• Some Democrats are dismissing the forthcoming DOGE push to cut wasteful government spending.
• Others in the party aren't totally writing off what Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy are selling.
• Several key progressives believe they can work with the DOGE regarding the defense budget.

President-elect Donald Trump has grand plans to reduce the size of government, and he has said he'll use Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy's Department of Government Efficiency as a vehicle to make his intentions a reality.

Several Democrats, including Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Jared Moskowitz of Florida, have already signaled that they want to be a part of the conversation regarding any proposals.

Here are the congressional Democrats who could potentially give DOGE's recommendations a bipartisan boost:

Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida

Moskowitz was the first Democratic lawmaker to join the House's DOGE caucus, which will partner with the DOGE commission and look into ways to rein in spending.

The congressman in December told Business Insider that his overall mission is to reorganize the Department of Homeland Security so the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Secret Service reports squarely to the commander-in-chief.

"If this is where that conversation is going to happen, I'm happy to be at the table," Moskowitz said. "And if they want to do stupid stuff, I'll call it out and I'll vote against it."

In a recent NPR interview, Moskowitz said joining the DOGE caucus isn't an indication that he's fully embracing Trump's legislative worldview.

"On some issues I'm progressive. On other issues I'm conservative, and I think that's how most of my constituents are," he said.

Rep. Val Hoyle of Oregon

Hoyle is another Democratic lawmaker who's joined the DOGE Caucus and is firmly standing behind the decision.

In a recent statement, she said she came to Washington "to be in the rooms where the tough conversations are happening" — while also affirming her commitment to protecting Social Security.

"I oppose cuts to the Social Security Trust Fund — always have and always will," she said.

"The DOGE Caucus is a forum to discuss ways to find savings in the budget," she continued. "Anyone who thinks there aren't opportunities to make government more efficient and effective is not living in the real world. This isn't a partisan issue."

Rep. Ro Khanna of California

Khanna, who represents a district that includes a chunk of the Silicon Valley, is known for his progressive views. He has crossed the aisle on a range of issues, including legislation involving technology and veterans.

"President Trump signed five of my bills in his first term. I think I was the California Democrat who had the most bills signed by him, and it's because I looked for areas of common ground," Khanna said in a December interview with Spectrum News.

Regarding the DOGE, Khanna said he hopes to work with the commission to root out wasteful spending in the Department of Defense.

"American taxpayers want and deserve the best return on their investment," he recently wrote in a MSNBC op-ed. "Let's put politics aside and work with DOGE to reduce wasteful defense spending."

Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware

During a November appearance on Fox News, Coons, a close ally of President Joe Biden, seemingly expressed an openness to some of DOGE's goals.

"They could save tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars," he said at the time. "Depending on how it's structured and what they do, this could be a constructive undertaking that ought to be embraced."

Coons also threw cold water on the $2 trillion figure, arguing that "there's no way" to make such dramatic spending cuts without impacting programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont

Sanders, a longtime progressive champion, turned heads when he wrote on X that "Elon Musk is right" regarding the need to tackle wasteful spending in government.

"The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It's lost track of billions," he said. "Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud. That must change."

Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York

Suozzi, a Long Island congressman known for his moderate brand of politics, said he looked forward to Musk and Ramaswamy's high-profile December visit to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers. However, Suozzi wrote on X that he was told the meeting wasn't open to Democratic members, a development he said was "unfortunate."

"I would have liked to attend the meeting and explore whether there are any opportunities to work across party lines to promote cost savings and efficiencies," he said. "Many of us on this side of the aisle share both the goal of making government more efficient, and actually have experience doing it."

• In recent decades, there's been a very visible pipeline from politics to the media industry.
• Some critics have pushed backed against former political figures migrating to major news networks.
• Several key figures have successfully made the jump, becoming staples of TV news.

In recent decades, the politics-to-media pipeline has become an enduring phenomenon, with former party leaders and communications gurus using their previous gigs to become well-compensated hosts and pundits on network news programs.

In March, former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel was hired as a paid contributor for NBC News (and subsequently dropped after pushback from some of its top hosts), and in December, controversial former congressman Matt Gaetz accepted a job as an anchor at OAN.

Here's a look at key figures who have successfully made the jump over the past few decades:

George Stephanopoulos

Stephanopoulos has become a household name as a result of his nearly 15-year tenure as a co-anchor on ABC's "Good Morning America."

Before Stephanopoulos became one of the biggest names at ABC News, he had a background steeped in Democratic politics, first as an aide to onetime Rep. Edward Feighan of Ohio in the 1980s before working on the unsuccessful 1988 presidential campaign of then-Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

Stephanopoulos rose to prominence as a deputy campaign manager for Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign, later serving as White House communications director and a senior advisor in the administration.

At ABC News, Stephanopoulos is not only one of the faces of the weekday morning team but he also serves as the anchor of "This Week," the network's Sunday public affairs program.

In December 2024, ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit brought by Trump against Stephanopoulos and the network after the host during a March interview said Trump had been "found liable for rape" in the case involving the writer E. Jean Carroll. (Trump was found liable for sexually assaulting and defaming Carroll.)

Joe Scarborough

Scarborough was elected to the US House from Florida during the 1994 "Republican Revolution," when his party regained a majority in the lower chamber after 50 years of Democratic control.

While in Congress, Scarborough championed conservative policies on everything from foreign affairs to the federal budget.

He later stepped down from the House in September 2001.

In 2003, Scarborough began hosting the MSNBC program "Scarborough Country." The show ran until 2007.

Since 2007, he has hosted the MSNBC program "Morning Joe."

In March 2024, Both Scarborough and his cohost (and wife) Mika Brzezinski publicly voiced their disagreement over the McDaniel hire and stated that she would not be a guest on their program.

After President-elect Donald Trump's November 2024 victory, Scarborough and Brzezinski were rebuked by many of their viewers after the pair went to Mar-a-Lago after the election in a push to "restart communications" with the incoming president, whom they were very critical of during the campaign.

Scarborough defended the move and waved off the criticism.

"Yesterday I saw for the first time what a massive disconnect there was between social media and the real world because we were flooded with phone calls from people all day, literally around the world, all very positive, very supportive," he said in November.

Jen Psaki

As White House press secretary from January 2021 until May 2022, Psaki was the public face of President Joe Biden's administration.

Before that, she was a White House deputy press secretary, deputy communications director and communications director under President Barack Obama — as well as a State Department spokesperson in his administration.

In between her stint with the Obama and Biden administrations, she served as a CNN political contributor.

She now hosts the MSNBC program "Inside with Jen Psaki," which premiered in March 2023.

Nicolle Wallace

Since 2017, Wallace has been an integral part of the MSNBC lineup as the host of "Deadline: White House."

Wallace previously served as the White House communications director from January 2005 until July 2006 under President George W. Bush and later worked as a senior advisor for John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign.

In 2014, Wallace joined ABC's "The View" as a co-host, but exited the program at the end of the season.

Michael Steele

Steele, an attorney and former Maryland lieutenant governor, was one of the most prominent Black Republican officeholders during the George W. Bush era.

In 2006, Steele unsuccessfully ran for the US Senate in Maryland, winning the GOP nomination but losing the general election to Democrat Ben Cardin.

He served as chair of the Republican National Committee from 2009 to 2011, leading the party as it picked up 63 seats in the House (and thus retook control) in the 2010 midterm elections.

In May 2011, Steele became a MSNBC political analyst.

He later backed Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Steele now hosts the MSNBC program "The Weekend," alongside commentator Alicia Menendez and former Kamala Harris chief spokesperson Symone Sanders-Townsend.

Claire McCaskill

For years, McCaskill carved out a reputation as a moderate Democrat, serving as a prosecutor and as Missouri's auditor.

Despite the increasingly conservative lean of Missouri, McCaskill was elected to the US Senate in both 2006 and 2012, but she was unseated by Republican Josh Hawley in 2018.

McCaskill has since become a NBC News and MSNBC political analyst, and is a frequent guest on "Morning Joe."

Symone Sanders-Townsend

Sanders-Townsend rose to prominence as the national press secretary for Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign, where she was a highly-visible force in boosting the independent Vermont lawmaker's bid.

Sanders lost the Democratic primary to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that year, but Sanders-Townsend later emerged as an advisor for Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.

After Biden won the presidency, Sanders-Townsend became a senior advisor and the chief spokesperson for Vice President Harris. She would later depart Harris' office and pivot back to a perch in media.

Sanders-Townsend can now be seen on MSNBC's "The Weekend" alongside Steele and Menendez.

• Elizabeth Warren wants President-elect Trump to set conflict-of-interest rules for Elon Musk.
• Warren called any lack of rules an "invitation for corruption on a scale not seen in our lifetimes."
• Musk is set to play an influential role in Trump's second term as a co-lead for the DOGE.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday asked President-elect Donald Trump to set conflict-of-interest rules that would apply to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who's set to take on a high-profile role as a co-lead of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The Massachusetts Democrat and former 2020 presidential candidate sent the letter to Trump's transition team, according to The Washington Post, noting that the team's members have to adhere to an ethics policy that compels them to "avoid both actual and apparent conflicts of interest."

Musk, who spent over $250 million to help elect Trump and boost other GOP candidates ahead of the 2024 general election, has been one of Trump's most omnipresent confidants in recent months, accompanying the president-elect on trips and sitting in on his talks with world leaders.

Trump has tasked Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy with cutting government waste through the DOGE. The pair have said they want to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget.

"Putting Mr. Musk in a position to influence billions of dollars of government contracts and regulatory enforcement without a stringent conflict of interest agreement in place is an invitation for corruption on a scale not seen in our lifetimes," Warren said in her letter.

"Currently, the American public has no way of knowing whether the advice that he is whispering to you in secret is good for the country — or merely good for his own bottom line," she continued.

Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt in a statement to Business Insider responded to Warren by praising Musk's influence and criticizing the Democratic lawmaker. Leavitt called Warren a "career politician whose societal impact is 1/1024th of Elon Musk's" and said Trump's transition team was adhering to high ethical guidelines.

Musk was one of Trump's highest-profile surrogates during the presidential race, spending weeks campaigning for the president-elect in pivotal Pennsylvania, which Trump would go on to win en route to a national victory.

• Reid Hoffman said there's a "greater than 50% chance" he'll receive retaliation for backing Kamala Harris.
• The LinkedIn cofounder made the remarks on an episode of "The Diary of a CEO" podcast.
• Hoffman was one of the vice president's most prominent Silicon Valley business supporters.

Reid Hoffman, the billionaire LinkedIn co-founder and outspoken Democrat, said he thinks it's likely that he will face retaliation from President-elect Donald Trump for supporting Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign.

"I think that there's a greater than 50% chance that there will be repercussions from a misdirection and corruption of the institutions of state to respond to my having tried to help Harris get elected," Hoffman said on an episode of "The Diary of a CEO" podcast that aired on Monday.

Hoffman said that he hopes any retaliation from Trump would be fairly tame, naming possibilities like IRS audits or phone calls from the incoming president trying to hurt his business prospects.

"It could get much worse, but I don't really want to speculate on it because I don't want to give anybody any ideas," he said.

Any repercussions would, he added, be "undemocratic and un-American."

Regardless, Hoffman said that he has no plans to leave the United States.

Nearly 90 top business executives — including Hoffman — signed a letter endorsing Harris' candidacy ahead of the general election, touting her plan to expand tax deductions for small businesses. The letter said that Harris' White House bid was "the best way to support the continued strength, security, and reliability of our democracy and economy."

Hoffman was also part of a cohort of business leaders who put together an initiative to get right-leaning swing voters onboard with Harris' candidacy by stressing her pro-business stances.

On the podcast, Hoffman said he'd spoken to fellow billionaires during the campaign who applauded his political actions but declined to partake themselves for fear of getting "penalized" if Trump won.

"Part of the reason why I think less people were public about it this cycle was because President Trump was threatening personal and political retaliation, and so you had to have a certain degree of courage to stand up — and courage in the public area," he said.

Since winning a second term, Trump has put several Silicon Valley business leaders in prominent roles, from Department of Government Efficiency co-head Elon Musk to newly minted AI and crypto czar David Sacks.

Despite his dislike for Trump and many of his policies, Hoffman said that some of the president-elect's deregulation efforts could broadly benefit entrepreneurs.

"I think they're going to reduce regulation across the board for all entrepreneurs, so I think that's helpful for entrepreneurship," he said.

Representatives for Hoffman and Trump did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.

• Vermont, home to Sen. Bernie Sanders, has long been known for its progressive politics.
• But in the November general election, Republicans made key inroads in state legislative races.
• Many voters, who generally back Democrats on the federal level, sided with the GOP on local issues.

In recent decades, Vermont has become known for its progressive politics, with figures like independent Sen. Bernie Sanders dominating the New England state's political landscape.

On the federal level, the Democratic edge is clear. Vice President Kamala Harris defeated President-elect Donald Trump by over 31 points in Vermont, one of her top showings in the country.

The popular Republican governor, Phil Scott, even voted for Harris, declaring he "put country over party."

But further down-ballot, Republicans made some key gains in Vermont, breaking Democratic supermajorities as voters concerned about affordability boosted the GOP in a series of pivotal races.

Before the November general election, Democrats held 107 out of 150 seats in the Vermont House of Representatives, and the GOP held 37 seats. But when the state House reconvenes in January, Democrats and Progressives will have 91 seats, compared to 56 for the GOP; independents will hold three seats. And in the Vermont Senate, the previous 21 to 7 Democratic advantage over the GOP will shrink to a 16 to 13 Democratic majority (in addition to one Progressive member).

While Democrats will continue to hold majorities in both chambers, they'll lack the numbers to override any vetoes from Scott, who in November was reelected in a nearly 52-point landslide on a platform of stabilizing the school budget process and staving off significant property tax increases. The governor has also sought to tackle the housing shortage in Vermont, where affordability has been a major issue for lawmakers in recent years.

A June 2024 assessment taken for the Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development found that the state will need to boost the pace of homebuilding to produce the 24,000 to 36,000 new year-round homes from 2025 through 2029 needed to address demand and replace homes impacted by flooding.

"The goal is to get them to come to the table … and to get enough support to work toward more affordability," Scott's policy director, Jason Maulucci, told The New York Times, referring to Democratic state lawmakers.

Trump made critical electoral gains across the country as many voters dissatisfied with the economy opted for him instead of Harris. During President Joe Biden's term in office, inflation drove blocs of traditionally Democratic-leaning constituencies, like Latino voters and young voters, into the GOP's fold.

After Biden stepped aside as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in July, Harris took on the party's messaging on the economy. But despite some polls showing her having made inroads against Trump on the issue, she ultimately fell short in critical swing states.

Vermont's form of Republicanism has traditionally been more moderate than the socially conservative brand that defines the national GOP. However, the state is still dominated by rural areas, where the party was ripe for gains. Democrats, who for years have been the driving force in the state capital of Montpelier, faced the ire of many voters who wanted to see the legislature curb tax hikes in the state.

"Voters have been telling us for years that they're sick of rising costs, rising rents, rising property taxes and grocery bills, and they feel like they can't get ahead," consultant Lachlan Francis told the Times. "They have felt that way for a long time, as the Legislature followed an agenda that was perceived as inflationary, and there was a price to pay for that."

• ABC News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump for $15 million.
• The money will go toward Trump's future presidential library, according to court documents.
• Anchor George Stephanopoulos in March inaccurately said that Trump had been found "liable for rape."

ABC News will pay $15 million toward Donald Trump's future presidential library to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by the president-elect, according to newly-filed court documents.

Trump filed the lawsuit over comments made by star anchor George Stephanopoulos in March on the Sunday program "This Week," when the journalist said that Trump had been found "liable for rape" in a suit brought by the columnist E. Jean Carroll.

While the Manhattan jury found Trump liable for the sexual abuse of Carroll, he was not found "liable for rape," as Stephanopoulos said on the program during an interview with Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.

"Donald Trump has been found liable for defaming the victim of that rape by a jury," Stephanopoulos said at the time. "It's been affirmed by a judge."

According to the settlement agreement, ABC News will place the $15 million in escrow, which will go toward Trump's presidential library and foundation. The network also agreed to pay $1 million in attorneys' fees, and it will place an editors' note at the bottom of a March article.

The note reads: "ABC News and George Stephanopoulos regret statements regarding President Donald J. Trump made during an interview by George Stephanopoulos with Rep. Nancy Mace on ABC's This Week on March 10, 2024."

"We are pleased that the parties have reached an agreement to dismiss the lawsuit on the terms in the court filing," ABC News said in a statement.

Business Insider reached out to a spokesperson for Trump for comment.

• President Biden touted his economic record during a Tuesday speech at the Brookings Institute.
• Biden suggested that he should've had his name printed on the 2021 stimulus checks, similar to Trump in 2020.
• Trump won a second presidential term in November with a heavy economic message for voters.

President Joe Biden during a Tuesday speech said that it was "stupid" of him to have not signed COVID-19 stimulus checks that went out as part of the American Rescue Plan, contrasting himself with President-elect Donald Trump.

While speaking at the Brookings Institute, Biden touted the effects of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, which Congress passed in 2021, as a major economic accomplishment of his administration. But the president also reflected on the actions of Trump, his predecessor and soon-to-be successor.

"I also learned something from Donald Trump — he signed checks for people … and I didn't," he said. "Stupid."

In March 2020, Congress passed the CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion bill signed into law by Trump at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic that provided $1,200 relief checks to millions of Americans. Trump's name, controversially, was added to the relief checks by his administration.

This year, many Americans, who yearned for the pre-Covid economic conditions earlier in Trump's first term, chose Trump at the ballot box over Vice President Kamala Harris.

Biden from the earliest days of his administration sought to tackle some of the biggest pandemic-era economic issues.

The American Rescue Plan provided $1,400 checks to most Americans.

But inflation dogged the Biden administration's economic message, and the president was unable to articulate a convincing defense of his policies ahead of the 2024 election. His standing, coupled with concerns over his advanced age, led him to step aside as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in July.

Harris assumed the mantle as the Democratic standard-bearer, but she had to run a 107-day campaign and was unable to overcome Trump's advantage on the economy among a broad swath of voters.

• Donald Trump successfully used podcasts to expand his reach during the 2024 presidential campaign.
• On Election day, Trump ended up boosting his support among men overall compared to 2020.
• A variety of podcast hosts are set to have a substantial level of influence in Trump's second term.

President-elect Donald Trump's love for the media is well-known — just look at how much Trump's early picks resemble a Fox News greenroom.

The president-elect made significant efforts during his campaign to get his message in front of podcasters and influencers. Now that he's set to return to power, these commentators will play a major role in setting and pushing his agenda. Or they'll just stream from the White House.

If Donald Trump Jr., who hosts his own podcast, gets his wish they might even be seated somewhere in the White House briefing room.

'The Joe Rogan Experience'

The UFC commentator and comedian Joe Rogan has become one of the biggest names in the podcast world. Rogan's persona and massive following (14.5 million followers on Spotify and nearly 19 million subscribers on YouTube) have given him the sort of platform that continues to attract a range of high-profile guests.

Trump's appearance on Rogan's podcast in October allowed him to reach a critical audience — which heavily skews male — ahead of an election where the president-elect boosted his performance with men compared to 2020. Rogan's reach is so substantial that Trump took a few hours off the campaign trail to travel to Austin, Texas, to sit in the studio with the podcast host.

Rogan, shortly before the election, endorsed Trump's candidacy, calling him "the biggest there is."

Many Democrats pushed for Vice President Kamala Harris to appear on the program before the election, but scheduling during the frenetic last weeks of the race precluded her from traveling to Austin to do so, according to a campaign statement at the time.

"My sincere wish is to just have a nice conversation and get to know her as a human being," Rogan said in October.

'Bannon's War Room'

One of the more seasoned podcasters in Trump's orbit, former White House strategist Steve Bannon, started his program during Trump's first impeachment. Trump has said he listens to "Bannon's War Room."

Bannon used the program to foment backlash to then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California. And Kash Patel, Trump's pick to lead the FBI, has made countless appearances on the show.

Former White House Trade Council director Peter Navarro, set to return to Trump's second administration, was among a handful of commentators who kept Bannon's show going while he was in prison. Like Navarro, Bannon was sentenced for his defiance of a subpoena from the House January 6 committee.

'Triggered with Don Jr.'

Donald Trump Jr., the president-elect's eldest son, has confirmed he won't be in the incoming administration. But he remains a key voice in his father's ear.

Trump Jr. pushes his message in multiple forms, including on his podcast, "Triggered With Don Jr.," which he has hosted for almost a year. He's frequently hosted some of Trump's congressional allies, along with top aides like Stephen Miller, who will return to the White House.

In a recent episode, Trump Jr. teased how the president-elect's transition team is eyeing ways to bring conservative podcasters into the White House briefing room.

'This Past Weekend with Theo Von'

In August, the comedian Theo Von hosted Trump on his podcast, "This Past Weekend with Theo Von." On the program, Von spoke openly with Trump about his recovery from drug addiction. It may not have been seen as a typical stop for a presidential candidate, but the conversation was heard by many Americans, providing Trump with another connection to a bloc of male voters who don't consume much mainstream media.

Von received a shout out from UFC president Dana White during Trump's election night victory speech in Florida.

'The Charlie Kirk Show'

Charlie Kirk, a cofounder of the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA, has spent over a decade advocating for limited government and free markets among students on high school and college campuses.

Ahead of the 2024 general election, Kirk used Turning Point Action, the political advocacy arm of Turning Point USA, to boost Trump's bid for a second term and amplify his conservative message. Kirk appeared alongside Trump at campaign events in key swing states like Georgia and Nevada, which the president-elect went on to flip in November.

Kirk hosts "The Charlie Kirk Show" podcast, which serves as an influential vehicle for reaching the sort of young voters who were a key part of Trump's electoral gains.

'Full Send Podcast'

Few shows personify "the manosphere" that Trump spent the summer tapping into more than "Full Send," a podcast started by a group of influencers called the Nelk Boys. Trump has made multiple appearances on Full Send, even stumping with one of its members in Las Vegas. Unlike Bannon and some others on this list, the Nelk Boys are not explicitly political, which made their audience ripe for Trump's 2024 appeals but also means they're unlikely to engage in the day-to-day news cycle.

Adin Ross

Adin Ross, an internet personality and popular streamer, sat down with Trump this past August and in a departure from many interviews — gifted the Republican a gold Rolex watch and a customized Tesla Cybertruck.

Ross became a big name through his livestreams of video games, and Trump's interview with the streamer was one more way that he was able to connect with a male-skewing audience.

'The Dan Bongino Show'

Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent, is so firmly entrenched in the conservative space that he was selected to replace the late Rush Limbaugh in his coveted time slot. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio and other influential leaders on the right have pushed Trump to name Bongino to run the agency tasked with protecting the president. In the meantime, Bongino has been a vocal proponent of Trump's other nominees and helped lead a pressure campaign to push Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, to back Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon.

'Verdict with Ted Cruz'

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has repeatedly offered his full-throated support to Trump, a stark contrast to the bitter end to his 2016 GOP primary run. Like Bannon, Cruz launched his podcast amid Trump's first impeachment battle. He has since used his platform to shed light on Congress and to discuss the news of the day.

With a 53-47 Republican Senate majority beginning in January, Trump can't afford many defections if he wants to get his agenda through the upper chamber. Cruz is well-positioned to serve as a narrator for a far more supportive group than the one that repeatedly vexed Trump in his first term.

'The Megyn Kelly Show'

Many in Trump's orbit once detested former Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly after she asked him during a 2015 GOP presidential debate about past inflammatory comments directed toward women.

"You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals," she asked at the time. "Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?"

Trump repeatedly blasted Kelly after the interview.

But in the intervening years, Kelly left Fox and was hired by NBC News before a tumultuous departure. She's since become a major conservative voice in the podcast world and interviewed Trump on her show in September 2023.

Ahead of the 2024 election, she appeared alongside Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, voicing her support for his campaign and calling him a "protector of women."

'All-In Podcast'

Key venture capitalists embraced Trump ahead of the 2024 election, including former PayPal executive David Sacks. Sacks and fellow venture capitalists, Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, and David Friedberg, hold court on their podcast, "All-In," which was launched during the pandemic.

It remains to be seen how involved Sacks will be going forward on the podcast now that Trump has named him his AI and crypto czar. Trump made an appearance during a June episode.

• President-elect Donald Trump once supported a US ban on TikTok.
• Then, during the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump said he would "save TikTok."
• His cabinet picks might indicate what position he'll ultimately take once in office.

President-elect Donald Trump's views on whether TikTok, which a Chinese company owns, poses a threat to the United States have shifted 180 degrees.

Will they come full circle?

In April, lawmakers concerned about Chinese influence passed a law giving ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, a deadline of January 19 to sell its social media app to a non-Chinese company or face a nationwide ban. TikTok appealed, but on Friday, a federal court upheld the law, siding with the Biden administration's argument that the service poses a national security threat.

In 2020, Trump unsuccessfully sought to ban TikTok in the United States but has since had a change of heart. During the 2024 campaign, Trump said young people would "go crazy without it." Trump's own TikTok accounts generated millions of views.

Which side Trump ultimately lands on the issue could have a major impact on ByteDance and TikTok, which says it has over 170 million users in the United States. Even if the law is upheld after future appeals, Trump could choose not to enforce it during his presidency.

Trump's closest advisors, however, might have something to say about that. Some of Trump's top cabinet nominees support a TikTok ban.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida — Trump's nominee for secretary of state — called a ban a "win for America" earlier this year. Trump's pick for Federal Communications Commission chair, Brendan Carr, also advocated for a TikTok ban in Project 2025, a road map for the first 180 days of a new Republican presidency that the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, published in 2023.

Carr wrote in the plan that TikTok is part of a Beijing "foreign influence campaign by determining the news and information that the app feeds to millions of Americans."

Project 2025 refers to TikTok as "a tool of Chinese espionage" that is "highly addictive" and "especially popular with teenage girls."

"The ties between TikTok and the Chinese government are not loose, and they are not coincidental," the document reads.

John Ratcliffe, the former US director of national intelligence, is Trump's pick for CIA director. Ratcliffe, also an author of Project 2025, told Fox News in 2022 that he thinks TikTok is a "national security threat."

Govs. Doug Burgum of North Dakota, Trump's pick for interior secretary, and Kristi Noem of South Dakota, the president-elect's choice for Homeland Security secretary, both previously banned the app from state-owned devices.

TikTok has denied accusations that it influences content inside the United States or is addictive to children.

A spokesperson for TikTok told Business Insider that the TikTok ban law was "conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people."

"The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans' right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," the spokesperson said.

• Trump has proposed 25% tariffs on imports from Canada, China, and Mexico.
• Trump said he doesn't "believe" the tariffs would cause price increases at home.
• But, he told Kristen Welker on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, "I can't guarantee anything."

President-elect Donald Trump, in an NBC News interview that aired on Sunday, said he doesn't "believe" his tariff proposal will raise consumer prices for American families but stopped short of making a promise.

"I can't guarantee anything," Trump told "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker in his first major network television interview since the November general election. "I can't guarantee tomorrow."

Trump then said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, he placed tariffs "on a lot of different countries."

"We took in hundreds of billions of dollars and we had no inflation," the president-elect told Welker. "In fact, when I handed it over, they didn't have inflation for a year and a half."

Trump in November floated 25% tariffs on imports from Canada, China, and Mexico, the top three trading partners of the United States. The president-elect has criticized what he says is the free flow of drugs and illegal migrants into the United States from the three countries.

Late last month, Trump also threatened economic sanctions against the BRICS group, a bloc of nine emerging market countries. He said he would institute "100% tariffs" if they sought to "move away" from the US dollar.

Trump, while on NBC, reiterated that he's a "big believer in tariffs" — calling them "beautiful" — and said the United States is subsidizing Canada and Mexico.

"If we're going to subsidize them, let them become a state," the president-elect said. "We're subsidizing Mexico, and we're subsidizing Canada, and we're subsidizing many countries all over the world. And all I want to do is have a level, fast, but fair playing field."

Late last month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada traveled to Mar-a-Lago to dine with Trump after his tariff threats. Trudeau later said he had an "excellent conversation" with the president-elect.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also described her recent conversation with Trump as "excellent," stating that the two discussed her country's plans for migration.

The economy was a top issue for voters in the November election, with Trump defeating Vice President Kamala Harris largely due to dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden's handling of inflation. Harris sought to define her economic plan — zeroing in on price gouging and tackling housing affordability — but she could not reverse Trump's advantage on the issue.

Across the United States, Trump cut into traditional Democratic advantages with working-class voters and minority groups, with many siding with him at the ballot box over his focus on inflation.

• The Harris campaign has $1.8 million cash after spending over $1 billion in the 2024 race.
• Harris continually raked in money during her 107-day presidential campaign against Donald Trump.
• But Harris could not overcome the headwinds against her party, coming up short in the swing states.

After President Joe Biden stepped aside as the Democratic nominee last summer, the party felt an enormous jolt of energy as Vice President Kamala Harris embarked on a 107-day presidential campaign against Donald Trump.

Throughout her campaign, Harris raised more than $1 billion, a stunning figure that mirrored the quick rise of her campaign.

But Trump, now the president-elect, defeated Harris in the general election, with the vice president coming up short in the swing states.

New federal filings show that the Harris campaign had $1.8 million remaining in the bank after spending over $1 billion against Trump in the presidential race.

In the filings, the Harris campaign also reported that it had no debts.

The filings reveal the pace of spending for the Harris campaign, which began with heightened enthusiasm from Democrats and major donors who had grown despondent over Biden's chances after a disastrous debate against Trump raised questions about his ability to mount a robust reelection campaign.

From October 17 through November 25, which included some of the most frenzied stretches of the campaign through the postelection period, Harris raised $160 million and spent over $270 million. The Trump campaign raked in nearly $87 million during that same period and spent $113 million, the president-elect's campaign filings indicated.

Harris held large rallies in swing states like Georgia and Pennsylvania throughout her campaign, especially in the immediate weeks leading up to the election. And despite the vice president's financial advantage over Trump, she had to boost her profile to an electorate that had long expected Biden to be the nominee and was uncertain about her positions on various issues — from tackling inflation to her approach to foreign policy.

The new FEC report also seemingly puts to rest any talk that the Harris campaign is heavily in debt, a notion that the campaign rejected last month when it told The New York Times that "there will be no debt" on the filings.

But in the weeks since the general election, Democrats have still received fundraising appeals from the Harris operation. The "Harris Fight Fund" is the postelection operation of the general election "Harris Victory Fund" and is touted as a way to help provide accountability for the Trump administration.

The Democratic National Committee's newest filings revealed that it had over $47 million in cash on hand, while its rival, the Republican National Committee, had nearly $43 million in the bank.

Business Insider reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.

• Biden wants to help Ukraine before he leaves office.
• Jake Sullivan told ABC News that Biden aims to help Ukraine "strengthen' its position.
• President-elect Trump has been skeptical of the level of US aid sent to Ukraine.

National security advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday said President Joe Biden was doing what he could to "strengthen" Ukraine's position as the commander-in-chief prepares to leave office in just under two months.

Sullivan made the remarks on ABC's "This Week," telling chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl that Biden aims to continue advancing his foreign policy objectives — which includes cease-fire discussions between Israel and Hamas — even as President-elect Donald Trump is set to be sworn back into office on January 20.

"We are going to do everything in our power for these 50 days to get Ukraine all the tools we possibly can to strengthen their position on the battlefield so that they'll be stronger at the negotiating table," Sullivan said. "And President Biden directed me to oversee a massive surge in the military equipment that we are delivering to Ukraine so that we have spent every dollar that Congress has appropriated to us by the time that President Biden leaves office."

Last month, Biden greenlighted Ukraine's use of powerful US-supplied ATACMS long-range missiles to strike inside Russia.

Trump has expressed skepticism regarding the level of aid sent to Ukraine, which puts him at odds with Biden, who has been a staunch ally of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the country continues its fight against Russia.

"I've encouraged the Ukrainian team to engage the incoming team as well as to engage all of our allies and partners, because, again, on January 21, the war in Ukraine doesn't just go away," Sullivan told Karl. "Obviously, the new team will have its own policy, its own approach, and I can't speak to that, but what I can do is make sure that we put Ukraine in the best possible position when we hand off the baton."

• Most US House races were called on Election night or in the days after.
• But the contest between GOP Rep. John Duarte and Democrat Adam Gray remains too close to call.
• The outcome will matter in a House narrowly divided along party lines.

Republicans are headed into 2025 in control of the presidency, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

But there's still one outstanding House race yet to be called. And its outcome could impact President-elect Donald Trump's ability to push through his agenda.

In California's 13th Congressional District — anchored in the state's agriculture-rich Central Valley — former Democratic state Assemblyman Adam Gray leads incumbent GOP Rep. John Duarte by just 227 votes with an estimated 99% of the votes counted.

Gray has 105,083 votes, compared to 104,856 votes for Duarte, according to the California Secretary of State's office. The race is a rematch of their 2022 contest, which saw Duarte ultimately defeat Gray by 564 votes out of nearly 134,000 ballots cast.

Republicans needed 218 seats to control the chamber and have already won 220 seats, while Democrats currently have 214 seats. So, the seat won't affect the balance of power. But in the narrowly divided House, the margins will matter.

Here's a look at why this race has taken so long to call and why its outcome remains significant.

Ballots can arrive after Election Day

While many states won't count ballots that arrive after Election Day, California law allows ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrive up to seven days after the polls close.

Due to the number of competitive US House races in California, a state with over 22 million registered voters, control of the chamber can theoretically rest on the Golden State alone.

Headed into the general election, this was a high probability, especially with Vice President Kamala Harris — a former California state attorney general and US senator — at the top of the ticket.

The 13th District encompasses Merced County, much of Madera County, and parts of Fresno, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties. So several jurisdictions play a role in counting the ballots, and election officials must also examine voter signatures and open envelopes.

Gray led in the vote count on Election night, but Duarte then pulled ahead and had been ahead for weeks before Gray regained a razor-thin lead on November 26.

For California voters that need to fix technical errors on their ballots — also known as ballot "curing" — the deadline is December 1.

The GOP will have to run a tight ship

Should Gray emerge as the winner of the race, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana will be faced with a slim 220-215 majority.

That's before the expected departures of Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who Trump selected to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations, and Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, who Trump selected to be the next national security advisor. Also, the seat of former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is set to be filled in an April 1 special election.

Johnson doesn't have a lot of room to maneuver as Trump will expect Republicans to greenlight his agenda.

Attempting to push through heavily conservative legislation when more centrist Republicans can potentially pump the brakes on certain bills will make every vote matter.

So, a Gray or Duarte victory could have a considerable impact on Washington over the next two years.

• President-elect Trump has picked Massad Boulos to be his advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs.
• Boulos' son, Michael, is married to Donald Trump's youngest daughter, Tiffany Trump.
• The announcement comes as Trump aims to reshape Middle East diplomacy in his second term.

As President-elect Donald Trump continues to craft his second-term agenda, he announced a key advisor on Sunday that could impact his handling of affairs in the Middle East.

By tapping Lebanese American businessman Massad Boulos as his senior advisor on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, Trump is bringing on board a key campaign surrogate whose son Michael is also married to his daughter Tiffany.

The president-elect — who was able to exploit Democratic divisions over the war in Gaza and pry away some Muslim and Arab American voters from Vice President Kamala Harris in the general election — reaffirmed on Sunday that he wants to form "tremendous new coalitions" with Arab Americans.

"Massad is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "He will be a strong advocate for the United States, and its interests, and I am pleased to have him on our team!"

Trump's selection of Boulos is a signal that he'll seek his own diplomatic imprint in the Middle East, which for over a year has seen the war in Gaza become one of the most devastating and polarizing ongoing conflicts in the world, reverberating in Lebanon, Yemen, and now Syria.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to The Associated Press.

President Joe Biden's handling of the conflict was a significant issue in the US presidential race, with Harris pledging that she and the president were working hard for a cease-fire agreement. But the conflict likely chipped away at Harris' Arab American support, as well as that of some progressive Democrats who had long opposed both the war and American military aid to Israel.

During the 2024 campaign, Boulos traveled throughout Michigan to promote Trump's candidacy among Arab American and Muslim voters, The New York Times reported.

"We don't have to win over everybody," Boulos told the newspaper shortly before the election. "There are some that strongly believe that they wouldn't vote for either of the major candidates. That's fine with us."

Trump went on to flip Michigan, part of the Democratic Party's all-important "blue wall," by a narrow margin — which cut off Harris' clearest path to the White House.

Boulos isn't the only family member who'll have a role in the administration beginning next year.

Trump on Saturday announced that he had selected Charles Kushner, the real estate developer and father of son-in-law Jared Kushner, as his next US ambassador to France.

Ivanka Trump, a senior advisor in Trump's first term, is not expected to be a part of the second administration.

• Trump on Saturday floated "100% tariffs" on the BRICS group of emerging markets.
• Trump is pushing back on efforts to dethrone the US dollar as the primary global reserve currency.
• Trump's remarks come as the BRIC nations seek to flex their economic strength on the global stage.

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday lashed out at the BRICS group of emerging market countries, threatening to impose 100% tariffs if they try to "move away" from the US dollar.

BRICS comprises nine countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates — which are aiming to flex their economic power in a world where the US dollar continues to reign supreme as the leading global reserve currency.

Amid Russia's push for BRIC nations to curb the international dominance of the US dollar, Trump took to his Truth Social platform to decry such a move.

"The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER," he wrote. "We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy."

The president-elect continued: "They can go find another 'sucker!' There is no chance that the BRICS will replace the U.S. Dollar in International Trade, and any Country that tries should wave goodbye to America."

During an October summit of the BRICS nations, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States of "weaponizing" the dollar.

"It's not us who refuse to use the dollar," he said at the time, according to The Associated Press. "But if they don't let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives."

Trump's latest remarks came just days after he threatened 25% tariffs on imports from Canada, China, and Mexico, the top three trading partners of the United States. Trump pressed the three countries on the flow of drugs and illegal migrants coming into the United States.

Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, spoke with Trump earlier this week following the president-elect's pledge to target his country — and touted the long-standing relationship between the two countries. Trudeau later reiterated that tariffs would hurt both Canadian and American consumers.

On Friday, the prime minister traveled to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he said he had an "excellent conversation" with the president-elect.

Trudeau's office said in a statement that the prime minister and Trump "shared a productive wide-ranging discussion."

"As Canada's closest friend and ally, the United States is our key partner, and we are committed to working together in the interests of Canadians and Americans," the statement continued.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, meanwhile, also spoke with Trump on Thursday, saying afterward that "there will not be a potential tariff war" between Mexico and the United States.

• President-elect Donald Trump's net worth is estimated to be $5.6 billion, according to Forbes.
• The entire Trump family could be worth over $6.7 billion, including the reported net worths of the Trump children.
• The Trumps spend their money lavishly, from a hefty real-estate portfolio to an aviation fleet and designer clothes.

President-elect Donald Trump's net worth is currently estimated to be $5.6 billion, according to a Forbes report from November 2024.

And that's not to mention the individual net worths of his adult children: a reported $25 million each for both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, according to Forbes estimates from 2019; and a reported $10 million for Tiffany Trump, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Ivanka Trump, who runs her own business, has the largest net worth of all the children. She and her husband Jared Kushner are estimated to be worth around $1.1 billion, as best ascertained by ethics filings reflecting the couple's real estate holdings and additional investments.

Combined, that means the entire Trump family's fortune could be well over $6.7 billion.

From pricey penthouses and expensive schooling to high-end shopping and a full-on aviation fleet, here's how they spend their money.

Donald Trump's net worth is currently estimated to be $5.6 billion.

Source: Forbes

According to his executive branch personnel public financial disclosure report, he earned anywhere from $597,396,914 to $667,811,903 between January 2016 and spring 2017.

Source: Business Insider, Center for Responsible Politics

Nearly $3.6 billion of Trump's wealth comes from his brand businesses — an estimated $3.5 billion from the Trump Media and Technology Group, and $96 million comes from the Trump Hotel Management & Licensing Business.

Source: Forbes

And $410 million of Trump's net worth consists of cash and liquid assets, according to Forbes.

Source: Forbes

Before he was elected to the White House, Trump spent $66 million of his own money on his presidential campaign, according to campaign finance disclosures examined by Reuters.

Source: Fortune

Trump often traveled during his campaign using his huge aircraft fleet. He reportedly bought a Boeing 727 for $8 million back in the day, and then replaced it in 2010 with a Boeing 757 that he bought from Microsoft's Paul Allen for $100 million.

According to the New York Times, it burns fuel at a rate of thousands of dollars an hour.

Source: The New York Times

Trump also owns a Cessna jet, which was reportedly worth $15.3 million when it was new and had a resale value of $3.2 million in 2016.

Source: The New York Times

Collectively, Trump's fleet, comprising one airplane and one helicopter, is valued at $13 million.

Source: Forbes

Trump has an affinity for Brioni suits, which range from $5,250 to $6,900. While the brand supplied him with suits during "The Apprentice," he started paying for them during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Source: Business of Fashion

Melania Trump also has a taste for pricey fashion. She's been spotted wearing everything from a $2,095 Givenchy cape dress at an International Red Cross Ball to a $7,995 Monique Lhuillier sequined gown at a White House Historical Association dinner. And then there's also the time when she donned a $52,000 Dolce & Gabbana jacket.

Source: Cheat Sheet, Cheat Sheet

On several occasions, the former first lady's also worn more casual and affordable brands, such as Converse, which retail for less than $50.

Source: Business Insider

Melania has had her own makeup artist, Nicole Bryl, who once told US Weekly of Melania's plans to have a "glam room" in the White House. She also has a hairstylist who makes house calls and travels with her.

Source: Cheat Sheet

Melania has said she's a full-time mom and that she refuses to spend money on a nanny. In 2013, she told ABC News that she dresses her son, Barron, in suits and moisturizes him with her brand's Caviar Complex C6 moisturizer. He was seven years old at the time.

Source: Business Insider, ABC News

In New York, Barron was attending Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, which can costs upward of $59,000 a year. While he lived in the White House, he attended St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Maryland, which can cost up to $47,000 a year. He later attended the Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, near his father's Mar-a-Lago club. (Barron is now a student at New York University.)

Source: Cheat Sheet, The Washington Post, CNN

The three of them lived in the ritzy $50 million penthouse in Trump Tower in New York before moving into the White House in 2017. Trump reportedly has said the penthouse spans 33,000 square feet, but city records indicate that it's actually 10,996 square feet.

Source: Forbes

The Trumps also have real estate in sunnier climates, including Le Chateau Des Palmiers in St. Martin, worth $11 million.

Source: Business Insider

They also have a 39,000-square-foot mansion in Bedford, New York, called Seven Springs, for which they reportedly paid $7.5 million. The home, used for family getaways, reportedly has a net value of $25 million.

Source: Business Insider, Business Insider

Then there are the two homes in Sterling, Virginia, worth a collective $2 million — and his Palm Beach properties, worth over $300 million.

Source: Business Insider, Palm Beach Daily News

And then there's his golf courses and clubs, worth an estimated $810 million, in the US, Scotland, and Ireland.

Source: Forbes

That includes the estimated $342 million (after liabilities) Mar-a-Lago, a 17-acre estate in Palm Beach that Trump reportedly purchased for $10 million. It has 58 bedrooms, 33 bathrooms, 12 fireplaces, and three bomb shelters.

Source: Business Insider, Forbes

Donald Trump Jr. also owns real estate in Manhattan. He bought two apartments at the Sovereign for $1.5 million and $1.125 million, Town & Country reported. The publication speculated that he combined the two apartments.

Source: Town & Country

Eric and Donald Jr. are big game hunters, which can be very expensive. A 14-day white rhino hunt can cost $66,790.

Source: USA Today

Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump is busy building her own empire. Between January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017, she earned at least $13.5 million in income, according to forms released by the White House. More than $5 million came from her namesake brand, more than $2.5 million from the Trump Organization, and nearly $800,000 for book and TV work.

Source: CNN

Some media reports speculated that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's 2009 wedding at Trump National Golf Club cost them at least $1 million.

Source: Cheat Sheet

The couple's combined assets could be worth at least $1.1 billion, according to ethics filings.

Source: CNN

That includes a $25 million art collection.

Source: CNN

Once Trump took up residence in the White House, Ivanka and Jared moved to Washington DC, where they lived in a $5.5 million house in the upscale Kalorama neighborhood.

Source: Town & Country, New York Times

Like her stepmother, Ivanka also steps out in a mix of high-end and fast fashion, from a $6,280 Oscar de la Renta dress and coat to an $870 Roksanda dress and a $35 Victoria Beckham for Target dress.

Source: W Magazine

Tiffany Trump's schooling was always paid for by Donald Trump, according to a source who talked to People Magazine. She attended the University of Pennsylvania for her undergraduate degree and in 2020 graduated from Georgetown Law School, which costs upwards of $80,000 per year for the full-time JD program.

Source: People, The Washington Post, Georgetown Law School

She's been spotted wearing $725 Aquazarra shoes and has worn couture designer Daniel Basso — whose gowns can cost thousands of dollars — to formal events several times.

Source: Teen Vogue

Tiffany Trump married businessman Michael Boulos in November 2022 at her father's Mar-a-Lago club in South Florida. Her engagement ring was reportedly worth $1.2 million.

Source: Insider

There's debate on the extent of Trump's philanthropic efforts, but in 2009, he and Melania donated $5,000 to $9,999 to the Police Athletic League of New York City. He also donated $1 million of his own money to Hurricane Harvey relief in 2017.

Source: The New Yorker, GOBanking Rates, The Washington Post

• In the 2024 election, Donald Trump won 312 electoral votes to Kamala Harris' 226 electoral votes.
• Each candidate sought to present themselves as the better steward of the economy.
• But President-elect Trump emerged victorious, sweeping the seven major battleground states.

Headed into Election Day, the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump appeared deadlocked, with polls showing a close race across the seven swing states.

But Trump came out on top, with the president-elect sweeping the battleground states and making critical gains among a broad slice of the electorate, from young voters and Latino men to suburban voters and rural voters.

The president-elect's victory came as he retained his long-standing advantage on economic issues through Election Day.

Here's a look at why the 2020 race between President Joe Biden and Trump was such a departure from this year's contest between Harris and Trump.

Trump made significant inroads in the suburbs, where the economy was a key issue

In 2020, Biden emerged victorious in the suburbs, winning over voters in this key group 50% to 48%, according to CNN exit polling.

Harris was hoping that strong support from suburban voters, especially among college-educated women, would aid her, with her campaign banking that her prosecutorial background would match up well against that of Trump — who has been embroiled in an array of legal issues over his push to overturn the 2020 election results.

While Harris performed well in many of the suburbs that paved the way for Biden's 2020 election, she simply did not win by the margins she needed to overcome Trump's burst in support from white voters without college degrees, as well as the drop-off in support from Latino and Asian voters compared to the president's performance.

This year, Trump won suburban voters 51% to 47%, per CNN exit polling, a four-point edge that allowed him to hold the line in areas where Democrats were hoping to run up the score. And the shift allowed him to flip Maricopa County, and thus, win back Arizona, which had been one of Biden's most impressive victories in 2020.

Similar to other groups, the economy was critical for suburban voters, with inflation and housing costs being paramount. In Arizona, a state dominated by Phoenix and its vast Maricopa-anchored suburbs, the economy was the second-most important issue for voters, only trailing the issue of democracy.

According to CNN exit polling, 42% of the Arizona electorate said the economy was in "poor" condition, and 89% of those voters backed Trump, compared to 10% for Harris. By comparison, only 6% of respondents considered the economy to be "excellent," and 99% of those voters supported Harris, with only 1% backing Trump.

Trump hammered home an economic message centered on lowering costs, forging ahead with new housing construction on federal land, and cutting government relations that he said hampered growth. In western states like Arizona and Nevada, where housing affordability has been a major issue, the issue took on added resonance. Harris had high-profile economic proposals of her own, including a $25,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, but it wasn't enough to swing the race.

Turnout declined in key Democratic areas

After Biden exited the race in July and Harris stepped into her role as the Democratic Party's standard bearer, she was faced with running a 107-day campaign. While Harris had been Biden's No. 2 for over three years at that point, she was still unfamiliar to a considerable slice of the electorate.

Despite Biden's decline in support with groups that had fueled his 2020 victory — which included Black, Latino, and young voters — he was a known commodity. And Harris, in many ways, had to reintroduce herself to millions of Americans who were open to backing her but had reservations about the Biden administration on issues like inflation and border security.

From Harris' first major rally as a 2024 presidential candidate in Wisconsin to her Election eve turnout push in vote-rich Philadelphia, she crisscrossed the swing states, aiming to hold on to the blue wall battleground states while also eyeing gains in the Sun Belt.

But compared to 2020, turnout declined on the Democratic side.

Four years ago, the Biden-Harris ticket won over 81 million votes, compared to 74 million votes for Trump and then-Vice President Mike Pence. So far, Harris has earned just under 75 million votes, compared to a little over 77 million votes for Trump.

Democratic strength in New Jersey and New York fell sharply, with Harris faring worse than Biden in those solidly blue states.

Voters did boost their numbers in several key battlegrounds, though.

Georgia hit a turnout record of almost 5.3 million voters this year, and despite Harris losing the state by 2.2 points (50.7% to 48.5%), she earned more votes in the Peach State than Biden did when he won the state by 0.23 percent (49.47% to 49.24%) in 2020.

Harris won 2,548,017 votes in Georgia this year, compared to Biden's 2,473,633 votes four years ago. But Trump won 2,663,117 votes this year, giving him a 115,100-vote advantage over Harris.

In Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, more votes were tallied between the two major-party candidates this year compared to 2020, but this didn't benefit Harris as Democratic strength declined in cities like Detroit and Philadelphia.

For example, Harris won Philadelphia, the most populous city in Pennsylvania, by a hefty 79% to 20% margin. But in 2020, Biden won Philadelphia 81% to 18%. And while Biden earned 604,175 votes in the city, Harris currently has 568,571 votes there, according to NBC News.

Turnout fell across Philadelphia this year, allowing Trump to post gains in what has long been known as one of the most Democratic cities in the country.

• Camp David has been a destination for presidential rest and relaxation since it opened.
• The camp has also been the site of meetings and summits with various world leaders over the years.
• Camp David has been the site of some big national and foreign policy decisions.

Nestled in the countryside of Maryland, in the Catoctin Mountain Park, is the presidential country retreat known as Camp David.

The first parts of the complex were built by the Works Progress Administration in 1935, and Franklin D. Roosevelt made it the presidential retreat. FDR originally named the property "Shangri-La," a name it kept until the Eisenhower administration, who named it Camp David after his grandson.

The compound has expanded over the years, with new cabins being built and even a pool. It has also been the site of diplomatic events like the Camp David Accords in 1978 and the G8 summit in 2012.

Here's a look inside Camp David, where presidents go to escape Washington.

The original name of Camp David was Shangri-La, the name of a fictional Himalayan paradise in the 1933 novel "Lost Horizon."

When President Dwight D. Eisenhower took office, he renamed the property "Camp David," after his father and grandson who had the same name.

By the end of the Eisenhower administration, Camp David looked like this. The president's cabin — Aspen Lodge — was originally called the Bear's Den by FDR.

From the beginning, Camp David gave presidents a chance to enjoy the countryside.

Here, FDR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill fish in the woods around "Shangri La." The two men reportedly planned the D-Day invasion from a porch on one of the cabins.

Since Camp David is in the Catoctin Mountain Park, it has a number of trails around it that presidents and their families can enjoy.

Horseback riding is also a common activity for the trails, as seen here with President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George Bush.

Originally, the pool at Camp David was far from Aspen Lodge. President Lyndon B. Johnson can be seen enjoying the pool with family, friends, and staff.

Here's another shot of Johnson at the Camp David pool.

President Richard Nixon added a pool behind the Aspen Lodge in the 1970s. President Barack Obama apparently still enjoyed it decades later.

Obama White House photographer Pete Souza snapped a number of great behind-the-scenes shots of life at Camp David, which also has tennis and basketball courts.

As well as a pool table.

Camp David can provide a relaxing setting for presidents to do their work, away from the chaos of Washington.

Many presidents have spent Christmas at Camp David.

It's pretty nice in winter too.

President Jimmy Carter turned Camp David into a place where diplomacy was conducted, like the landmark Camp David Accords in 1978.

Like Carter, President Bill Clinton used Camp David as a location for talks between Israel and Palestine.

Obama also used Camp David as a place for diplomatic events.

In 2012, he hosted the leaders of the G8 nations at Camp David.

It's not all work, though. European leaders took a break during the 2012 G8 to watch the overtime shootout of the Chelsea vs. Bayern Munich Champions League final.

President Donald Trump visited Camp David five times in his first year in office, calling it "a very special place" in one tweet.

In January 2018, Trump brought senior Republicans to Camp David for a leadership retreat.

During his presidency, Trump frequented his properties more than Camp David.

Before taking office, Trump once told a German journalist in an interview, "Camp David is very rustic, it's nice, you'd like it. You know how long you'd like it? For about 30 minutes."

By August 2020, Trump had made 500 visits to his properties. Of those 500, Trump had visited Mar-A-Lago 134 times. 

Comparatively, Trump visited Camp David five times in his first year in office, according to USA Today. He visited his golf clubs 150 times in his first year. 

Sources: Washington Post, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, USA Today

President Joe Biden made his first trip to Camp David three weeks into his presidency for Valentine's Day weekend in 2021.

Source: Reuters

Biden was at Camp David during the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

He spent 72 hours at Camp David and cut his trip short to return to the White House and address the nation. 

Source: Washington Post

In February 2023, Biden and his team prepared for his State of the Union address from Camp David.

Source: CBS News

Biden and his family spent the Fourth of July weekend at Camp David in 2023.

Source: Washington Examiner

Biden called for a "new era of cooperation" with Japan and South Korea.

President Joe Biden held a joint news conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and then-Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at Camp David on August 18, 2023.

"This is the first summit I've hosted at Camp David as president. I can think of no more fitting location to begin the next era of cooperation," Biden said at the time. "In the months and years ahead, we're going to continue to seize those possibilities together — unwavering in our unity and unmatched in our resolve."

Biden gathered with close family members at Camp David in June 2024.

President Joe Biden leaned on his family during a difficult stretch of his campaign following his first debate with former President Donald Trump. (In July 2024, Biden stepped aside as the Democratic nominee, paving the way for the eventual nomination of Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's standard bearer.)

Trump won a second term in November 2024 and come January 2025, it'll once again be the president-elect's turn to utilize the retreat.

Editor's note: This story was first published in February 2018 and has been updated with recent information.

• President-elect Donald Trump on Monday threatened to impose 25% tariffs on goods from Canada.
• In making his statement on Truth Social, Trump criticized Canada over immigration policy and drugs.
• Roughly 77% of Canada's exports go directly to the US, per the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

President-elect Donald Trump has made waves this week with his vow to impose new tariffs on imported goods from Canada, China, and Mexico, which also happen to be the United States' top trading partners.

Trump's hard-line stance against China — a country that conservatives consider to be a threat to the US's economic and national security interests — is not a surprise. Neither are his threats regarding Mexico, whose border with the US has created contentious and high-profile immigration concerns.

But where does Canada, the US's northern neighbor, fit into the equation alongside China and Mexico?

In short, Trump says he has the same concerns over immigration, fentanyl, and crime from the Canadian border as he does Mexico's.

While it's possible the tariff threats are part of Trump's negotiation strategy, there has been a sharp increase in apprehensions at the US-Canada border over the past year. From October 2023 through September 2024, US Border Patrol made 23,721 arrests at the US-Canada border, compared with the 10,021 arrests that were made in the preceding 12-month period, according to Customs and Border Patrol data. The New York Times and NPR reported that Indian nationals in Canada on temporary visas made up a large portion of the surge of illegal border crossings into the US.

Few things animate Trump more than immigration, one of his defining issues and one that he's zeroed in on since his first presidential run in 2016. The president-elect's firm stance on border security has earned him enduring loyalty from the party's base.

Justin Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, immediately addressed the concerns within his country, telling reporters on Tuesday that he had a "good" conversation with Trump following the president-elect's pledge to target his country.

"We talked about how the intense and effective connections between our two countries flow back and forth," Trudeau said. "We talked about some of the challenges that we can work on together."

Trump on Monday criticized both Canada and Mexico over the issue on his Truth Social platform.

"On January 20th, as one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, and its ridiculous Open Borders," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!"

If enacted, the ramifications of such tariffs could be enormous, as about 77% of Canada's exports go directly to the US, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.

And some trade experts have warned that if Trump actually imposes the tariffs, he'd be violating the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which was brokered during his first term in office to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement — the 1990s-era free-trade pact Trump had long railed against.

Jake Colvin, the president of the National Foreign Trade Council, said Trump's proposed tariffs would trigger a "clear violation of the USMCA," according to Roll Call.

"While we're all familiar with the President-elect's fondness for tariffs as a negotiating tool, it's particularly troubling that he's threatening to aim them at America's closest allies and trading partners on the very first day of his administration," he said.

Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister of Canada, and Dominic LeBlanc, the country's public-safety minister, responded to Trump's remarks in a joint statement on Monday, touting the mutually beneficial alliance between the two countries.

"Canada and the United States have one of the strongest and closest relationships — particularly when it comes to trade and border security," the top officials wrote on X. "Canada places the highest priority on border security and the integrity of our shared border."

"In addition, the CBSA [Canada Border Services Agency] is continually strengthening its ability to detect opioids through enhanced inspections at ports of entry, detector dogs, and emerging technologies, preventing opioids from entering and leaving Canada," they added.

The officials then pledged to work with Trump's second-term administration in tackling the issues he raised.

Business Insider reached out to a representative of Trump for comment.

• Elon Musk has become one of Donald Trump's strongest political allies.
• Musk recently said his choice for the influential Treasury secretary role would be Howard Lutnick.
• Trump ultimately went with hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, however.

As President-elect Donald Trump assembles the key players to drive his new administration's agenda, Elon Musk is rarely far away.

From meetings at Mar-a-Lago in Florida to a weekend UFC match in New York, Musk has been a mainstay of Trump's political orbit in recent months. The Tesla CEO spent at least $119 million supporting the president-elect's 2024 campaign.

Musk is poised to be a high-profile player in Trump's second term. He's expected to serve as a co-lead of the forthcoming Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside onetime GOP presidential contender Vivek Ramaswamy.

There seems, however, at least for now, some limit to Musk's influence on Trump.

Trump tapped hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, the founder and chief executive of Key Square Group, to be his next Treasury secretary on Friday. Bessent, a Wall Street veteran and a top economic advisor to Trump, emerged as a favorite of the president-elect while on the campaign trail this year.

Last Saturday, however, before Trump decided, Musk shared his thoughts about the Treasury job, writing in a post on X that Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick would be a stronger choice.

"My view fwiw is that Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas @howardlutnick will actually enact change," Musk wrote at the time. "Business-as-usual is driving America bankrupt, so we need change one way or another."

Days later, Trump nominated Lutnick as commerce secretary. If confirmed by the Senate, the veteran businessman — who strongly supported the president-elect's campaign — is set to drive the administration's trade policy.

That Trump went his own way in selecting Bessent for what is seen as the top economic role in any presidential administration may be an early sign of the limitations of Musk's relationship with the president-elect.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump sought advice from Wall Street leaders for the Treasury spot, and his advisors told him that analysts would view Bessent as a stabilizing figure.

Bessent's economic worldview has largely mirrored Trump's. Shortly after the election, the hedge fund manager argued in an op-ed that the country's competitiveness "has been weakened by destructive energy policies and the channeling of investment toward a quixotic energy transition."

"Allowing the private sector rather than the government to allocate capital is crucial to growth," he wrote. "Overhauling the regulatory and supervisory environment will encourage more lending and reinvigorate banks."

It's the sort of message that Trump touted as he campaigned for a second term. And, in his announcement of Bessent's nomination, he continued in that same vein, remarking that Bessent will "help me usher in a new Golden Age for the United States."

Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.