Live Updates

Trump transition live updates: Scott Bessent offered treasury secretary job, sources say

PHOTO: Key Square Group founder Scott Bessent speaks at a campaign event for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 14, 2024.

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Jonathan Drake/Reuters

Pam Bondi named as new AG pick after Gaetz drops out

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, said Thursday he is withdrawing his name for the role -- just a day after Gaetz spoke with Republican senators on Capitol Hill about the nomination process.

Trump has named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, as his new pick for the role.

Another controversial Cabinet pick, Pete Hegseth, is on the Hill on Thursday with Vice President-elect JD Vance to make his case for the secretary of the Department of Defense job.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to announce his picks for top jobs inside his administration.

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Nov 12, 2024 8:45 PM

Tracking those Trump has named to serve in his Cabinet, administration

Ahead of his return to power in January, Trump is announcing who he wants to fill Cabinet positions and other key roles inside his administration.

They include some of his staunchest allies on Capitol Hill and key advisers to his 2024 campaign.

Here is a running list of the people Trump has selected, or is expected to select, to serve in his administration.

Nov 23, 2024 12:24 AM

Trump taps Project 2025 co-author to head budget office

Trump announced he has nominated Russell Vought as the director of the Office of Management and Budget.

The president-elect described Vought, who served in the same role during Trump's first term for several months toward the end of the administration, as an "aggressive cost cutter and deregulator."

Vought has ties to Project 2025. He authored a chapter on "Executive Office of the President" for Project 2025's "Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise," which Project 2025 describes as "a comprehensive policy guide for the next conservative U.S. president."

His Center For Renewing America is also listed as a member of Project 2025's advisory board, according to the plan's website.

The position he's been nominated for requires Senate confirmation.

Nov 22, 2024 11:33 PM

Billionaire Scott Bessent offered treasury secretary job: Sources

President-elect Donald Trump has offered the treasury secretary position to billionaire Scott Bessent, multiple sources told ABC News Friday.

Bessent has advised Trump on economic policy and has been a frequent presence at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club this week and last week.

Jonathan Drake/Reuters

Key Square Group founder Scott Bessent speaks at a campaign event for Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump in Asheville, North Carolina, Aug. 14, 2024.

The position must be approved by the Senate.

The announcement for the job was supposed to come earlier but had been stalled due to intense infighting among Trump's top advisers — including transition co-chair Howard Lutnick — about who should get the job.

-ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Jonathan Karl

Nov 22, 2024 9:13 PM

Gaetz joins Cameo

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz has joined Cameo, the website where users can purchase a personalized video from celebrity, a day after withdrawing from consideration to be the next attorney general.

A source close to Gaetz confirms the account is real. He is currently charging more than $500 for a personalized video message from the platform.

Former Rep George Santos also joined Cameo when he was ousted from Congress under much different circumstances. Santos, at one point, was selling videos for upwards of $500, but now has dropped his price to $250.

Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images, FILES

Rep. Matt Gaetz speaks during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Mar. 12, 2024.

-ABC News' Brittany Shepherd and Jay O'Brien

Nov 22, 2024 5:22 PM

Gaetz says he will not rejoin Congress

Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who withdrew as President-elect Trump's attorney general pick on Thursday, said in an interview on Friday that he will not rejoin Congress.

Gaetz told conservative media personality Charlie Kirk that he does not intend to run for Congress.

"I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress," he told Kirk on America's Voices.