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Trump transition live updates: Trump announces pick for energy secretary

Chris Wright has expressed strong opposition to climate change action.

ByMeredith Deliso, Alexandra Hutzler, Ivan Pereira, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: November 17, 2024, 6:57 PM EST

After a sweeping victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5, President-elect Donald Trump is now set to become just the second ever to serve nonconsecutive terms in office.

Trump has wasted no time in moving to assemble his team for a second term in the White House -- naming Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, Florida Rep. Mike Waltz as his national security adviser and Tom Homan as his "border czar," among other positions.

Inauguration Day is Jan. 20.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Nov 12, 3:45 pm

Tracking those Trump has named to serve in his Cabinet, administration

Ahead of his return to power in January, Trump is announcing who he wants to fill Cabinet positions and other key roles inside his administration.

They include some of his staunchest allies on Capitol Hill and key advisers to his 2024 campaign.

Here is a running list of the people Trump has selected, or is expected to select, to serve in his administration.

Nov 14, 2024, 6:33 PM EST

Trump taps another attorney for DOJ

Trump said he has selected Dean John Sauer as solicitor general, in his fourth announcement of the day.

The Department of Justice position requires Senate confirmation.

As Trump's defense attorney, Sauer argued for presidential immunity in front of the Supreme Court earlier this year, in which the high court granted broad immunity for official acts.

He marks the third attorney who has worked on Trump's criminal cases nominated for a DOJ position.

Nov 14, 2024, 6:25 PM EST

Doug Collins tapped for secretary of veterans affairs

Trump announced he has nominated former Georgia Rep. Doug Collins for secretary of veterans affairs.

Collins is a veteran who currently serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command, Trump said in a statement.

"We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said.

The position requires Senate confirmation.

Nov 14, 2024, 6:23 PM EST

Trump picks his defense attorneys for Justice Department posts

Trump announced he has selected Todd Blanche for deputy attorney general and Emil Bove for principal associate deputy attorney general.

Both represented Trump during his hush-money trial in Manhattan earlier this year, when he was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

The high-ranking Justice Department positions require Senate confirmation.

Nov 14, 2024, 5:18 PM EST

Senate Judiciary Dems ask House Ethics Committee for Gaetz report

Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats have officially asked the House Ethics Committee to release its report on Matt Gaetz, including all other relevant documentation, in a letter shared by the office of Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin.

"The sequence and timing of Mr. Gaetz's resignation from the House raises serious questions about the contents of the House Ethics Committee report and findings," the letter signed by the 11 Democratic senators stated. "We cannot allow this critical information from a bipartisan investigation into longstanding public allegations to be hidden from the American people, given that it is directly relevant to the question of whether Mr. Gaetz is qualified and fit to be the next Attorney General of the United States."

Durbin's office said in a press release there is "substantial precedent" for the committee to release preliminary findings and reports after members have left and/or resigned from Congress.

Gaetz, who had been under a House ethics investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, resigned from Congress on Wednesday following his nomination for attorney general by Trump. Sources told ABC News the committee was preparing to meet this week to deliberate over whether to release a final report on the matter.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan