The control of the House is still up for grabs three days after the election.
As of Friday evening, 212 Republicans had been elected compared to 200 Democrats. One party needs 217 seats for a majority. Republicans have already gained control of the Senate, meaning Trump could be given full control of two branches of government and the levers of power in Washington.
Meanwhile, the President-elect has already begun preparing for the Oval Office.
He named Susie Wiles as his new White House chief of staff. Trump could be looking to rehire Tom Homan to handle immigration. Homan, a Project 2025 contributor, served as the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement between 2017 and 2018 and is considered one of the key architects of the first Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” family separation policy.
As the president-elect and his party celebrate his victory, for some Americans, the prospect of a second Trump term has been less welcoming.
This week, Black people are receiving racist text messages demanding they show up at “plantations,” where they’ll be enslaved while at a Texas college campus, protestors carried signs that branded women “property” and used homophobic slurs.
Key Points
- Donald Trump plans to rehire Tom Homan to tackle immigration
- Republicans expected to retain House control as counting continues
- Trump says his mass deportation plan has ‘no price tag’
- Racist text messages sent to people across several states after election
UK needs to be ‘critical friend’ to Trump, says Davey
02:45
Helen Corbett
The UK needs to be a “critical friend” to Donald Trump, Sir Ed Davey has said after describing him as a “destructive demagogue” when the US election results came in.
The Lib Dem leader also called for a London summit on Ukraine for European leaders to co-ordinate before Mr Trump takes office and for the Government to deepen trade ties with the EU as potential US tariffs loom.
Sir Ed called Mr Trump a “dangerous, destructive demagogue” this week after US voters returned him to the White House.
WATCH: Powell Vs Trump Heats Up: FED Chair Signals Readiness To Defy Trump
02:00
Gustaf Kilander
Ditch Brexit trade barriers, Starmer told amid fears over impact of Trump tariffs
01:30
David Maddox
Keir Starmer has been warned that he must prioritise attempts to reset Britain’s relationship with the EU and unpick the trade barriers created by leaving if he wants to offset the impact of the tariffs Donald Trump has threatened to impose.
With Mr Trump re-elected to the White House and intending to impose protectionist tariffs to protect sectors of the US economy, there are fears that not only will the policy wipeout the UK’s hopes for economic growth but could see the economy shrinking.
Foreign secretary David Lammy, who has attempted to dismiss any ill feeling he may have created between the Labour government and Trump White House with his historic tweets calling the president-elect a “neo Nazi”, has also warned against US trade tariffs.
WATCH: Trump’s win: European leaders consider consequences
01:00
Gustaf Kilander
Heir to Levi Strauss fortune accused of ‘buying race’ as he becomes new mayor of San Francisco
00:30
Josh Marcus
San Francisco mayor London Breed struck a civic tone when conceding the race to winner Daniel Lurie, writing on X, “I know we are both committed to improving this City we love.” A few days earlier, however, she made a considerably different point, accusing Lurie, an heir to the Levi Strauss denim fortune, of buying the election.
“It has been really one of the most sad and horrible things I’ve seen in politics in San Francisco, that someone would take their wealth and just basically buy this office,” Breed reportedly told supporters on election night. “It’s really unfortunate and pretty disgusting.”
Lurie, who ran as a relatively pro-business moderate calling for increased police staffing, more affordable housing, and expanded homeless shelter capacity, comes from substantial wealth.
ACLU receives letter ‘filled with racist slurs and threats of death and sexual violence'
00:00
Gustaf Kilander
ACLU Louisiana Executive Director Alanah Odoms has said in a statement that the organization received a racist letter in the mail after Election Day.
This comes amid a litany of reports of racist texts messages being sent to people across the country.
We have been made aware of several Black Louisianans who have received racist and frightening text messages in the time after Election Day.
In the strongest of terms, we condemn these messages and the emboldening of white supremacists in the wake of electing a president who has spread racist lies.
We ourselves received a letter after Election Day filled with racist slurs and threats of death and sexual violence. These messages are meant to intimidate us.
Instead, they prove the importance of our continued fight for racial justice. We will not back down in our fight to end white supremacy.
We will not back down against laws meant to keep us disenfranchised and discouraged. We carry a legacy bigger and bolder than any white nationalist can ever dream of.
Most of all, we are united in this fight. We will not back down.
Texas campus in uproar after protesters hold signs declaring ‘women are property’ on quad after Trump victory
Friday 8 November 2024 23:40
Michelle Del Rey
Hours before Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her concession speech, two Christian protestors caused disruption on a Texas university campus with signs that branded women “property” and used homophobic slurs.
The incident at Texas State University at San Marcos united students on both sides of the political aisle in anger as the men paraded around for an hour before being escorted off the property.
Eva De Arment, a 19-year-old sophomore, was in the university’s English building waiting for class to start when she saw Snapchat images of the signs, including one that listed “women” and “slaves” alongside cars as “property.”
If Republicans hold the House, Trump wins. If Democrats take the House, Trump still wins
Friday 8 November 2024 23:20
Eric Garcia
When Donald Trump first came to the White House, he did so under rocky circumstances. Yes, he had beaten Democrats in the Blue Wall of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. But he also lost the popular vote — and Democrats had picked up Senate seats in Illinois and New Hampshire, as well as flipping a few seats in the House.
Paul Ryan, the speaker of the House at the time, would regularly say, “I haven’t seen the tweet,” when asked about Trump’s worst Twitter rants. Mitch McConnell would blow off anything Trump said as he turned the Senate into a judicial confirmation factory. John McCain famously voted down Trump’s planned repeal of Obamacare. Senate Republicans balked at his desire to get rid of the filibuster. After the January 6 riot, ten House Republicans voted to impeach Trump and seven Republican senators voted to convict him.
Michelle Obama already facing calls to run in 2028 - here’s why she never tried before
Friday 8 November 2024 23:00
Josh Marcus
It hasn’t even been a week since Donald Trump won the election, but politicos are already dreaming about who should run in 2028, and former First Lady Michelle Obama’s name keeps cropping up.
When the Obamas issued their statement on the election results, social media users deluged them with comments calling for the former first lady to run.
Oddsmakers already have her as the number two choice next cycle, behind Vice President-elect JD Vance. Even Joe Rogan, the Trump-supporting apostle of male opinion this election, said this week Obama would win “in a landslide“ if she ran.
Inside the war between Ron DeSantis and Trump’s formidable new chief of staff Susie Wiles
Friday 8 November 2024 22:40
Rhian Lubin
Ron DeSantis once hailed Susie Wiles as “the best in the business.”
Donald Trump’s incoming White House Chief of Staff is credited with saving DeSantis’s floundering 2018 campaign for governor in Florida.
“Smartest thing you’ve ever done,” Trump told DeSantis, Politico reported in 2019, referring to his hiring of Wiles, according to a source who witnessed the exchange.
The Trump transition has begun — and it’s even stranger than the first time around
Friday 8 November 2024 22:20
Andrew Feinberg
Nearly four years ago as Donald Trump was refusing to acknowledge his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was asked if his department was preparing to engage with the incoming Biden team.
In what appeared to be a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the tensions around the then-president’s lack of commitment to the peaceful transfer of power, he replied: “There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.”
On Wednesday, just hours after media outlets had declared Trump the winner in his bid to be the first president in over a century to serve non-consecutive terms, Pompeo took to X (formerly Twitter) to resurface the clip with an accompanying quip.
VOICES: Could Trump’s China policy trigger a fall-out with his ‘friend’, president Xi?
Friday 8 November 2024 22:00
Michael Sheridan
Donald Trump used to call Xi Jinping “my friend”. But the Chinese leader doesn’t do “friends”. His formal congratulations to America’s president-elect were notably lacking in warmth.
Xi’s brutal realism when Covid-19 broke out told its own story. Then he sat and watched as wars tested American resolve. Now these two men in their seventies are fated to run the most important relationship in the world.
Both are the sons of privilege. Trump was born into wealth, Xi into power. But if Trump was spoiled by life, Xi was hardened by it. While a young Trump was hitting the party scene in Manhattan, Xi toiled in the mountains and lived in a cave for years after his father was purged from the Communist Party. As a teenager, he was beaten, imprisoned and threatened with death.
‘Your body, my choice’: Women report rise in online misogyny following Donald Trump’s victory
Friday 8 November 2024 21:40
Lydia Spencer-Elliott
Women are facing a barrage of deeply misogynistic comments online following Donald Trump’s US presidential election victory.
The Republican candidate defeated Kamala Harris following a chaotic campaign dogged by anger, insults and division, winning 51 percent of the popular vote on Wednesday, 6 November.
In the wake of the former president’s shocking political comeback, women have reported men are writing “your body, my choice” on their social media posts, among other troubling reproductive rights remarks.
The slogan “my body, my choice” was originally popularised by feminists defending reproductive choices as rights in the Sixties. However, the phrase has now been co-opted for the adverse effect.
Walz speaks after election loss: ‘Get back in this fight when you are ready’
Friday 8 November 2024 21:28
Gustaf Kilander
Kamala Harris’s former running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, spoke in his home state on Friday, saying that “if you are feeling deflated, discouraged today, I get it. Take some time. Take care of yourselves.”
He added: “And get back in this fight when you are ready. And know that whenever you are ready to get back in that fight, I will be standing right here, ready to fight with you.”
Walz: So if you are feeling deflated, discouraged today, I get it. Take some time. Take care of yourselves. And get back in this fight when you are ready. And know that whenever you are ready to get back in that fight, I will be standing right here, ready to fight with you. pic.twitter.com/mi8s2JXDNN
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 8, 2024
Walz went on to bash the Trump campaign for its “hateful agenda.”
“The other side spent a lot of time promising that they would leave things up to the states. I’m willing to take them at their word for that,” he said. “The moment they try to bring a hateful agenda to this state, I’m ready to stand up and fight for the way we do things here.”
Walz: The other side spent a lot of time promising that they would leave things up to the states. I'm willing to take them at their word for that. The moment they try to bring a hateful agenda to this state, I'm ready to stand up and fight for the way we do things here. pic.twitter.com/J3zCpJwort
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 8, 2024
Walz went on to pledge to protect abortion and immigrant rights.
“As long as I am governor of Minnesota, we will protect a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions,” he told the crowd in Eagan, Minnesota. “As long as I am governor of Minnesota, we will welcome immigrants with gratitude for their contributions to our community.”
Walz: As long as I am governor of Minnesota, we will protect a woman's right to make her own health care decisions. As long as I am governor of Minnesota, we will welcome immigrants with gratitude for their contributions to our community. pic.twitter.com/lEDzasdHJs
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 8, 2024
Joe Rogan sends warning to President-elect Donald Trump after endorsing campaign
Friday 8 November 2024 21:20
Holly Patrick
Joe Rogan sent a warning to Donald Trump after endorsing the Republican in the 2024 election.
The podcast host, 57, encouraged the president-elect to unite the country as he approaches his second term in the White House.
Speaking on Thursday’s (7 November) edition of his eponymous show, Rogam told guest Dave Smith: “There’s a real chance to make real tangible change that’s gonna be for the good of everybody.
“He’s gotta unite people. He’s gotta not attack the left, not attack everybody. Let them all talk their s***, but unite.”
Pelosi suggests open primary could have led to better outcome for Democrats
Friday 8 November 2024 21:15
Gustaf Kilander
In an interview with The New York Times, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated that she thinks it would have been better for Biden to exit the race sooner and for the Democrats to have an open primary.
It was reported at the time Biden dropped out that Pelosi had anticipated an open primary, and not for Kamala Harris to quickly pick up the nomination.
“Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” the former speaker told the paper. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary.”
“And as I say, Kamala may have, I think she would have done well in that and been stronger going forward. But we don’t know that. That didn’t happen. We live with what happened,” she added. “And because the president endorsed Kamala Harris immediately, that really made it almost impossible to have a primary at that time. If it had been much earlier, it would have been different.”
Trump promised voters their incomes and net worth will soar. Economists are not convinced
Friday 8 November 2024 21:00
Rhian Lubin
Inside a Pennsylvania arena, President-elect Donald Trump promised voters their incomes and net worth “would soar.”
The economy was among the top concerns for voters in the 2024 presidential election and the Trump campaign’s messaging cut through. As of this morning, more than 73 million Americans have voted for him to return to the White House.
They turned to him for a solution after finding themselves unable to afford the necessities for their families in a cost-of-living crisis, but concerns have already been raised the Republican billionaire won’t deliver.
What Donald Trump’s presidency could mean for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid US visa row
Friday 8 November 2024 20:40
Athena Stavrou
As Donald Trump secured his second term as US president, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may have had cause for concern about their new life in Montecito.
Trump took to the stage in Florida in the early hours of Wednesday morning to address the nation, celebrating his “unprecedented and powerful mandate” after sweeping through key swing states, including North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan.
His victory coincides with a precarious visa battle for the Sussexes, which may be complicated by their strained relationship with the president.
Tim Scott running to head Republican Senate campaign arm
Friday 8 November 2024 20:20
Gustaf Kilander
Tim Scott makes his NRSC chair bid official this AM:
— Ursula Perano (@UrsulaPerano) November 8, 2024
“I’m running for NRSC Chair because two years of a Republican agenda is good, but four years of success under Donald J. Trump is even better"
Daines, Barrasso, Rubio also endorsing him in the release pic.twitter.com/ZdMHa1r5S2
Trump could offer trade lane to UK over ‘Brexit sympathy’, Democrat says
Friday 8 November 2024 20:00
Nina Lloyd
Donald Trump could offer the UK a “lane” easing trade with the US, a senior Democrat has suggested amid concerns that the president-elect’s desire for tariffs could damage Britain’s economy.
New Jersey governor Phil Murphy, who knows Mr Trump personally, said he believed the Republican politician would have “sympathy” for the decision to leave the EU and show more leniency towards Britain than with Brussels or Nato.
Speaking to journalists on a visit to London at the US Embassy, Mr Murphy said the the president-elect’s victory at the polls had been “very sobering”, with the loss of both the House and the Senate “particularly troubling” for Democrats.
Republican Rep says it’s ‘absolutely’ time for GOP to be louder about anti-abortion beliefs
Friday 8 November 2024 19:40
Gustaf Kilander
Republican Representative Mike Kelly told Notus that it’s “absolutely” time for the party to be louder about their anti-abortion beliefs.
Kelly is not in a competitive district and has introduced several bills to federally ban abortion after six weeks.
“I don’t believe you should let a political, what some people think is a political advantage, be that way,” Kelly told Notus. “I am always going to vote for life.”
More than 5,000 requests for abortion pills made in 12 hours after Trump’s win as Americans stockpile
Friday 8 November 2024 19:20
Katie Hawkinson
The top abortion pill supplier in the US received more than 5,000 requests for medication in the first 12 hours after Donald Trump was projected to win the 2024 presidential election.
Rebecca Gomperts, founder of the supplier Aid Access, told The Guardian the 5,000 requests over 12 hours even surpasses the orders they received in June 2022 after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, which guaranteed the right to an abortion nationwide.
“We have an extremely streamlined process and we are capable of dealing with all the requests really fast,” Gomperts told The Guardian. “But it’s much more [than usual]. And I think the reason is people are now much more aware – people are aware of the possibility of the abortion pill and aware of the threat it will be taken off the market.”
Musk joins Trump call with Zelensky
Friday 8 November 2024 19:01
Gustaf Kilander
Donald Trump put Elon Musk on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but it remains unclear what they discussed.
Trump handed the phone to Musk during the call on Wednesday, according to The New York Times.
The tone of the call, which took place at Mar-a-Lago, was described as positive.
The call was reported earlier by Axios.
WATCH: Trump’s unpredictable policies could alter the course of war in Ukraine
Friday 8 November 2024 19:00
Gustaf Kilander
Madonna has two-word message for Trump after he wins election
Friday 8 November 2024 18:40
Jacob Stolworthy
Madonna shared a forceful message to Donald Trump after he won the US election.
Trump’s presidency has led to a strong reaction from the world of celebrity, with famous Kamala Harris supporters, including several late-night hosts, making no secret of their upset over the result.
Days before election day, which took place on Tuesday (5 November), Madonna shared her endorsement for Democratic nominee Harris, revealing that she had returned home from a trip Paris, France so she could cast her vote.
Republicans expected to retain House control as counting continues
Friday 8 November 2024 18:40
Gustaf Kilander
The Republicans appear to be on track to retain control of the House as counting continues in close races.
So far, the Republicans have gained two seats, winning 211 seats so far, according to the AP.
The Democrats, meanwhile, have secured 199 seats, having lost two.
For a majority, 218 seats are needed.
Robert Lighthizer asked to return as Trump trade representative: Report
Friday 8 November 2024 18:30
Gustaf Kilander
Robert Lighthizer has been asked to come back in his role as US Trade Representative in Donald Trump’s next administration, according to the Financial Times.
Lighthizer is a believer in tariffs was was one of the top people in Trump’s trade war with China during his first term in the White House.
He was also part of the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), with Mexico and Canada, Reuters noted.
VOICES: Believe it or not, there are worse ideas than ‘Ambassador Farage’
Friday 8 November 2024 18:20
John Rentoul
John Rentoul writes:
I assume that speculation about Nigel Farage becoming Britain’s ambassador to the United States is based on little more than putting two and two together: that Farage is a friend of Donald Trump’s and that Keir Starmer will need help in managing his relationship with the next president.
In fact, the Clacton MP and leader of Reform UK ruled himself out of consideration two weeks ago, saying: “Clearly, I’ve decided to get back into elected politics, so I’m off the table.”
He could of course rule himself back in again. Two days ago, he wrote an article for the Daily Telegraph offering his services in an informal role: “If I can be helpful in any way when it comes to bridging the divide that exists between Starmer’s government and Trump, I will be glad to assist.”
Voters misinformed about major issues more likely to vote Republican, pre-election poll shows
Friday 8 November 2024 18:00
Gustaf Kilander
Dean Baker, a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, took to X to point to a survey from before the election, showing that those who are misinformed about major issues are more likely to vote Republican.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in early October found that those who falsely believed that violent crime is at an all-time high in most major Americans were significantly more likely to back the GOP.
If the point here is not obvious, if we can't get people to know the most basic facts about the economy and the other issues they consider most important, how do we think we will get them to hear our great messages?
— Dean Baker (@DeanBaker13) November 8, 2024
If we don't have a way to get them to hear basic facts about the issues that concern them most, how would do we expect them to hear our plans for dealing with them?
— Dean Baker (@DeanBaker13) November 8, 2024
Racist text messages sent to people across several states after election
Friday 8 November 2024 17:50
Gustaf Kilander
Racist text messages have been sent to people across several states stating that they’ve been “selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation.”
People in North and South Carolina received the messages, which identified individuals by their name and stated that they would be forced into slavery, according to WCNC. The texts came a day after Election Day.
The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James said people in the Empire State were also targeteted.
“The racist text messages targeting New Yorkers, including middle school, high school, and college students, are disgusting and unacceptable,” she said in a statement. “I unequivocally condemn any attempt to intimidate or threaten New Yorkers and their families. I encourage anyone in New York who has received an anonymous, threatening text message to report it to my office.”
Special Counsel to decide on how to proceed with Capitol riot case
Friday 8 November 2024 17:45
Gustaf Kilander
Special Counsel Jack Smith told a federal judge on Friday that he may have a decision by December 2 on how to resolve the criminal case looking at Trump’s role in the Capitol riot.
Smith requested that Judge Tanya Chutkan remove all upcoming deadlines to allow his office to look at how to progress as Trump’s prepares to retake the White House in January.
The prosecutors wrote in a filing that “As a result of the election held on November 5, 2024, the defendant is expected to be certified as President-elect on January 6, 2025, and inaugurated on January 20, 2025.”
They added: “The Government respectfully requests that the Court vacate the remaining deadlines in the pretrial schedule to afford the Government time to assess this unprecedented circumstance and determine the appropriate course going forward consistent with Department of Justice policy.”
“By December 2, 2024, the Government will file a status report or otherwise inform the Court of the result of its deliberations,” they said.
Fox News hosts joke that Trump prosecutors should ‘face death penalty’
Friday 8 November 2024 17:40
James Liddell
Fox News hosts Dana Perino and Greg Gutfeld joked that prosecutors in Donald Trump’s criminal cases should get the death penalty.
With the Justice Department in talks with special counsel Jack Smith about dropping two of the federal cases he is overseeing against Trump, The Five panelists had some back-and-forth about what should happen to those who sought the president-elect behind bars.
“Dana… a lot of the people that were on this and wanted it so badly, how are they going to survive? Do you think they need therapy,” Gutfeld asked Perino on Thursday’s show.
FBI thwarts Iranian murder-for-hire plan targeting Donald Trump
Friday 8 November 2024 17:26
AP
The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges Friday in a thwarted Iranian plot to kill President-elect Donald Trump before this week’s presidential election.
A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan alleges that an unnamed official in Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard instructed a contact this past September to put together a plan to surveil and ultimately kill Trump.
If the man, identified as Farjad Shakeri, was unable to create a plan by then, the complaint said, the official told him Iran would pause its plan until after the presidential election because the official believed Trump would lose and it would be easier to assassinate him then, the complaint said.
Shakeri told the FBI he didn’t plan to propose a plan to murder Trump within the seven days the official had requested, according to the complaint.
The plot, with the charges unsealed just days after Trump’s defeat of Democrat Kamala Harris, reflects what federal officials have described as ongoing efforts by Iran to target U.S. government officials, including Trump, on U.S. soil.
Bernie Sanders argues Republicans ‘split up’ the electorate to win elections in resurfaced video
Friday 8 November 2024 17:20
Gustaf Kilander
Hey Trump voters.
— Nick Knudsen (@NickKnudsenUS) November 8, 2024
Hate to break it to you - but here’s what actually happened on Tuesday.
Watch. Bernie explained it 20 years ago. pic.twitter.com/hKWoOD0Kv6
