Is Kellyanne Conway out?
Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager who was often credited with steadying his roiling political machinery, may not go to the White House, according to two people briefed on the discussions.
Ms. Conway, Mr. Trump’s final campaign manager, sanded down the candidate’s rougher edges in her television appearances, but she has four young children and is weighing what a move into the West Wing would do to them.
Instead, she may remain on the outside, as a voice for the new administration on television or with a new super PAC set up to support the president-elect’s activities.
National security expert leaves transition team.
Former Representative Mike Rogers stepped down Tuesday as national security senior adviser to the Trump transition team. There is no word yet whether that means he is preparing to enter the Trump administration or returning to the world of radio and punditry. From his statement:
“America’s challenges domestically and overseas are so enormous that we needed to move in a drastically different direction for our country. The American people felt that, and made a historic choice that shocked the political and media establishment. It was my pleasure to take to the national television and radio airwaves to highlight the stark choice between the bold change represented by President-elect Trump and the dangerous status quo represented by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. I look forward to continuing to provide advice and counsel as needed to the incoming Trump administration as they work to make America great again.”
Ban Ki-moon pleads his case
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations said Tuesday that he spoke last week with Mr. Trump about his vows to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, and that he planned to continue to press the issue of climate change with Mr. Trump.
“As president of the U.S., he will understand and listen and evaluate his campaign remarks,” Mr. Ban said. “We have seen many campaign rhetorics, not only in the U.S. but all over the world. He may have to learn to understand the reality of the whole world’s progress, particularly on climate. I am sure he will make a good and wise decision. I will discuss this personally with him.’’.
He added, “My sense is that as a very successful business person he understands that there are market forces already at work on this issue and we need to harness these forces for the good of the planet.”
It may not be possible for Mr. Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, to follow through on his campaign pledges to fully withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris deal, which commits more than 190 countries to take action to cut planet-warming emissions. The United States will remain legally bound to the accord for at least four years. A Trump administration could refuse, however, to implement President Obama’s climate change policies.
Climate diplomats gathering in Marrakesh, Morocco, to hammer out the details of implementing the Paris accord have said that the governments of most countries, including China, intend to move forward despite the possible withdrawal of the United States. But they conceded that the absence of the United States would significantly weaken the accord. Mr. Ban, who will step down as secretary general at the end of the year, said he hoped to convey to Mr. Trump the moral, diplomatic and financial consequences of withdrawing the United States from the Paris pact.
“I hope that President-elect Mr. Trump will really hear and understand the seriousness and urgency of addressing climate change,” Mr. Ban said.
The president-elect still hasn’t met the press.
When will Donald J. Trump hold his first news conference?
It has been seven days since Mr. Trump’s stunning victory, and there is no indication of when he might face the news media — a tradition for presidents-elect.
In 2008, Barack Obama held his first news conference as president-elect in Chicago on Nov. 7, three days after his election. (Mr. Obama held the 37th solo news conference of his presidency on Monday, taking questions from the White House press corps for more than an hour.)
Mr. Trump has done a couple of interviews since being elected, including one on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” But carefully controlled interviews are no replacement for the sometimes difficult give-and-take of a news conference.
For Mr. Trump, there are plenty of questions: about his appointments (Stephen K. Bannon as chief strategist), about his policies (will he really build the wall?) and about his governing philosophy. Those will certainly be explored if he steps to a lectern in front of the White House press corps that will document his term starting in January.
Who wants the homeland security job? … Anyone?
While we await the announcement of Mr. Trump’s picks for glamour jobs such as secretary of state and attorney general, one cabinet post seems to hold considerably less appeal: secretary of homeland security. Some in Mr. Trump’s inner circle are said to have turned up their noses at the possibility of assuming that post.
There are a couple of reasons. The Department of Homeland Security, consisting of an assortment of independent security agencies put under one umbrella after the Sept. 11 attacks, is difficult to manage and has a lot of internal rivalries. The new secretary will also be responsible for carrying out the administration’s immigration and border security plan — potentially a very difficult task. And of course, the secretary is also responsible for the Transportation Security Administration, not a favorite among conservatives.
Mr. Obama is to arrive in Athens on Tuesday morning for the start of his final foreign trip as president, and he is likely to be peppered with questions about the election and what it will mean for relations with Europe. The president has insisted that he expects the United States to continue to honor its international commitments, but in reality he cannot make any promises.
Mr. Obama will offer more extended thoughts on America’s new political order on Wednesday, when, after visiting the Parthenon, he is scheduled to deliver a speech about the impact of globalization on Western economies. He is expected to discuss forces that are giving rise to populist movements in countries around the world — including his own.
Ryan is expected to win another term as speaker.
House Republicans will hold their leadership elections on Tuesday. No drama is expected, and Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin will most likely return to his post when the new Congress meets in January.
The Senate will convene on Tuesday afternoon for the first time since the election, opening the floor to senators to offer their views on what happened and what it all means. What will Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, who has been harshly critical of Mr. Trump, have to say?
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