The Note: Trumptown, DC
— -- NOTABLES
--THE PRESIDENT MEETS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT: President Obama is set to meet with his successor, Donald Trump, at the White House today in order to facilitate a "successful transition between our presidencies." The two will meet in the Oval Office mid-morning, while first lady Michelle Obama and future first lady Melania Trump meet in the White House residence, according to ABC’s SERENA MARSHALL. During remarks in the Rose Garden Wednesday, Obama said he was "heartened" by what he heard from the future president in his remarks early Wednesday morning and when they spoke on the phone. http://abcn.ws/2fgPdRc
--WHAT OBAMA SAID YESTERDAY: "Now, everybody is sad when their side loses an election. But the day after, we have to remember that we’re actually all on one team. This is an intramural scrimmage. We’re not Democrats first. We're not Republicans first. We are Americans first," President Obama said. "We’re patriots first. We all want what’s best for this country. That’s what I heard in Mr. Trump’s remarks last night. That's what I heard when I spoke to him directly. And I was heartened by that," Obama said. "That's what the country needs -- a sense of unity; a sense of inclusion,; a respect for our institutions, our way of life, rule of law; and a respect for each other. I hope that he maintains that spirit throughout this transition, and I certainly hope that’s how his presidency has a chance to begin." http://abcn.ws/2fgPdRc
--TRUMP VICTORY LEAVES OBAMA LEGACY HANGING IN THE BALANCE: With Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress, many of the president's legislative accomplishments and executive actions could unravel. Here's a look at a few areas that Trump may try to chip away. Here’s a look, courtesy of ABC’s ARLETTE SAENZ: http://abcn.ws/2elLdzQ
--TENS OF THOUSANDS PROTEST TRUMP ELECTION VICTORY: Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the country Wednesday to protest Donald Trump's election victory, in mostly peaceful gatherings that nonetheless resulted in at least 124 arrests and reports of damage, vandalism and injuries in several locations. More from ABC’s DAVID CAPLAN, J.J. GALLAGHER and STEPHANIE EBBS: http://abcn.ws/2eUZJuq
--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: A night of protests suggest a level of activism that might have been more useful for activists’ goals on, say, Tuesday. But Wednesday actually brought a much different tone among this election’s major players – marking a welcome respite, if not necessarily hints about the future. Hillary Clinton was gracious in accepting defeat: “We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.” President Obama was generous in offering support: “We are Americans first.” And Donald Trump was … silent, just about. With Thursday’s White House meeting, there’s a chance for this tone to continue – the temperature, thankfully, turned down after the boiling-over of the election season.
POST-ELECTION SPEED READ with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
MUSLIM BAN STATEMENT DISAPPEARS FROM TRUMP WEBSITE. A statement that the Trump campaign issued proposing a total ban on the immigration of Muslims to the United States has disappeared from the team's website. "Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on," Trump said on his website on Dec. 7, 2015. "According to Pew Research, among others, there is great hatred towards Americans by large segments of the Muslim population." The page, which now redirects to the campaign homepage, appeared on his website until at least Nov. 5, just days before Election Day, ABC’s TOM LIDDY notes. http://abcn.ws/2eV7DE7
SENATE REPUBLICANS GET IN LINE BEHIND TRUMP. In a public display of unity, Senate Republicans who expressed concerns about or outright opposed President-elect Donald Trump moved quickly to congratulate him the morning after the upset election. At least a dozen of the chamber’s Republicans had disavowed Trump, some since the beginning of the Republican primary and others after he was heard in a 2005 video making comments about groping women. But many of those same senators fell in line with their party’s new leader just hours after he delivered his victory speech in New York City, ABC’s ALI ROGIN notes. http://abcn.ws/2eMGAgJ
SANDERS SAYS HE’S WILLING TO WORK WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT. Sen. Bernie Sanders, the maverick independent who almost denied Hillary Clinton the Democratic nomination, said Wednesday that he was willing to work with Donald Trump on some issues. "To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him," Sanders said yesterday. "To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him.” ABC’s TOM LIDDY has more. http://abcn.ws/2fEOo1s
WHAT TRUMP’S VICTORY MEANS FOR THE SUPREME COURT. Trump’s victory will likely have wide-ranging implications for the nation’s highest court, which currently has only eight sitting members following the death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia earlier this year. To help achieve clarity on what the business mogul’s election victory means, and what might come next, we spoke to ABC News contributor and Cardozo law professor Kate Shaw. ABC’s BENJAMIN BELL has more. http://abcn.ws/2eDMKfK
‘NEVER TRUMP’ ACTIVISTS RESIGNED TO TRUMP PRESIDENCY. For a period of time between Donald Trump clinching the Republican nomination and formally accepting it at the RNC this past summer, a small group of activists known as "Free the Delegates" plotted a way to thwart Donald Trump’s nomination in Cleveland through a complicated rules mechanism. Their effort was unsuccessful, but they still didn’t jump on board the Trump train; two of the leaders didn’t even cast their ballots in the general election. After Trump’s resounding victory, they are resigned to his presidency, but still apprehensive about both his administration and the future of the party. ABC’s ALANA ABRAMSON has more. http://abcn.ws/2eleN8B
TRUMP TO RECEIVE SAME DAILY INTEL BRIEF AS OBAMA. Donald Trump will now be privy to in-depth daily intelligence briefings as president-elect, ABC’s ARLETTE SAENZ and JUSTIN FISHEL report. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday that Presidential Daily Brief (PDB), which President Obama receives each morning along with other intelligence material has now been made available to Trump, Vice President-elect Pence and a few designated members of his team. "This is an important part in ensuring the kind of smooth transition that President Obama has prioritized," Earnest said. http://abcn.ws/2eMk4ET
NEW HAMPSHIRE REPUBLICANS SEN. KELLY AYOTTE LOSES TO DEMOCRATIC GOV. MAGGIE HASSAN. New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte was defeated in her re-election bid, losing to Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan by just over 1,000 votes, officials said Wednesday, ABC’s ALI ROGIN writes. The race was so close that it took the New Hampshire Secretary of State well into Wednesday afternoon to make the results official, announcing that Hassan won by 1,023 votes among approximately 740,000 total ballots counted so far. http://abcn.ws/2fEqBis
UNDERSTANDING TUESDAY:
--5 MISSTEPS THAT MAY HAVE DOOMED HILLARY CLINTON. Less than 24 hours ago, polls showed Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton with a slight edge, one that led some experts to label her the front-runner and predict she would become the first female president in U.S. history. Wednesday the atmosphere in the Democratic stronghold of New York City, where she gave her concession speech, was one uncertain in terms of what happened in the election as well as the path forward for the party. Book-length post-mortems are likely to be written in the months and years to come, but for now, ABC’s MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN looks at some of the possible missteps from her campaign that stand out: http://abcn.ws/2fyXqyo
--HOW TRUMP’S ELECTORAL COLLEGE VICTORY MAY NOT BE A MANDATE. For the sixth time in the last seven presidential elections, it appears that the Democratic candidate for president may be the winner of the popular vote. But for the second time in the previous five elections, the Democratic candidate will not win the presidency due to the Electoral College, ABC’s ADAM KELSEY notes. Ballots are still being tallied, but Hillary Clinton was ahead in the popular vote by about 200,000, with 92 percent of the expected vote in. Both candidates had more than 59 million votes each. Donald Trump had a significant advantage in the Electoral College -- leading Clinton 279-228, according to ABC News projections. If Trump does not win the popular vote, it may limit the extent to which Republicans can claim his election as a referendum on the state of the nation. http://abcn.ws/2eMfWVd
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK -- WHAT IT WAS LIKE AS THE BLACK JOURNALIST WHO COVERED TRUMP. They say you never forget your first. It was February. I had just gotten assigned to cover GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, ABC’s CANDACE SMITH writes. Jeb Bush, the candidate whom I had covered since June 2015, had dropped out. In my mind, Trump was sure to be the Republican nominee at that point and I was en route to Radford, Virginia, for my very first Trump rally. http://abcn.ws/2fEusMl
WHO’S TWEETING?
@KFaulders: Sources tell @ABC News that Trump's transition team held it’s first post-election meeting this afternoon at Trump Tower. Cc: @alex_mallin
@adamnagourney: Given the rigged run-up to Election Day, I wonder how Trump would have reacted if he had won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College
@WilliamsJon: Japan nervous after #DonaldTrump threatened to pull US troops if Japan didn't pay cost. Not discussed today. Bit like #Mexico visit & wall!
@ron_fournier: What Clinton didn’t understand - The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/what-clinton-didnt-understand/2016/11/09/97ff0476-a6be-11e6-ba59-a7d93165c6d4_story.html
@dcexaminer: NEW: Rudy Giuliani says he's open to serving in Donald Trump's administration http://washex.am/2eFoXMA