Trump Visits the White House as He Prepares To Take Office

Today was President-elect Donald Trump’s first time visiting the White House (per President Joe Biden’s invitation) since he left four years ago. In a surprising scene, we saw both men sitting in front of a fire and acting very cordially to one another. Biden was all smiles, ear-to-ear, and said he wanted to ensure “a smooth transition” took place. Trump concurred, “Politics is tough, and it’s, many cases, not a very nice world, but it is a nice world today, and I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth, it’ll be as smooth as it can get.”

Amid Trump’s return to the White House is the continuing news of Trump’s picks for the new staff and Cabinet – e.g., Tesla’s Elon Musk and presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to run the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem for Secretary of Department of Homeland Security, former Rep. Lee Zeldin (NY-1) for Director of the EPA, Rep. Mike Waltz (FL-6) for National Security Adviser, Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21) for U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., and former Governor Mike Huckabee as U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

The picks are coming in fast, which shows that Trump is much more confident this go-around. He even admitted on Joe Rogan’s podcast that he didn’t fully know what he was doing while filling Cabinet seats in 2016. In fact, the “biggest mistake” of his first presidency was choosing some poor candidates. This time, President Trump has a much better grasp of the political side of Washington, D.C., and what’s needed for a successful Administration.

One of the most eye-catching items is the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk and Ramaswamy will be in charge of cutting unnecessary government spending. Trump announced, “These two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement.”

It will be fascinating – and fun – to see what kind of changes this new agency enacts. Supposedly, there will be a leaderboard to track the “insanely dumb” waste of taxpayer dollars, and citizens will be able to provide input for change.

Another interesting pick is former Governor Mike Huckabee for Ambassador to Israel. It shows a lot of the commonalities between evangelicals and Israel by appointing a Southern Baptist preacher in the role.

Considering the tenuous relationship between Israel and the Biden-Harris Administration, having an evangelical in the role of Ambassador shows a renewed liaison between the U.S. and our greatest ally. Huckabee has spent much time in Israel and knows it very well. The ACLJ is especially enthusiastic about this pick.

During today’s broadcast, the news broke that the Senate has its new majority leader: Senator John Thune (SD) will replace outgoing Senator Mitch McConnell (KY). Most view Thune as more of an establishment Republican, which will likely irk many of the MAGA crowd.

The Senate must hold its majority leader accountable in the days ahead. With Republicans likely maintaining control of the House of Representatives and taking the Senate and the White House, the American people have sent a clear mandate. The Senate must deliver what the people voted them in office to do: to put America first and carry out President Trump’s agenda.

Today’s Sekulow broadcast included a full analysis of President Trump’s first visit back to the White House and his incoming Cabinet and staff picks.

Watch the full broadcast below: