Latest Updates on Trump Inauguration 2025

Trump names Andrew Ferguson head of FTC, Guilfoyle as Ambassador to Greece

President-elect Donald Trump has named Andrew Ferguson as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission. He will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars' worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behaviour. It was one of several evening announcements Trump made on Tuesday via his social media platform, including that he was naming Kimberly Guilfoyle as Ambassador to Greece, a longtime supporter who was engaged to his son Don Jr., and ally and former inaugural chairman Tom Barrack as Ambassador to Turkey. Ferguson is already one of the FTC's five commissioners, which is currently made up of three Democrats and two Republicans. Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country, Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country'

DA suggests judge could halt Trump's hush money case, uphold conviction

Prosecutors are urging a judge not to throw out President-elect Donald Trump's hush money criminal conviction but suggesting a willingness to end the case in a way that would preserve the verdict while avoiding punishment or a protracted legal fight. In court papers made public on Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books, including asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to consider treating the case the way he would when a defendant dies. That would effectively put the case into a permanent state of suspended animation. Trump's conviction would stand, but everything would freeze, including any appeal action. It is unclear if that option is viable under New York law. As applied here, this Court could similarly terminate the criminal proceeding by placing a notation in the record that the jury verdict removed the presumption of innocence; that defendant was never sentenced; and that his conviction was neither

Trump nominates Indian-American Dhillon as assistant AG for civil rights

US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American Harmeet K Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the Department of Justice. I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K. Dhillon as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice, Trump announced on Monday on Truth Social, a social media platform owned by him. Dhillon, a Sikh, is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia Law School, and has clerked in the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Throughout her career, Harmeet has stood up consistently to protect our cherished civil liberties, including taking on big tech for censoring our free speech, representing Christians who were prevented from praying together during COVID, and suing corporations who use woke policies to discriminate against their workers, he said. Harmeet is one of the top election lawyers in the country, fighting to ensure that all, and ONLY, legal votes are counted. Harmeet is a respected me

TikTok hires ex-Trump admin lawyer ahead of Supreme Court appeal

Noel Francisco, who served as US solicitor general during Republican President-elect Donald Trump's first administration, will represent TikTok along with his partner Hashim Mooppan at law firm Jones

President Biden considering preemptive pardons before Trump assumes office

President Joe Biden is weighing whether to issue sweeping pardons for officials and allies who the White House fears could be unjustly targeted by President-elect Donald Trump's administration, a preemptive move that would be a novel and risky use of the president's extraordinary constitutional power. The deliberations so far are largely at the level of White House lawyers. But Biden himself has discussed the topic with some senior aides, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday to discuss the sensitive subject. No decisions have been made, the people said, and it is possible Biden opts to do nothing at all. Pardons are historically afforded to those accused of specific crimes and usually those who have already been convicted of an offense but Biden's team is considering issuing them for those who have not even been investigated, let alone charged. They fear that Trump and his allies, who have boasted of enemies lists and exacti

Trump taps ally of immigration policies to head Customs, Border Protection

The picture of who will be in charge of executing President-elect Donald Trump's hard-line immigration and border policies has come into sharper focus after he announced his picks to head Customs and Border Protection and also the agency tasked with deporting immigrants in the country illegally. Trump said late Thursday he was tapping Rodney Scott, a former Border Patrol chief who's been a vocal supporter of tougher enforcement measures, for CBP commissioner. As acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Trump said he'd nominate Caleb Vitello, a career ICE official with more than 23 years in the agency who most recently has been the assistant director for firearms and tactical programs. They will work with an immigration leadership team that includes South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security; former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement head Tom Homan as border czar; and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of ...

Donald Trump appoints former PayPal COO David Sacks as 'AI and crypto czar'

Crypto czar and other officials in Trump's incoming administration such as the chairs of the SEC and Commodity Futures Trading Commission are expected to reshape US policy on digital currency

Investment banks eye 2025 income boom as Trump drives deal rebound

Global investment banking income has only topped $300 billion five times in the last 20 years

Trump appoints former Senator David Perdue as US ambassador to China

President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he is choosing former Sen David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China. Trump said in a social media post that Perdue, a former CEO, brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for Georgia governor. Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Georgia Gov Brian Kemp. Economic tensions will be a big part of the US-China picture for the new administration. Trump has threatened to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders. The Chinese Embassy in Washington cautioned earlier this wee

Donald Trump's plan to impose 10% tariff on China has $64 bn import hole

It might be difficult to achieve it fully because tens of billions of dollars worth of goods will probably escape those import taxes due to loopholes and undercounting

Trump names Adam Boehler for negotiating release of hostages abroad

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday named a health care executive to serve as his administration's lead hostage negotiator at a time when the US is trying to secure the release of prisoners in Gaza and other regions around the world. Adam Boehler will serve as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. That role has been held since 2020 by Roger Carstens, who was appointed by Trump and remained in the job for the duration of the Biden administration. During that period, the US has brought home several dozen Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained in countries including Russia among them, WNBA star Brittney Griner and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich Iran, China, Venezuela and Afghanistan. Boehler is the founder and CEO of Rubicon Founders, a healthcare investment firm, and also served as the first CEO of the International Development Finance Corporation. In a statement announcing the appointment, Trump described Boehler as the lead negotiator on

Trump seeks to dismiss Georgia election case, citing presidential immunity

President-elect Donald Trump is trying to get the Georgia election interference case against him dismissed, claiming the state's courts will not have jurisdiction over him once he returns to the White House next month. The Georgia case against Trump and others is mostly on hold pending a pretrial appeal of an order allowing prosecutor Fani Willis to remain on the case despite what defense attorneys say is a conflict of interest. Trump's attorneys on Wednesday filed a notice with the Georgia Court of Appeals saying a sitting president is completely immune from indictment or any criminal process, state or federal. The filing asks the court of appeals to consider before he becomes president next month whether it has jurisdiction to continue to hear the case. It says the court should conclude that it and the trial court lack jurisdiction as the continued indictment and prosecution of President Trump by the State of Georgia are unconstitutional. Trump's lawyers ask that the appeals court

Trump's Pentagon nominee Hegseth refuses to back down amid growing doubts

Hegseth has denied allegations made in a police report that he sexually assaulted a woman in 2017 at a conference in California

'Trump trade' twists can adversely affect EM investors as dollar drags down

Since the third week of September, the US dollar has strengthened 4.0 per cent against a basket of EM currencies

Trump team allows justice dept to conduct background checks on nominees

President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees after a weeks-long delay. The step lets Trump transition aides and future administration staffers obtain security clearances before Inauguration Day to access classified information about ongoing government programs, an essential step for a smooth transiton of power. It also allows those nominees who are up for Senate confirmation to face the background checks lawmakers want before voting on them. Teams of investigators have been standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers. This agreement with the Department of Justice will ensure President Trump and his team are ready on Day 1 to begin enacting the America First Agenda that an overwhelming majority of our nation supported on Election Day," said Susie Wiles, Trump's designate to be White House chief of staff. The announcement comes a week after t

Donald Trump, Republican senators plan potential agenda for first 30 days

President-elect Donald Trump dialed in to what was described as a love fest Tuesday with Senate Republicans as they begin laying the groundwork for control of government in the new year, and a potential first-30-days agenda. Trump's brief call was more celebratory than a prescriptive policy agenda, according to those attending the private GOP retreat, encouraging the senators to confirm his Cabinet nominees as they launch an agenda of tax cuts, deportations and other priorities. "It was a love fest," said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. There was a real sense of unity in the room. The virtual visit comes as Congress is finishing up the final weeks of what, by most measures, has been among the more chaotic sessions in modern times. With the full sweep of party control, Republicans are eager to do better next year with Trump's return to the White House. Republicans want to notch an early accomplishment in the first 30 days after Trump's inauguration Jan. 20. Incoming Senate Republican lead