LEILA FADEL, HOST:
A look at how President-elect Donald Trump's future administration is beginning to take shape. Trump arrived in the nation's capital yesterday as Republicans worked behind closed doors to select party leaders in the House and the Senate. And as they were working to set their agenda, Trump announced top cabinet nominees who got a variety of reactions from lawmakers. NPR's congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales has more. Good morning.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: So, Claudia, Republicans in Washington intended to spend the day yesterday championing their new leadership and a new GOP unity agenda. That did happen, but how did the focus of the day shift?
GRISALES: Right. Senate and House Republicans were separately meeting behind closed doors to pick their new leaders. House Speaker Mike Johnson was renominated in a unanimous voice vote. And the Senate elevated their No. 2 leader, John Thune of South Dakota, to the top spot as majority leader. But even as that was happening - already a tall order - we saw Trump's announcements of new cabinet nominees rip through these gatherings, send members careening from one update to the next. Controversial nominees like ex-House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence, and what really set off a bit of a political earthquake yesterday - Florida Republican Matt Gaetz for attorney general.
FADEL: Now, he's seen as a controversial choice, even among Republicans, and there are a few reasons there. Claudia, could you just lay out why?
GRISALES: There is a few. He has been seen as a chaos agent in many circles. He resigned immediately after this nomination news came out. In turn, ending a House ethics probe tied to sex trafficking and drug allegations. He also once faced a federal criminal probe that did not result in any charges. And Gaetz led the charge to oust the previous speaker, Kevin McCarthy. It's part of a long-running revenge tour between the two. For example, Gaetz was primaried this year in his Florida Panhandle district. I visited with him during this battle, but he won pretty easily. I talked to Ohio's Max Miller - who's obviously not a friend - and he told me that Republican members exploded with applause at the news because they were giddy they could finally get rid of him.
MAX MILLER: I want to get out of a big bag of popcorn and pull up a front-row seat to that show.
GRISALES: He's echoing widespread speculation. We heard yesterday that Gaetz would not survive a vetting by the Senate to get confirmation for the post.
FADEL: So not all of the nominees had that same mixed reception, though, right?
GRISALES: Not at all. Republicans were celebrating that Trump also announced Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his nominee for Secretary of State. This is a very popular pick that we heard a few days ago, and sources were elated to see that Trump finally made it official.
FADEL: So this is all happening as the Senate is preparing for a new Republican leader in that chamber. For the first time in nearly two decades, the Republicans will control both the Senate and the House. What do you expect from John Thune, who's seen as less of a Trump loyalist and more of an establishment Republican?
GRISALES: Right. Right. He, like other Senate Republicans, are expected to push aggressively for the Trump agenda. But there could be limits. Here's Thune, the first new face to take the reins in 18 years.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOHN THUNE: We have a mandate from the American people, a mandate not only to clean up the mess left by the Biden-Harris-Schumer agenda but also to deliver on President Trump's priorities.
GRISALES: So he isn't afraid to tangle with Trump, and we should see that again. He's going to replace the longest-serving top Republican in that role, Mitch McConnell, who's stepping down. At 63, he's well-liked, a popular conservative member, so he's expected to have a long future in the Senate.
FADEL: NPR's Claudia Grisales. Thank you.
GRISALES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
