Welcome back in for Al’s Afternoon Tea, our chance to stop and sample the latest news.
The Big Guy and the Orange Man Hang Out
“Welcome to the White House. And you are?” No, that wasn’t Joe Biden’s opening line to Donald Trump during the traditional meeting of ingoing and outgoing presidents this morning. Nor was “Fancy having Hitler at the White House.”
Actually, Biden extended his hand, greeted the “president-elect, former president, Donald,” and promised a peaceful transition, adding, “Welcome back.”
Trump thanked his rival as a fire roared behind the duo, agreeing on a transition as “smooth as you can get.”
“Politics is tough, and in many cases not a nice world,” Trump said. “But it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it.”
WATCH: President Donald J. Trump and President Biden meet in the Oval Office pic.twitter.com/ZD9xPt4nyo
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) November 13, 2024
The two then went behind closed doors. A subtle thing to notice in the video and in the feature image: Donald Trump tends to use his size to physically dominate his political interactions. Notice how he slips a little lower in his seat here rather than push a dominant position on the frail Biden. Call it a little peek at the real Donald Trump.
Before heading over to the White House, Trump paid a visit to Capitol Hill to meet with Republicans. “Isn’t it nice to win?” he said. “It’s always nice to win.”
Trump: “Isn’t it nice to win?” pic.twitter.com/GT0ZRXiAxq
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) November 13, 2024
Meanwhile, we have a new Senate Majority Leader: Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the current Senate Minority Whip. A bid by pro-MAGA Sen. Rick Scott of Florida fell short. Scott finished third in the first round of voting behind Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, and was knocked out of the running. Thune succeeds Sen. Mitch McConnell, who chose not to seek another term as the Republican Senate leader.
Trump’s Casting Continues, with Some Wows
Welcome to DOGE: Musk and Ramaswamy Tasked With Creating Smaller, More Efficient Federal Government
Last night, Donald Trump confirmed that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will be partnering to head what’ll be called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE for short). Their task, according to Trump: “Dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies.” The president-elect compared their mission to the Manhattan Project, which resulted in the creation of the atomic bomb.
Musk and Ramaswamy will offer “advice and guidance from outside of government, and will partner with the White House and Office of Management & Budget to drive large-scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to government never seen before,” Trump said.
Their work will conclude no later than July 4, 2026. “A smaller government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America on the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence,” said Trump.
Stunner: Fox & Friends Weekend Host Pete Hegseth a Surprise Pick for Defense Secretary
Decorated military veteran-turned Fox & Friends Weekend host Pete Hegseth is Trump’s surprise choice for Defense Secretary. Sure, Hegseth looks like he should be in an ad rather than heading the Pentagon, but the Ivy League-educated vet with two Bronze Stars brings decades of battlefield experience and military study to the task, while not being part of the good ol’ boy military-industrial complex. He also served as the CEO of Concerned Veterans for America.
According to The Associated Press, the announcement left the Pentagon “stunned” and was “met with bewilderment and worry among many in Washington.”
Hegseth’s choice could bring sweeping changes to the military. He has made it clear on his show and in interviews that, like Trump, he is opposed to “woke” programs that promote equity and inclusion. He also has questioned the role of women in combat and advocated pardoning service members charged with war crimes.
Yeah, and … ?
I think we’ll be fine with Pete! pic.twitter.com/vv4YFJ9FjM
— B.Y.
(@BYLuvJedi) November 13, 2024
And for those questioning Trump’s pick? We’re not the first to note this, but we will anyway.
Biden made this hombre an admiral and put the other in charge of the nation’s nuclear waste.
“Trump’s picks are awful!”
Lol ok pic.twitter.com/DpOMuGHQgW
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) November 13, 2024
Hegseth’s Visit to LIFE Today
Pete Hegseth was in our parent company’s building a couple of years ago, taping an appearance on LIFE Today after his book was released.
Hegseth talked poignantly about rediscovering and recommitting himself to Christ in recent years. Watch this father of seven explain why parents must get their kids out of public schools, and you will quickly see he’s more than a pretty face.
Confirmed: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Will Head Homeland Security
“Insert dog joke here.”
The Stream‘s John Zmirak weighs in on Trump’s Cabinet pick with “Kristi Noem at DHS? The Threat to America’s Borders Is Coyotes, Not Puppies.”
Special Counsel Jack Smith to Resign, New York Times Reports
Special Counsel Jack Smith was given a task: Find and/or create crimes with which to charge Donald Trump in order to wreck his chances of being reelected, and keep him from the White House. It looked good there for a while, what with the classified documents case in Florida and the election interference case in the District of Columbia, where a conviction from a D.C. jury would be guaranteed.
Then the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling on presidential immunity, and the American people delivered their own verdict. This morning, Trump walked back into the White House, a massive winner in the 2024 election, and both cases against him in shambles. Total mission failure.
The New York Times reported today that Jack Smith and other members of his team will be resigning before Trump takes office.
UPDATE: WI GOP Senate Candidate May Challenge Race After Unnatural 4 a.m. Ballot Dump
The other day we showed you a graph of the unnatural vote spike that occurred in Wisconsin, which propelled Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin over GOP challenger Eric Hovde.
Evidence Suggesting Voter Fraud in Wisconsin Senate Race
In Milwaukee, a huge and improbable Dem vote dump flipped the race
In Dane and Winnebago, updates implausibly all improved Dem vote share relative to prior votes. Updates got more extreme after GOP pulled ahead.
— Shylock Holmes (@shylockh) November 11, 2024
Yesterday, Hovde issued a statement saying he’s considering a challenge, giving that 4 a.m. ballot drop out of Milwaukee went an impossible 99% for his opponent.
JUST IN: GOP Senate candidate Eric Hovde of Wisconsin says he was ahead on Election Night, but then suddenly lost the lead when his opponent won “nearly 99%” of ballots dumped at 4AM in Milwaukee.
Hovde also said he’s been reached out to about precincts in Milwaukee having… pic.twitter.com/4VoafIHEDJ
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 12, 2024
On the Stream Menu
Raymond Ibrahim tells us about “Celebrity Endorsements and the Death of Democracy.”
Dr. Michael Brown completes his introspection on Psalm 91 in “A Safe Place in the Midst of These Volatile Elections – Part Two.”
Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.
The post Al’s Afternoon Tea: A Warm Handshake for Biden and Trump appeared first on The Stream.
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