Trump picks Susie Wiles as chief of staff in first major appointment; Putin commends Trump victory – US election live

Trump announces Susie Wiles as chief of staff

Donald Trump has announced that Susie Wiles, co-manager of his re-election campaign, will be his chief of staff:

Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns … Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America great again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female chief of staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”

Susie Wiles and Donald Trump at his election night watch party. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

Wiles is a veteran operative who is seen as playing an integral part in Trump’s successful bid to reclaim the White House.

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California ‘Trump-proofing’ itself against federal reprisal

California prided itself on its resistance to Donald Trump during his first term as president and will hardly have to scramble to assume the same role a second time around.

Indeed, as a bastion of Democratic party strength in a country moving sharply to the right, it has been preparing for this moment for a long time.

“California will continue to be at the forefront of progress, the fulcrum of democracy, the champion of innovation, and the protector of our rights and freedoms,” Adam Schiff, the state’s newly elected senator and a frequent target of Trump’s wrath, promised supporters on election night.

On Thursday, Gavin Newsom announced a special session of the California legislature to ensure the attorney general’s office and other state agencies have the funding they need. “We won’t sit idle,” the governor said. “California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond.”

Even with Trump out of power since 2021, California has been setting up guardrails to protect its resident’s rights under an adversarial federal government. The state has enshrined abortion rights in its constitution, passed a ballot initiative explicitly defending the right of same-sex couples to marry and pushed for tougher gun laws that still adhere to the supreme court’s narrow interpretation of the right to bear arms.

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The US secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, has urged the military to carry out a smooth transition to Donald Trump, reminding the force of its responsibility to follow the lawful orders of the next commander in chief, AP reports.

Memos of this kind are not common, but it’s not the first time the Pentagon chief has reminded the military of its constitutional obligations, the AP says, noting, “In the context of the incoming president’s suggestion that he may use federal forces at the southern border, and Project 2025 plans to force out career civilians and fill positions with Trump loyalists, the Biden administration has taken unusual steps both to try to insulate those civil servants and to remind the military of its own sworn oaths.”

Lloyd Austin during an October press conference. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

Who is Susie Wiles, Donald Trump's new chief of staff?

Wiles, announced today as Trump’s new chief of staff, is a veteran political operative who has been in the president-elect’s orbit for years.

The 67-year-old, who will be the first woman to be chief of staff for a US president, is the daughter of the late NFL broadcaster Pat Summerall and one of Trump’s longest-serving advisers, CNN noted. She ran his Florida campaigns in 2020 and 2016 and served as a “de facto chief of staff” over the last four years as she helped lead his successful re-election bid.

She has been repeatedly credited for his win this week and Trump directly praised her in his victory speech, but she declined to take the mic and comment.

Donald Trump sits with Susie Wiles as he attends a New York Jets football game in October. Photograph: Evan Vucci/Reuters

Before supporting Trump, she ran Rick Scott’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign in Florida and briefly served as campaign manager of former Utah governor Jon Huntsman’s presidential bid in 2012, the AP reported.

Trump defended Wiles in September when there were concerns that the campaign was flailing and he repeatedly expressed faith in her amid reports of an internal power struggle.

Trump’s first term was marked by significant turnover, including four chiefs of staff. John Kelly, Trump’s longest serving chief of staff during his first administration, spent the final weeks of this year’s election warning that his former boss was a “fascist” who had privately and repeatedly praised Hitler.

Trump announces Susie Wiles as chief of staff

Donald Trump has announced that Susie Wiles, co-manager of his re-election campaign, will be his chief of staff:

Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns … Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America great again. It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female chief of staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”

Susie Wiles and Donald Trump at his election night watch party. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP

Wiles is a veteran operative who is seen as playing an integral part in Trump’s successful bid to reclaim the White House.

Summary

If you’re just catching up on the latest developments two days after Donald Trump’s decisive victory, here are some key updates from the day so far:

• Joe Biden promised a smooth transfer of power to Trump in an address to the nation, as he implored Americans to “bring down the temperature” of partisan divisions and keep their faith in democratic systems.

• Vladimir Putin congratulated Trump on winning the US election, and expressed admiration for the way Trump reacted to an assassination attempt during the campaign.

• Trump will give Benjamin Netanyahu a “blank check” in the Middle East, possibly opening the way for all-out war between Israel and Iran, the former CIA director and US defense secretary Leon Panetta predicted.

• Americans are stockpiling abortion pills and hormones in response to Trump’s victory.

• Control of the House of Representatives still remains uncertain as neither party have secured enough wins yet to security the majority, but Republicans remain ahead.

• Republican Dave McCormick was declared by AP the winner of the Senate race in Pennsylvania in a razor-thin contest, but incumbent Democrat Bob Casey has not yet conceded.

• Trump said there was “no price tag” for his mass deportation plan, which he indicated would be a priority.

• The Federal Reserve chair, Jerome Powell, said he will not resign if Donald Trump requests it.

• California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, has called the legislature into a special session to the prepare the most populous state for the fight against Trump.

• Nevada and Arizona still remained too close to call in the presidential race, though Trump was leading in both key swing states.

Democratic incumbent Bob Casey not conceding in Pennsylvania

Even though the Associated Press has called the Pennsylvania Senate race for Republican Dave McCormick, the campaign of Bob Casey is not yet conceding.

A spokesperson for Casey insisted that thousands of ballots remained uncounted as of Thursday, when McCormick led the race by 0.5 points.

Senator Bob Casey speaks to reporters before voting on election day. Photograph: Matt Rourke/AP

“As the Pennsylvania secretary of state said this afternoon, there are tens of thousands of ballots across the Commonwealth still to count, which includes provisional ballots, military and overseas ballots and mail ballots,” Maddy McDaniel, Casey spokesperson, said in a new statement.

“This race is within half a point and cannot be called while the votes of thousands of Pennsylvanians are still being counted. We will make sure every Pennsylvanian’s voice is heard.”

A breakdown of popular vote margins in 2020 and 2024

Aliya Uteuova

Here’s a look at how the popular vote margins shifted from 2020 to 2024 in Republicans’ favor, helping Trump flip key states and secure victory.

Republican Dave McCormick ousts Democrat in Pennsylvania Senate

The Republican Dave McCormick won the Senate race in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Thursday, denying the Democratic incumbent, Bob Casey, a fourth term and expanding his party’s majority in the upper chamber.

When the Associated Press called the race at 4.09pm ET on Thursday, two days after polls closed in Pennsylvania, McCormick led by 0.4 points. The narrow margin raised the possibility of a recount, although his victory is expected to stand given his lead of roughly 30,000 votes.

With McCormick’s victory, Republicans have now secured at least 53 seats in the Senate, erasing Democrats’ previous majority in the chamber. Two Senate races in Nevada and Arizona remained too close to call as of Thursday afternoon.

Protesters gathered at Trump Tower in Chicago

At least 200 people gathered outside the Trump International Hotel and Tower in Chicago on Wednesday night to protest Donald Trump’s re-election and call for an end to the war in Gaza. Here’s a video and some photos:

Demonstrators in Chicago on Wednesday night. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

A protester holds a Jews Against Genocide sign at the Chicago protest after Trump’s victory. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Demonstration in Chicago to demand end to Israeli attacks in Gaza. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

Donald Trump made inroads in two Michigan cities that are home to some of the largest Arab American and Muslim communities in the United States, after those voters grew disenchanted with Joe Biden over his support for Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

In addition to winning Michigan overall, the Detroit Free Press reports that Trump was the pick of most voters in Dearborn, and performed well in Hamtramck – both cities where many people of Middle Eastern descent live.

In previous elections, Democrats had performed well in those communities, but Biden’s decision to supply Israel with weapons it has used in Gaza and, more recently, Lebanon, sparked a sustained backlash that extended to his vice-president, Kamala Harris. Trump has said little about how he would handle Israel’s conflicts as president, but was supportive of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government during his first term, and also implemented a ban on travelers from several majority Muslim countries.

Here’s more about the backlash Harris faced in Michigan, from the Free Press:

In Dearborn, where 55% of the residents are of Middle Eastern descent, Trump won with 42.48% of the vote over Vice President Kamala Harris, who received 36.26%, according to results, with 100% of precincts counted, provided to the Free Press from City Clerk George Darany. Jill Stein received 18.37% of the vote. Voter turnout in Dearborn was smaller compared to 2020.

Trump also won in Dearborn Heights, where 39% of the residents are of Middle Eastern descent, defeating Harris 44% to 38.3%, with Stein at 15.1%.

In the November 2020 election, Biden received 68.8% in Dearborn while Trump received 29.9%. Muslim voters interviewed Tuesday at polling sites said they were disappointed with the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s attacks and also preferred Trump’s views on economics.

…

In Hamtramck, Trump also had a substantial increase in support, but Harris won the working-class city that has the highest percentage of immigrants among cities in Michigan. In November 2020, Biden won Hamtramck, winning with 85.4% of the vote over Trump, who only got 13.4%.

With 100% of the vote counted, Harris got 46.2% in Tuesday’s election in Hamtramck, a significant decrease from Biden’s 85% four years ago, while Trump got 42.7% and Jill Stein was at 8.96%, according to results provided to the Free Press by City Clerk Rana Faraj.