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| By POLITICO MAGAZINE |
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Illustration by Jade Cuevas/POLITICO (source images via AP and Getty Images) |
President-elect Donald Trump in 2024 is not the Donald Trump of 2016. He’s transformed the GOP, professionalized his operation, learned how to use the levers of power — and his second administration will operate differently than the first.
To explain what’s different about Trump this time — and how he will govern when he returns to the White House in January — we convened some of the top minds in the POLITICO newsroom, who have covered him from the beginning. Here’s what they had to say.
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“Absolutely dying at those two now getting assigned the ‘privilege’ of ‘working’ with MTG. That is actually hilarious. Enjoy, fellas! Very prestigious post you have there.” Can you guess who said this about Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, following a report that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene had been tapped to lead a House subcommittee that would work with DOGE? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.**
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Illustration by Jade Cuevas/POLITICO (source images via Getty Images and iStock) |
No, Trump Didn’t Win a Landslide … Contrary to prevailing narratives about an overwhelming victory, Donald Trump’s share of the presidential vote has dipped below 50 percent, and as glacial vote counts continue, the narrow margin of victory will likely shrink even further. But you wouldn’t know that from the headlines, which have painted Trump’s victory as “resounding,” “commanding,” a “runaway win.” That isn’t just inaccurate, writes Capital City columnist Michael Schaffer — it poses risks. Not just for Democrats, but potentially even for Trump himself.
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With so much focus on the incoming Trump team, Democrats have been working under the radar — and they’ve been busy. Haven’t noticed? Not to worry. Just drop these lines into conversation and you’ll sound like a savvy political observer this weekend:
- Bring up Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s race to spend every last cent in the $50 billion microchip subsidy program before the Trump team takes over and the GOP potentially rolls it back. “Did you hear that she said she asked her staff to work weekends? You know what Leonard Bernstein said: To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.”
- That’s not the only race against the clock you can mention to soothe your anxiety-ridden Democratic friends. Note the deal-making from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to get as many Biden-nominated judges confirmed as possible: “Did everyone see Democrats’ getting upset that Schumer reportedly ceded four appeals court nominations to Trump? A Schumer spox said they lacked the votes to make it anyway, and that Democrats will get more lower-level federal judges in return. So far, they’ve confirmed 221!”
- President Biden has been busy too. Mention his surge of aid to Ukraine: “Biden is sending mines, lifting a ban on Ukraine using U.S. missiles to strike Russia and letting U.S. military contractors into Ukraine. Senior officials say it’s not about Trump, but merely a response to the changing reality on the battlefield. Sure.”
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a Donald Trump campaign rally at Macomb Community College in Warren, Michigan, on Nov. 1, 2024. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images |
Food Reformer Sees Common Ground With RFK Jr. … Michael Pollan might be the United States’ most widely known advocate of healthy eating, so it raised eyebrows, especially among his left-of-center followers, when he shared an article from the American Conservative titled, “They’re Lying About Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” Senior Editor Katelyn Fossett called Pollan up to find out what he really thinks about Kennedy. It turns out that no, he does not believe Kennedy is qualified to lead HHS. But he is hopeful about the possibility of long-awaited change.
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Matt Gaetz speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference at the National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Feb. 23, 2024. | Alex Brandon/AP |
Why Trump’s Cabinet Picks Will Make It … Trump’s cabinet picks might be drawing heavy scrutiny in the press — just look at Matt Gaetz, who has already withdrawn as attorney general nominee — but don’t expect them all to fail, even if they lack qualifications. “Incoming presidents almost always are given great deference in choosing their teams,” writes Jeff Greenfield, “and when embattled Cabinet picks stand firm rather than quietly withdraw, they survive.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris embraces Beyoncé at a campaign rally in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 25, 2024. | Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images |
Don’t Give Up On Beyonce and Taylor Swift … Vice President Kamala Harris had a host of A-list celebrities in her corner, but she lost anyway — and now, some folks are wondering if stars have lost their shine, at least when it comes to politics. But according to David Litt, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama and alum of Funny Or Die, celebrities absolutely still matter — maybe more than ever. But just like with any campaign resource, you have to know how to deploy them.
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Illustration by Sara Wong for POLITICO |
Boycotting Men … With a bitter gender divide fracturing Korean society, a striking online movement has channeled the rage of young women. Now, the 4B movement — 4B stands for bi-hon (no marriage), bi-yeonae (no dating), bi-chulsan (no birthing) and bi-sex (no sex) — is making the jump to the U.S. in the wake of Trump’s election, which young men helped fuel. Assistant Editor Catherine Kim breaks down what’s behind 4B — and what it means for the growing gender divide in American politics and life.
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 Matt Wuerker/POLITICO |
From the drafting table of editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker.
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**Who Dissed answer: Who else but Rep. AOC? politicoweekend@email.politico.com |
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