He had left furious and defeated in 2021, but now he returns triumphant and determined to shake up the state, judging by his bold appointments: Donald Trump will be received Wednesday by Joe Biden, who has promised a smooth transition with his arch-enemy.
The outgoing Democratic president is set to meet Trump, both his predecessor and successor, in the Oval Office, which the 78-year-old leader will occupy once again after his swearing-in on January 20.
Last week, after Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in the presidential election, Joe Biden pledged to ensure a “peaceful and orderly” transfer of power with the man he has repeatedly called a threat to American democracy.
The outgoing president “believes in norms. He believes in institutions,” said his spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday.
The visit promises to be humbling for the 80-year-old Democrat, who knows that much of his legacy could be dismantled by the team his rival is assembling with one radical appointment after another.
Among the latest appointees announced by the president-elect: the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, to head a new “Department of Government Efficiency,” in partnership with Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy. Ramaswamy has already promised on X that the duo won’t “hold back.”
If these three wealthy businessmen work well together, they could move to drastically cut the federal budget of the world’s leading power and deregulate across the board.
Revenge
For Donald Trump, the meeting with Joe Biden will have a strong taste of revenge.
He slammed the door of the White House on January 20, 2020, just hours before Joe Biden’s arrival, without even attending the inauguration ceremony of his great rival.
The Republican also didn’t arrange this traditional courtesy visit between the outgoing and incoming presidents, one of many breaches of longstanding Washington customs by the unpredictable septuagenarian.
Donald Trump still believes that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
According to Mike Johnson, a top Republican in Congress, the president-elect may also make a brief visit to the Capitol on Wednesday, the building his supporters stormed on January 6, 2021, to try to prevent the certification of Joe Biden’s election.
His party is already poised to take the Senate, the upper chamber.
Republicans are also expected to retain control of the other branch of the U.S. Congress, the House of Representatives.
With a Supreme Court now firmly anchored to the right, Donald Trump will have free rein.
"Hawk"
The president-elect is moving swiftly to appoint loyalists to highly strategic positions.
Along with Elon Musk, he plans to entrust diplomacy to influential Senator Marco Rubio, known for his hardline stance on China and Iran, who is set to become Secretary of State.
At the White House itself, international relations in the new Trump era will be led by another “hawk,” Mike Waltz, in the critical role of National Security Advisor.
For defense, Donald Trump has announced plans to appoint Pete Hegseth, a former army major and current Fox News host, to lead the Pentagon.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is expected to become Secretary of Homeland Security, a portfolio that includes customs and border security.
Donald Trump campaigned on a fiercely anti-establishment rhetoric. He has promised mass deportations of undocumented migrants and a radical protectionist shift in economic policy.
With AFP
Comments