Trump transition updates: Trump taps longtime ally as agriculture secretary

Brooke Rollins previously served in Trump's first administration.

ByTal Axelrod, Alexandra Hutzler, Meredith Deliso, Ivan Pereira, and Julia Reinstein
Last Updated: November 24, 2024, 6:02 PM EST

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for attorney general, said Thursday he is withdrawing his name for the role -- just a day after Gaetz spoke with Republican senators on Capitol Hill about the nomination process.

Trump has named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, as his new pick for the role.

Another controversial Cabinet pick, Pete Hegseth, is on the Hill on Thursday with Vice President-elect JD Vance to make his case for the secretary of the Department of Defense job.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to announce his picks for top jobs inside his administration.

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 21, 2024, 3:17 PM EST

SEC Chair Gary Gensler to step down on Jan. 20

The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, will step down on Jan. 20, 2025, the agency announced Thursday.

Gensler has faced fierce opposition from the cryptocurrency industry and Wall Street over his tough regulatory agenda. Trump had vowed to fire him, drawing praise from the crypto industry.

PHOTO: Gary Gensler on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 12, 2023.
Gary Gensler, Chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, arrives to testify during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs oversight hearing to examine the US Securities and Exchange Commission, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on September 12, 2023.
Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Gensler's five-year term was not set to run out until 2026, but it was widely expected that he would resign.

"The SEC has met our mission and enforced the law without fear or favor," Gensler said in a press release.

His resignation will leave a key post for Trump to fill -- the SEC serves as Wall Street's top regulator.

-ABC News' Elizabeth Schulze

Nov 21, 2024, 12:57 PM EST

Trump says he 'greatly' appreciates Gaetz's efforts as AG pick

President-elect Trump said he "greatly appreciate[s] the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General" in a social media post shortly after Gaetz announced his withdrawal from the role.

"He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!" Trump posted.

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz and Vice President-elect JD Vance walk out of a meeting with Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, at the Capitol in Washington, Nov. 20, 2024.
Ben Curtis/AP

Gaetz informed Trump late Thursday morning he'd be withdrawing, sources told ABC News.

Sources told ABC News in the last few days it became clear to the Trump team that Gaetz was not going to have enough votes for a Senate confirmation -- with sources close to the president-elect telling ABC News that there was "no path to 50" senators.

-ABC News' Jonathan Karl, John Santucci, Katherine Faulders and Lalee Ibssa

Nov 21, 2024, 12:29 PM EST

Matt Gaetz says he's withdrawing his name to be Trump's AG

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz announced Thursday he is withdrawing his name from consideration to be Donald Trump’s attorney general.

“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday,” Gaetz wrote in a post on X. “I appreciate their thoughtful feedback - and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”

“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I'm certain he will Save America,” Gaetz wrote.

Rep. Matt Gaetz appears before the House Rules Committee at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 22, 2023.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP, FILES

Nov 21, 2024, 10:48 AM EST

New details of Hegseth sexual assault claim documented in police report

The woman who accused Pete Hegseth of sexual assault in 2017 told police at the time that he took her phone and blocked her from leaving his hotel room on the night of the incident, according to a 22-page police report obtained by ABC News.

The report, compiled in Oct. 2017 by the Monterey Police Department, provides graphic new details of an alleged altercation that now threatens to derail Hegseth's bid to become President-elect Donald Trump's Defense Secretary.

Pete Hegseth, President-Elect Trump's pick for Secretary of Defense, speaks with journalists in the Russel Senate Office Building in Washington, Nov. 21, 2024.
Aaron Schwartz/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The report documents a police investigation that did not result in charges against the former Fox News star. It includes interviews with the woman, who is identified only as Jane Doe, and Hegseth, who told police that the encounter was consensual.

Read more here.

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