Here’s what we’re watching in transition world today:
Donald Trump is heading into 2025 with imperialism on the brain, but Republicans are mostly writing the president-elect’s overtures off as saber-rattling. It’s an approach that sometimes helped Trump get what he wanted out of allies and adversaries during his first term, Myah Ward reports.
A Christmas Day social media brawl between Trump’s backers in Silicon Valley and the MAGA base highlighted the looming battle facing the incoming White House and Congress over high-skilled immigration. But the online blowup suggests immigration hard-liners won’t surrender easily to Trump’s new tech friends, Brendan Bordelon reports.
House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) is raising doubts about whether Speaker Mike Johnson can pass Trump’s agenda. “We do need to consider whether — if we’re going to advance Mr. Trump’s agenda — whether the current leadership is what we need,” Harris told Fox Business.
Trump congratulated Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt on their engagement in a post on Truth Social.
William Webster, the only person to lead both the FBI and CIA, wrote in a letter to senators that neither Kash Patel nor Tulsi Gabbard meet the demands of top intelligence jobs. He urged senators to “weigh the critical importance of nonpartisan leadership and experience.”