused too much on friendly outlets with declining audiences that already agreed with them.

Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) — who was re-elected in a district where Trump defeated Harris by nearly 10 percentage points — outlined a more local approach to this strategy.

• Golden told Axios that he goes on local conservative radio shows in Maine: "You've got to contest every corner ... Otherwise all they hear is what's said about you by the other side."

Zoom out: Adversarial media appearances by Democrats were rare during Trump's first presidency until several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates — including Bernie Sanders and Pete Buttigieg — appeared in Fox News town halls.

• As transportation secretary, Buttigieg has gone further, using Fox as a venue to clinically defend Democrats' positions while skewering Republicans in front of many of their own voters.
• But only now — in the wake of 2024's election disappointments and amid calls for a Democratic rebrand— is Buttigieg's approach being widely embraced.

Between the lines: As cable news networks face declining viewership numbers across the board, Fox News Channel is still maintaining its relevance. It ended 2024 as the most-watched network during the election cycle — and saw increasing viewership among Democrats and independents.

• Fox News was the most-watched news network across the seven swing states last month's election.

Even progressives are beginning to embrace the idea of expanding Democrats' media reach: "My view is, as much engagement as possible is good," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Axios.

• Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), another progressive, told Axios that "as a gay woman, I have a particular view on the world and I actually think that it could be really helpful in this moment."

Several Democrats told Axios that revamping their party's media strategy should involve much more than simply going on conservative-leaning media.

• Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), co-chair of House Democrats' political messaging arm, underscored that appearing on conservative media is important, but it's not "where the jackpot is."
• "We need to speak to people who don't consume news as a hobby.... That's not just going on Fox News ... it's going on places of culture, sports, different things like that," he said.

The other side: Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) is among the Democrats who are more skeptical about engaging with conservative media.

• "People that watch Fox News have their minds made up about the type of rhetoric that they want to listen to," Crockett said.
• "God bless those that go on there, but I don't think that we're really changing the minds of the people that have decided that they want to watch that bullsh*t," she added.

The bottom line: Beyond simply going on alternative media himself, Moskowitz said he has actively been trying to persuade colleagues to follow his lead.

• Asked whether he thinks he's changed some minds, he told Axios: "I think I have, because I think you're seeing the number of people increasing that are doing that."

Go deeper: Fetterman on an island as he reaches out to MAGA

The U.S. House failed to pass a bill to extend federal funding on Thursday night — just one day before the government is set to shut down.

Why it matters: The spending measure's demise prolongs a chaotic fight that has seen House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) forced to repeatedly change tactics.

• The Trump-backed bill failed to garner the necessary two-thirds majority, with more than three dozen Republicans and nearly all Democrats opposing it.
• The level of GOP opposition signals that Republican leaders will have difficulty trying to bring it up under another process.

Driving the news: The final vote was 235 members voting against the bill and 174 voting in favor — with 38 Republicans voting against the measure and two Democrats voting in support.

State of play: Johnson had initially cut a deal with Democratic leaders on a nearly 1,550 page bill to extend government funding until March 14.

• The bill was packed with bipartisan legislative priorities, including disaster relief, farm aid and a pay raise for members of Congress.
• But the GOP's right-flank descended on the measure, with billionaire-turned-Trump-adviser Elon Musk emerging as a particular critic, culminating in Trump torpedoing it on Wednesday.
• Johnson then scrambled to rewrite the bill, cutting several provisions and tacking on a two-year debt ceiling extension that Trump demanded.

What they're saying: Democrats emerged from a closed-door meeting Thursday uniformly opposed to the bill and furious at Republicans for going back on the initial deal.

• "To come back with this proposal which demolishes loads of significant things that were in the agreement, is an affront and an insult especially because they didn't even consult our leadership," said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).
• The revised bill was also insufficient for some conservative deficit hawks, with Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) among the bill's opponents.

Go deeper: House Democrats land on "hell no" on GOP spending deal

Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled Thursday to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from President-elect Trump's state 2020 election interference case over a conflict of interest.

Why it matters: It's another major legal victory for Trump, who has repeatedly accused Willis of impropriety due to a relationship with the lead prosecutor on the case.

• The Georgia 2020 election case is Trump's last remaining criminal case that was set to go to trial. Two federal cases against him have been dropped since his election win.
• Willis' disqualification casts the case into limbo, while Trump is also fighting to have his New York hush money case thrown out following his May 2024 conviction.

Driving the news: "After carefully considering the trial court's findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office," the Georgia appeals court said in its ruling.

• The court noted that "an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification," but said this is a "rare case" in which "no other remedy" but disqualification "will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings."
• The appeals court stopped short of throwing out the charges Willis' office brought against Trump in the case, writing in its ruling, "We affirm, however, the denial of the appellants' motion to dismiss the indictment."

What's next: The case appears headed to Georgia's Supreme Court after the state filed its notice of intent to appeal on Thursday, hours after the ruling came down.

• There is no timeline for when the case might be heard or when a ruling will be issued.

Catch up quick: Thursday's decision reverses an earlier ruling that Willis and her office could stay on the case if special prosecutor Nathan Wade, with whom she had a romantic relationship, stepped aside.

• Judge Scott McAfee in March ruled that despite the "appearance of impropriety, " Willis' relationship with Wade brought no conflict of interest. Defense lawyers had argued that she improperly benefited from Wade taking part in the case.

What they're saying: Trump said the Georgia case is "entirely dead" when speaking to Fox News Digital on Thursday.

• He added that the "wonderful patriots" involved in the case — the 18 co-defendants indicted alongside him — should "receive an apology."

Trump spokesperson Steven Chung said in a statement that Americans have "demanded an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system" and want a "swift dismissal of all the Witch Hunts against him."

The big picture: Trump and 18 co-defendants were indicted in August 2023 over alleged efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results.

• The initial 41-count indictment has since been whittled down by McAfee, but Trump still faces eight charges in the case, down from the original 13.
• Several of the 19 co-defendants in the case accepted plea deals. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

Editor's note: This story was updated with reaction, additional details from the ruling and background.

President-elect Trump said "everybody wants to be my friend" as he prepares to return to the White House, a notable shift from his first term where "everybody was fighting me."

Why it matters: Trump's first press conference since winning back the White House was a sprawling affair that that touched on everything from supposed drone spottings, the parade of tech CEOs seeking his time, and pardoning embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

• "I don't know, my personality changed or something," Trump said on Monday, in response to a question about his recent meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. He said that he was also planning to meet with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in the coming days.

Driving the news: Trump answered questions on a number of topics. Here's what else the president-elect said:

• Eric Adams: Trump said he would consider pardoning the New York City Mayor who was indicted on bribery and fraud charges earlier this fall. "I think that he was treated pretty unfairly."
• Drones: "The government knows what is happening. Look, our military knows where they took off from," Trump said of recent drone sightings.
• "They know where it came from and where it went and for some reason they don't want to comment."
• U.S. Postal Service: "There is talk about the postal service being taken private ... not the worst idea I've ever heard, it really isn't," Trump said, adding that "we're looking at" privatizing the service.
• Sen. Marco Rubio's seat: Trump said that he's not sure whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will select Lara Trump, the president-elect's daughter-in-law, to replace Rubio's seat after he was selected as secretary of state.
• "I don't know. Ron's doing a good job, it's his choice. Nothing to do with me," Trump said. "Lara's unbelievable," he said in praise of the former RNC co-chair.
• Media lawsuits: Trump said that he would sue pollster Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register over their poll that found Vice President Harris leading over Trump by three percentage points days before the election.
• "I'm not doing this because I want to, I'm doing this because I feel I have an obligation to," Trump said.
• ABC recently agreed to donate $15 million to Trump's museum foundation to settle a suit over comments by anchor George Stephanopoulos.
• 'DOGE': Trump said that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will eliminate "hundreds of billions of dollars of waste and fraud" through the newly created Department of Government Efficiency. Trump said they're looking to save "maybe $2 trillion."

Between the lines: Trump's press conference stands in stark contrast to President Biden's relatively low number of press conferences during his term.

Go deeper: Takeaways from Trump's "Meet the Press" interview

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has become a voice of bipartisanship, making moves that he tells Axios are "responsible and completely appropriate" — but that are putting him on an island, apart from other Democrats.

• As the vast majority of Democrats on Capitol Hill fume over many of Donald Trump's Cabinet picks and his plans for a second term, Fetterman is showing a rare willingness to engage with parts of MAGA world.

Why it matters: It's easy to think Fetterman could be a new version of Democrat-turned-independent Joe Manchin, a West Virginian who occasionally has frustrated Democrats and the Biden administration with his legislative demands.

• That would be wrong. Fetterman — the casually attired challenger of the Senate's suit-and-tie tradition — is a reliable Democratic vote who's emerging as an independent voice within his party simply by emphasizing the need to talk more with the other side.

Driving the news: This week, Fetterman became the first Democratic senator to agree to meet with Trump's embattled pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth.

• Fetterman's decision to meet with Hegseth is likely to face backlash from some of his Democratic colleagues who are infuriated by Trump's choice of Hegseth, who's battling allegations involving drinking and sexual misconduct.

What he's saying: But Fetterman, who has shrugged as the progressive wing of his party tossed darts his way over his strong support for Israel during the Gaza war, told Axios that he sees meeting with Hegseth as an important part of the democratic process — and good politics.

• If Hegseth is "going to be the head of one of the most important parts of our government, then do you think I'm doing a job by flipping anyone off and saying, 'I'm not going to talk to him or just have a conversation?' " he asked.
• Fetterman said it would be "reckless and .... would be distressing if we're willing to completely turn our back" on conversations with people who could have leadership positions in Trump's administration.
• Fetterman is a rare Democrat who has publicly backed Trump's pick of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to serve as ambassador to the United Nations.

Between the lines: Fetterman staunchly rejects any comparisons to Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), both of whom are leaving the Senate next month and have been repeated thorns in Democrats' side.

• "I'm not leaving my party, I just happen to have reasonable views and I don't know why that's controversial," Fetterman told the New York Times in October, when asked about his break with his party's progressive wing.

Zoom in: Fetterman's political calculus is evident — he represents a politically divided swing state that went for Trump and ousted Pennsylvania's senior senator, Democrat Bob Casey, in last month's election.

• That's likely a big reason why he's also become one of a few Democrats who — like Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a regular guest on Fox News — is willing to engage with conservative-leaning platforms.
• Fetterman jumped onto Trump-owned Truth Social this week, joining a relatively small number of Democrats — none of them in the Senate — who are on the platform.
• His first post called Trump's criminal hush-money case in New York — and Hunter Biden's conviction — "bullshit," and said the president-elect should be pardoned, just as President Biden's son was.
• In November, Fetterman went on Joe Rogan's popular podcast, which many Democrats had been urging Vice President Harris to go on as the party's presidential nominee this fall.
• "It's really a simple rule: I'll have a conversation with anyone, if they're playing it straight, I'm going to do the same and engage," Fetterman said.

State of play: Any outlier acts by Fetterman could be amplified next year when the Senate loses strong swing state and red-state voices in Manchin, Sinema and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).

• Given the politics of his state, Fetterman often casts his willingness to engage with MAGA-world as pragmatism, even as some of his Democratic colleagues plot the "Resistance" against Trump's agenda.
• "If you're in a hard blue state," Fetterman told Axios, "you have the luxury to say all kinds of things."

Go deeper: Jeffries takes charge of the Democratic resistance

More than a dozen congressional Democrats plan to sit out President-elect Trump's inauguration, and many more are anxiously grappling with whether to attend, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Not every Democrat skipping the ceremony will do so to protest Trump — but a formal boycott is materializing as a first act of resistance against the incoming president.

• For many Democrats, the scars of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol remain fresh in the mind, marking Trump as a threat to democracy.
• "For somebody who he said he's going to lock me up, I don't see the excitement in going to see his inauguration," former Jan. 6 committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told Axios.

State of play: Martin Luther King Jr. Day coinciding with the Jan. 20 inaugural ceremony gives many Democrats an easy out, though others planning to stay away cited a distaste for inaugurations, a loathing of Trump — and even fears for their safety.

• Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) said that as a Latina, she doesn't "feel safe coming" with Trump's supporters pouring in for the ceremony. "I'm not going to physically be in D.C. on that day," she told Axios.
• Similarly, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said that attending MLK Day events instead "makes sense, because why risk any chaos that might be up here?"
• For other members, the reasoning is more mundane: Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) "almost never attends inaugurations" and has only been to two during his 28 years in office, his spokesperson told Axios.

What we're hearing: Incoming Progressive Caucus chair Greg Casar (D-Texas), who hasn't decided whether to attend, told Axios, "I think you'll have some number of Democrats who go and a substantial number who don't."

• "There are civil rights organizations that are trying to set up alternatives," said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), adding that Trump's inauguration "seems like the worst place to spend Martin Luther King Day."
• Several progressives predicted that the boycott won't be confined solely to the party's left flank.

Zoom in: Dozens of Democrats boycotted Trump's first inauguration in 2017, led by the now-deceased congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis.

• But the Jan. 6 attack, for which Democrats hold Trump squarely responsible, has added a new layer of disgust for some.
• Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) told Axios he "cannot be a part of that spectacle" as someone who was "locked in my office ... as the insurrectionists tried to overthrow our government."
• "I was trapped in the [House] gallery on Jan. 6," Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) said, explaining her intention to skip the ceremonies.

Between the lines: Many undecideds are painfully trying to balance their sense of obligation with their detestation for Trump, as USA Today first detailed on Thursday.

• Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) expressed alignment with his colleagues who cannot bring themselves to go — but said he also believes members of Congress are "supposed to go to all of that stuff."
• "I'm struggling," the veteran lawmaker conceded.

The other side: A sizable number of Democrats are prepared to grit their teeth and show up — if only to try to rebuild public faith in national institutions after the events that followed the 2020 election.

• "I'm planning to attend ... because I believe in the peaceful transition of power and I respect the Office of the President," Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) told Axios.
• Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said progressives "are coming down in different ways," but that she feels "it's important that we try to establish norms again" after Jan. 6.

The bottom line: For many lawmakers, the question simply isn't a priority at the moment.

• Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), asked whether he plans to attend, told Axios: "Pssh, is that the burning issue of the day?"

Axios' Stephen Neukam and Stef Kight contributed reporting for this story.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s campaign manager and daughter-in-law Amaryllis Fox Kennedy is making a push to serve as deputy director at the CIA next year — and RFK Jr. is making calls on her behalf, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: Fox Kennedy, an integral member of Kennedy's campaign, wrote a memoir detailing nearly a decade working at the CIA. The deputy director position does not require Senate confirmation.

• President-elect Trump, who has signaled plans to try to overhaul U.S. intelligence agencies during his second term, has already named former intelligence director John Ratcliffe to lead the CIA.
• The deputy position is one of the highest-profile intelligence jobs that remains open. Politico reported last month that Kash Patel, who has been tapped for FBI director, and Cliff Sims, a former Trump administration official, were jockeying for the role.
• Fox Kennedy did not respond to Axios outreach for this story.

Zoom in: Fox Kennedy in 2019 published a memoir, "Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA," that provided one of the most detailed personal accounts of life in the agency.

• Fox Kennedy has said she was recruited by the CIA in her early 20s, becoming one of the youngest female officers at the agency.
• She said she was a "nonofficial cover," meaning she posed as a citizen under a fake identity and had no diplomatic protections.

Between the lines: Fox Kennedy reportedly submitted the memoir to the book publisher without getting sign off from the CIA's Publication Review Board, stirring controversy within the agency.

• The board is supposed to approve any material from officers before becoming public to ensure that key intelligence matters remain secret, freelance journalist Yashar Ali reported at the time.

State of play: Fox Kennedy, who took over as Kennedy's campaign manager in October 2023, led his presidential bid as he navigated the arduous task of trying to get on the ballot in all 50 states as an independent candidate.

• Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and backed Trump.
• In November, Trump nominated Kennedy to serve as director of the Department of Health and Human Services.

What they're saying: "President-Elect Trump has made brilliant decisions on who will serve in his second Administration at lightning pace," Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

• "Remaining decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made."
• A spokesperson for the Kennedy team did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Go deeper: Trump's plan to revamp the Justice Department

President Biden's pardon of his son Hunter ignited a debate over whether Biden was abusing his power for personal reasons, but he'll have to issue well over 100 more in his last few weeks in office to come close to his predecessors' totals.

Why it matters: The final days of a presidency are the season of pardons, as presidents seek to right what they see as judicial wrongs before they leave D.C. And after Biden's controversial pardon of his son, he's facing enormous pressure to flex his clemency muscle.

By the numbers: Biden actually has been reluctant to show mercy — handing out just 26 pardons and commuting 135 criminal sentences since he took office in January 2021. He's granted just 1.2% of the requests he's received, according to data from the Justice Department's Office of the Pardon Attorney.

• President-elect Trump — who had fewer acts of clemency than his recent predecessors during his first term — had granted 29 pardons at this point in 2020.
• But in the final weeks as the nation's 45th president, Trump nearly quintupled his number of pardons, ending with a total of 144.

What they're saying: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said this week that Biden — now being deluged with requests — is "thinking through that process [of end-of-year clemency announcements] very thoroughly."

• "I''m not going to get ahead of the president on this, but you could expect more ... pardons and clemency at the end of this term," she said.

Zoom in: Barack Obama, who had the most clemency grants of any president since Harry Truman, ended his two terms with 212 pardons and a whopping 1,715 commutations, far more than any recent president.

• The bulk of Obama's commutations cleared sentences for prisoners who had been convicted of drug charges.

Between the lines: Biden's decision to pardon his son drew outrage from Republicans and some Democrats who criticized the president for reneging on his promise not to pardon his son on gun and drug charges.

• But Biden is hardly the first president to grant a controversial, 11th-hour pardon family member or friend.
• On Bill Clinton's last day in office in 2001, he pardoned his half-brother, Roger Clinton Jr. — whose Secret Service code name was "Headache" — for his 1985 convictions on cocaine possession and drug trafficking. Roger Clinton was among 176 people pardoned that day.
• In 1974, Gerald Ford granted a "full, free and absolute pardon" to former President Nixon in an attempt to help the nation move on from the Watergate scandal that had led Nixon to resign.
• Ford paid a political price two years later when he lost the presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter, who campaigned on a promise to never lie to the American people.

Trump notoriously used his clemency power for people to whom he had personal or political ties. Weeks after he lost the 2020 presidential election, Trump pardoned Roger Stone, Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, among others.

• Manafort was a former Trump campaign manager who'd been sentenced to seven years in prison for bank and tax fraud and other crimes. Stone, a GOP operative and Trump loyalist, had been convicted of lying to Congress in the federal probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 election.
• Kushner, Ivanka Trump's father-in-law, was pardoned after serving two years in prison for tax evasion and retaliating against a federal witness. Trump now has nominated Kushner, a fellow billionaire, to be the U.S. ambassador to France.

The intrigue: Biden's White House is considering giving preemptive pardons to officials who could be targets for prosecution by the incoming Trump administration, Politico's Jonathan Martin reported.

• Trump repeatedly has vowed to use the government to retaliate against his political enemies.

Go deeper: Congress hands Biden a huge Hunter-driven pardon wishlist

Vivek Ramaswamy told Axios' Mike Allen at the Aspen Security Forum on Wednesday that he's "hopeful" that slashing the federal workforce could be "good for many of the individuals who make a transition from government service back to the private sector."

Why it matters: As co-chair alongside Elon Musk of the newly created "Department of Government Efficiency," Ramaswamy hopes to dramatically reduce federal government headcount.

• He said Wednesday that the reduction is not "really about saving costs," but addressing what he sees as an "overgrown federal government that is doing things that were never supposed to be done by the federal government in the first place."

What he's saying: Ramaswamy believes that cutting the workforce will improve the "productivity" of the U.S. economy, "because I don't believe that the highest and best use of any of those talented people is what they're doing in the federal government today."

• He said that because cutting the size of the workforce is not about cost-cutting, it gives DOGE "a lot of latitude" to treat federal employees and their families "in a respectful way, in a way that doesn't leave them in a lurch, it might even be by private sector standards, generous in transitioning."

Reality check: Despite that optimistic view, federal workers are unlikely to thank Ramaswamy for recommending they lose their jobs.

Between the lines: When he was running for president last year, Ramaswamy said that he would immediately fire 50% of "federal bureaucrats" if he was elected.

• But actually achieving those cuts will be much harder in practice, especially given that DOGE is only a non-governmental advisory committee.
• Musk and Ramaswamy could also face blowback from lawmakers who don't want their constituents who are federal employees to be out of work.

Go deeper: Vivek Ramaswamy to Axios: DOGE not planning cuts to Social Security, Medicare

Vivek Ramaswamy told Axios' Mike Allen at the Aspen Security Forum that it would be premature for his new efficiency commission — which he's co-leading with Elon Musk — to discuss sweeping cuts to Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid.

Why it matters: Those programs are by far the biggest lines in the federal budget, making them ripe targets for a commission with a mandate to slash spending. But cutting entitlements is also the third rail of American politics.

Ramaswamy said Wednesday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will look for waste and fraud in those programs, including people receiving payments who shouldn't be.

• But wholesale cuts to entitlements is "a policy decision that belongs to the voters" and their representatives in Congress, Ramaswamy said.

What he's saying: "Right now, there are hundreds of billions of dollars flowing out the door of all of those programs ending up in the hands of people who, even under the statute, should not be receiving those payments," Ramaswamy contended.

The big picture: Trump last month tapped Ramaswamy and Musk to run the new, non-governmental efficiency commission.

• The specifics of DOGE are still murky. But Trump has signaled he wants to give Musk and Ramaswamy broad authority to cut what they see as bloat within the government.
• Ramaswamy said he expects DOGE to recommend major cuts to the federal workforce as part of a broader mission to shrink the unelected "fourth branch of government."

Zoom in: Ramaswamy, who mounted an unsuccessful bid for president himself, became a vocal Trump ally following the GOP primary and became a possible contender to serve as Trump's running mate.

Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Go deeper: Musk and Ramaswamy take to X to recruit "revolutionaries" for DOGE

President-elect Trump announced Saturday that he plans to replace FBI director Christopher Wray with Kash Patel, former chief of staff to the acting secretary of Defense.

Why it matters: Trump's decision to name a hardline loyalist to the key position — which requires Senate confirmation — amounts to a massive middle finger to the intelligence community, a longtime Trump nemesis.

What they're saying: "I am proud to announce that Kashyap 'Kash' Patel will serve as the next Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation," Trump said in the announcement.

• "Kash is a brilliant lawyer, investigator, and 'America First' fighter who has spent his career exposing corruption, defending Justice, and protecting the American People," Trump added.
• "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.

The big picture: Patel has echoed Trump's rhetoric of cleansing out the so-called "Deep State" and made similarly drastic proposals for the FBI.

• "I'd shut down the FBI Hoover Building on day one and reopen the next day as a museum of the deep state. And I'd take the 7,000 employees that work in that building and send them across America to chase down criminals," he said earlier this month.

How it happened: Patel has been the top choice for FBI director for Steve Bannon and his allies, who for weeks have been lobbying Trump to pick Patel despite his tough road to Senate confirmation.

• Patel served in Trump's National Security Council during his first term, as an adviser to the acting director of national intelligence and as chief of staff to former Defense Secretary Chris Miller.

Patel, the child of Indian immigrants and a former public defender, spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration's attention as a staffer for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, AP notes.

Go deeper: Trump calls on FBI head to resign for comment on Biden's competency

Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

President-elect Trump's vow to overhaul the Justice Department is often cast in sweeping, ominous language: He'd seek retribution against his enemies, back deportations of millions of undocumented immigrants, and more.

Driving the news: But Republicans have been dropping hints — some conflicting — with more details about Trump's plans once he takes office Jan. 20. Beyond Trump's campaign rhetoric, those clues have come from:

• Matt Gaetz, Trump's failed nominee for attorney general
• Trump's selection of Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, as the president-elect's new nominee for AG
• Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for Trump's second term put together by Trump allies. (He distanced himself from the plan during the campaign, but since the election his transition team appears to have warmed to it.)
• Trump himself, who according to a Washington Post report Friday plans to fire special counsel Jack Smith's team, which prosecuted Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Zoom in: During his meetings with Senator Republicans before his withdrawal as the nominee, Gaetz downplayed plans for the DOJ to go after Trump's political and legal enemies.

• He told the senators that he wanted to break "the cycle of weaponizing DOJ," The Bulwark reported, and focus more on immigration, investigations into antisemitism and voter fraud, among other things.
• Gaetz's comments could have been merely part of a strategy to appease Republicans wary of approving a nominee who'd been investigated over allegations of sex trafficking, corruption and drug use.
• But coming from Trump's top choice for AG, they also could have signaled a disconnect between the president-elect's campaign rhetoric on retribution and his true plans — at least as Gaetz saw them.

After Gaetz withdrew, Trump quickly turned to Bondi, a MAGA loyalist and veteran prosecutor who served on then-President Trump's opioid and drug abuse commission.

• Bondi represented Trump during his first impeachment trial and was among the lawyers supporting Trump's false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
• She would give the new administration a loyal, experienced prosecutor atop the DOJ who has expressed a willingness to fight what Trump calls the "weaponization" of the department.
• That could be particularly useful to Trump if he follows through on his threat to blur the traditional lines between the White House and an independent attorney general — and go after his political enemies.
• On Friday, the Post reported that Trump planned to have the DOJ investigate the 2020 election and fire Smith's team, whose actions he had long vowed to avenge. Trump also has signaled plans to remove FBI director Christopher Wray before Wray's term is up in 2027.
• "For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans," Trump said in announcing Bondi's nomination. "Not anymore. Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting crime, and Making America Safe Again."

Zoom out: Then there's Project 2025, the over 900-page manifesto that offers more clues on how Trump could revamp the Justice Department.

• The chapter on the DOJ — written by Gene Hamilton, an official with the department during Trump's first term — calls for a "top-to-bottom overhaul" that would involve more closely aligning DOJ with the president's agenda.
• It sees a "vast expansion" of political appointees to the DOJ, particularly in the civil rights division, the FBI and the Executive Office for Immigration Review, which helps oversee deportation procedures.

Between the lines: Trump previously announced plans to appoint Todd Blanche as deputy attorney general and Emil Bove as principal associate deputy attorney general.

• Bove and Blanche represented Trump during his hush-money trial in New York this year.
• Trump also plans to appoint John Sauer as solicitor general. Sauer represented Trump during the case at the Supreme Court that led the court to grant broad immunity to presidents for official actions while they're in office.
• If those three and Bondi are all confirmed by the Senate, Trump will have four of his personal lawyers in top posts at the DOJ — ready to carry out his sweeping legal agenda.

Go deeper: Behind the Curtain: Why Trump picked Gaetz

President-elect Trump announced Friday that he is naming Russ Vought to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Why it matters: OMB, which Vought also led during Trump's first term in the White House, is the government's central regulatory gatekeeper, exerting significant influence over the executive branch's agenda, which includes developing the president's budget request.

• Vought is a close Trump ally and prominent contributor to Project 2025, the conservative blueprint for governance.

Driving the news: "He did an excellent job serving in this role in my First Term - We cut four Regulations for every new Regulation, and it was a Great Success!" Trump said in a Truth Social post.

The big picture: Vought, who has had an active role in Trump transition efforts, had already met with Senate Republicans earlier this year on government funding.

• Vought was confirmed by the Senate by a vote of 51-45.

Zoom in: Vought wrote a section in the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 on the Executive Office.

• In the section, he described OMB as the "air-traffic control system with the ability and charge to ensure that all policy initiatives are flying in sync and with the authority to let planes take off and, at times, ground planes that are flying off course."

Go deeper: Scoop: Trump ally urges Senate GOP to punt funding fight to 2025

Editor's note: The story has been updated to correct the spelling of Russ Vought's name.

Matt Gaetz said Thursday that he is withdrawing his name from consideration for attorney general in President-elect Trump's second term.

Why it matters: The right-wing firebrand, who resigned from Congress after Trump nominated him, was one of the president-elect's most controversial Cabinet picks and his pathway to the confirmation appeared tenuous.

• It's the first setback for Trump in placing his allies in key Cabinet positions. The attorney general candidate is especially important for Trump — and he has signaled plans to overhaul the Justice Department in his second term.

Driving the news: Gaetz in a post on the social media platform X on Thursday said that, "while the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition."

• "There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General," he wrote.

The big picture: Gaetz's announcement comes one day after the House Ethics Committee — which had been investigating him over allegations of sex trafficking, corruption and drug use — voted against releasing a report of its findings.

• Gaetz resigned after Trump announced that he would nominate him for AG, raising questions about whether the House Ethics Committee report would ever be made public.

Between the lines: Trump this week had been personally lobbying for the embattled lawmaker, personally calling senators to urge them to confirm Gaetz, Axios' Juliegrace Brufke and Hans Nichols scooped.

• But the math for Gaetz was tight, with him just able to just lose three votes to be confirmed.
• Gaetz and Vice President-elect JD Vance met with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill earlier this week to try to gin up support for the controversial nominee.

What they're saying: Trump in a post on Truth Social after the announcement said that Gaetz "was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the administration, for which he has much respect."

• "Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!" Trump said.

Zoom in: Gaetz, who was also investigated by the Justice Department over sex trafficking allegations, has denied wrongdoing. The Justice Department did not bring charges against Gaetz last year.

Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

President-elect Trump on Tuesday selected transition co-chair Linda McMahon to serve as the secretary of the Department of Education.

Why it matters: Trump has repeatedly said that he wants to dismantle the Department of Education. McMahon, the former Small Business Administration director, will be secretary during what could be turbulent times for the department.

• Shutting down the Department of Education requires congressional approval and with Republicans holding a narrow majority in the Senate, Trump's bid faces a narrow path forward.
• But during his four years in office, he could try to put pressure on lawmakers to try to shutter the department.

Driving the news: "Linda has been a fierce advocate for Parents' Rights, working hard at both AFPI [America First Policy Institute] and America First Works (AFW) to achieve Universal School Choice in 12 States, giving children the opportunity to receive an excellent Education, regardless of zip code or income," Trump said in a statement.

• "As Secretary of Education, Linda will fight tirelessly to expand 'Choice' to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families," added Trump, of the former World Wrestling Entertainment executive.
• "Linda will use her decades of Leadership experience, and deep understanding of both Education and Business, to empower the next Generation of American Students and Workers, and make America Number One in Education in the World. We will send Education BACK TO THE STATES, and Linda will spearhead that effort."

Between the lines: Trump has been a supporter of school choice, which allows taxpayer money to be used for schooling options outside of traditional public schools, regardless of income.

• It's a controversial issue, with some critics wanting to keep taxpayer money strictly going to public schools, but it's a concept that has increased in popularity in recent years.

Zoom out: Trump on Tuesday selected McMahon's transition co-chair Howard Lutnick to serve as Commerce secretary, a position that McMahon had wanted for herself, per multiple reports.

• Lutnick, for his part, wanted to be named Treasury secretary, but Trump soured on the finalists and is considering other options for the high-profile job, transition sources tell Axios' Mike Allen and Courtenay Brown.

Go deeper: What happens if Trump eliminates the Department of Education

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on school choice and further context.

President-elect Trump's initial Cabinet picks show he's moving swiftly to implement the anti-trans, anti-DEI and anti-social justice agenda that underpinned his reelection campaign.

Why it matters: In the eyes of many Republicans, Trump's decisive election victory vindicated their hostility toward nebulous "woke" ideologies. In practice, their plans could mean purging the federal government of policies Democrats supported to reverse what they saw as unfairness and inequalities.

Trump's latest wave of Cabinet nominees include Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Matt Gaetz for attorney general — all of whom have blasted DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies as racially divisive.

• Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy — two of the most prominent critics of what they call "the woke mind virus" — have been tasked with "slashing and burning" federal spending from outside the government.

The big picture: "Woke" was a term popularized after the 2020 murder of George Floyd to describe plans to attack systemic racism with policies that encouraged cultural awareness and understanding.

• But conservatives have recast the term as a liberal threat to gender norms and what they consider traditional values.
• In recent years, Republicans in Congress and in red states have waged a legislative "war on woke" by targeting trans rights, racial diversity policies in academia, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles in business.
• Now, with control of the White House and both branches of Congress in 2025, Trump and the GOP have their sights trained on auditing and overhauling three agencies in particular: the Pentagon, the Justice Department and the Department of Education.

Driving the news: Trump's shock nomination of Hegseth, a Fox News host, for defense secretary is the clearest sign yet that the president-elect wants his incoming Cabinet to be staffed by conservatives who oppose DEI initiatives.

• Hegseth, a decorated combat veteran, wrote a New York Times bestseller this year accusing the Pentagon's leadership of sabotaging military readiness and recruitment by prioritizing DEI.
• He has called for the firing of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., a four-star Air Force fighter pilot with 130 combat flying hours during his 40 years of service, for being too "woke." Hegseth suggested the top U.S. general might not have ascended to the role if he weren't Black.
• "Any general, admiral, whatever that was involved in any of the DEI 'woke' sh*t has gotta go," Hegseth said on a recent podcast, in which he also voiced opposition to women serving in combat roles.

Reality check: The military has fallen short of its recruiting goals in recent years, but Pentagon personnel officials have largely dismissed the notion that diversity issues are the main culprit.

• Low unemployment, private-sector wage growth and poor messaging about the benefits of enlistment — especially for Gen Z — have created a challenging environment for recruiting, officials testified last year.

Zoom in: Trump and his conservative allies have long seen the Department of Education as being at the center of their mission to eliminate what they view as left-wing ideologies in the classroom.

• Trump has proposed dismantling the department entirely — and vowed to "cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children."
• Project 2025, Trump allies' sweeping vision for overhauling the government, calls the Education Department a "one-stop shop for the woke education cartel."

Critical race theory, which holds that racism is baked into the formation of the nation and ingrained in our legal, financial and education systems, is rarely taught in K-12 schools.

• And Trump won't be able to eliminate the Education Department without Congress — though he's likely to roll back protections for transgender students that were approved during the Biden administration.

Between the lines: The "anti-woke" crusade's best chance to enact society-wide changes could come through the Justice Department, which Trump has nominated Gaetz to lead.

• Gaetz, a flame-throwing loyalist who has labeled DEI "racist and dangerous," would oversee a purge of career officials and the renovation — or potential shuttering — of DOJ's Civil Rights Division.
• Trump transition official Mark Paoletta accused career DOJ officials this week of blocking efforts to sue Yale University for alleged anti-Asian and anti-white discrimination during Trump's first term, and warned staff against "sabotaging" the new administration's agenda.
• "The American people overwhelmingly want to end DEI, ban boys from playing in girls' sports and using girls' locker rooms, secure our border, and deport illegal aliens," Paoletta wrote on X.

What to watch: Democrats are still licking their wounds from an election in which many believe a backlash to DEI policies — especially on transgender people's rights, the focus of repeated GOP campaign ads — harmed them with swing voters.

• While the party debates how to move forward, activists are urging them to focus on a far more pressing demand: Resisting a Trump agenda that could roll back decades of gains since the Civil Rights Movement.

President-elect Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) to serve as attorney general during his second term.

Why it matters: The Florida congressman, attorney, and pro-Trump firebrand is a highly controversial pick with a history of testy relationships with fellow Republicans on Capitol Hill.

• The attorney general may be one of the most important jobs in a second Trump administration. The person confirmed by the Senate will help lead the implementation of Trump's agenda and steer any efforts to investigate — and prosecute — the president-elect's enemies.
• Gaetz, if confirmed, would be in charge of the agency that investigated him for sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. The DOJ did not bring charges against the Florida congressman over the allegations.

Driving the news: "Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday.

• "Matt will end Weaponized Government, protect our Borders, dismantle Criminal Organizations and restore Americans' badly-shattered Faith and Confidence in the Justice Department."
• Gaetz said that it would "be an honor to serve" as AG in a post on X.

The big picture: While on the campaign trail, Trump threatened to investigate a number of his adversaries, including President Biden, Vice President Harris and the prosecutors involved in his four criminal cases, including special counsel Jack Smith. The AG would be central to any of those efforts.

• Vice President-elect JD Vance said on the campaign trail in October, "the most important person in government, I think, after the president for this cycle is going to be the attorney general."
• Gaetz is under continued investigation by the House Committee on Ethics over allegations of sexual misconduct, illegal drug use and other allegations. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Go deeper: Trump's "enemies within" list

Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.