January 15, 2025 - Presidential transition news

We’ve wrapped up our live coverage for the day. Read more here about President Biden’s farewell address and about the Trump presidential transition.

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President Biden's full farewell address

17:15 • Source: CNN

President Biden's full farewell address

17:15

After four years in the White House – and a half-century in Washington – President Joe Biden has said farewell.

Sitting behind the Resolute Desk on Wednesday evening, the one-term Democratic leader used a 19-minute address to frame his four-year presidency on his own terms – and to appeal for a brand of politics that he sees as rapidly disappearing.

Utilizing the Oval Office and commandeering network airwaves one final time, Biden cast his legacy as one of rebuilding and transformation. But unlike some of his recent speeches, he did not use the moment to recite a laundry list of his accomplishments.

Here are some key lines:

Read more details here about Biden’s farewell address

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised President Joe Biden’s leadership following his farewell address this evening.

Pelosi’s praise comes as first lady Jill Biden has opened up about the fractured relationship between the president and Pelosi after she personally helped push Biden, who was 81-years-old at the time, to drop out of the presidential race.

“We were friends for 50 years,” the first lady said in an interview with The Washington Post published Wednesday. “It was disappointing.”

Pelosi privately told Biden in July that polling showed he could not defeat Trump and could upend Democrats’ chances of winning the House in November if he remained in the race, CNN previously reported. A source with direct knowledge described Biden as “seething” at Pelosi at the time.

It is unclear whether Joe Biden and Pelosi have spoken since July, but in her statement Wednesday praising the president, the former speaker touted several of his accomplishments.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris have earned their place in the pantheon of American democracy. Every American can be proud of the leadership and dignity they brought to the White House – and tonight, we again saw President Biden’s great respect for America’s remarkable history. With love and gratitude, I salute President Biden and Vice President Harris for always believing in the possibilities of America and building a stronger and fairer future for all of America’s families,” Pelosi said.

US President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address on Wednesday.

President-elect Donald Trump, in a social media post Wednesday. said his incoming administration has hired more than 1,000 people.

Trump also discouraged people from recommending to his team anybody “who worked with, or are endorsed by” the the following:

After listing the aforementioned people, he said he would not want “any of the other people suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

US President Joe Biden speaks to the nation on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden warned tonight about the “profound possibilities and risks” that come with artificial intelligence.

Biden urged that it should be ensured that AI works for good, and that America leads its development.

” In the age of AI, it’s more important than ever that the people must govern. And as the land of liberty, America — not China — must lead the world in the development of AI,” he added.

President Joe Biden ended his farewell address Wednesday on an optimistic note as he told Americans he still believes “in the idea for which this nation stands.”

“To you, the American people. After 50 years of public service, I give you my word. I still believe in the idea for which this nation stands. A nation where the strength of our institutions and the character of our people matter and must endure,” he said.

After warning of a growing “oligarchy” and taking veiled shots at his successor over the course of his speech, Biden ended his address imploring Americans to carry forward his hopeful vision of the country.

“Now it’s your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith. I love America. You love it too. God bless you all. And may god protect our troops. Thank you for this great honor,” Biden said.

US President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden had a message to Americans on Wednesday as he prepares to leave office: stay engaged.

The president said that “the concentration of power and weather” causes division and could make people feel like it is exhausting to participate in democracy.

He urged Americans not to give into that sentiment, “we can never lose that essential truth” of a fair shot, he said.

President Joe Biden in his farewell address from the Oval Office on Wednesday pointed to social media as he reflected on the things that concern him as his presidency comes to a close.

“I’m equally concerned about the potential rise of a tech industrial complex that could pose real dangers for our country, as well,” he said.

“Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling, editors are disappearing, he added.

US President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden during his final remarks warned of a developing “oligarchy” in America as he stressed the importance of holding the ultra-wealthy to the same expectations of the working and middle class citizens.

“I want to warn the country of some things that give me great concern. And this is a dangerous concern. And that’s the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra wealthy people and the dangerous consequences if their abuse of power is left unchecked,” Biden said.

He added, “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

The president made reference to the concentration of power over a century ago in the hands of “robber barons,” who were broken through antitrust practices, an issue Biden has made a priority during his administration over a century later.

“They didn’t punish the wealthy. They just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had to. Workers wanted rights to earn their fair share,” Biden said. “They were dealt into the deal, and it helped put us on a path to building the largest middle class and the most prosperous century any nation in the world has ever seen. We’ve got to do that again.”

President Joe Biden in his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office Wednesday hailed the democratic institutions that govern the United States of America.

“Our system of separation of powers, checks and balances. It may not be perfect, but it’s maintained our democracy for nearly 250 years, longer than any other nation in history that’s ever tried such a bold experiment,” he added.

US President Joe Biden delivers his farewell address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.

Reflecting on his legacy and his administration’s accomplishments, President Joe Biden said he hopes they endure for years to come.

He listed some of the accomplishments of his presidency, including lowering prescription drug prices for seniors, passing gun safety laws and helping veterans get healthcare.

Biden also touted foreign policy accomplishments and pointed to how he “strengthened NATO.”

“Ukraine is still free, and we’ve pulled ahead of our competition with China and so much more,” Biden said.

President Joe Biden in his farewell address to the nation Wednesday night said he has been thinking a lot about who the American people are, as he referenced the symbol of the Statue of Liberty.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about who we are and maybe even more importantly, who we should be,” Biden said.

He went on to describe the building of the Statue of Liberty in New York, a gift from France, saying that “like the very idea of America. It was built not by one person, but by many people, from every background and from around the world.”

President Joe Biden speaks in the Oval Office on Wednesday.

President Joe Biden is delivering a farewell address from the Oval Office as he prepares to end his term next week.

This will be the fifth time Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office, last delivering remarks there on July 24 when he discussed why he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

It comes as Biden secured a second ceasefire in the Gaza earlier today, 466 days after Hamas terrorists led a brutal assault on Israeli civilians on October 7, killing 1,700 Israelis.

In the speech, the president is expected to outline his legacy in his own personal view and highlight his administration’s accomplishments, including security post-pandemic stimulus, infrastructure funding and new money for clean energy.

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President Biden's full farewell address

17:15 • Source: CNN

President Biden's full farewell address

17:15

President Joe Biden’s Homeland Security Adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall, convened members of Biden’s cabinet and incoming cabinet members from the Trump administration Wednesday “to conduct a statutorily-mandated Principals-Level Presidential Transition Exercise in accordance with President Biden’s direction to carry out a professional transition,” the White House says in a statement.

CNN reported that participants included Trump’s picks for secretaries of Defense, Homeland Security, State, Treasury, Transportation, Education and Veteran Affairs. His picks for EPA administrator and Director of National Intelligence were also present.

Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah released a statement announcing his support for Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s choice for Defense Secretary, despite some concern over his actions in the past.

Curtis filled retired Sen. Mitt Romney’s seat.

“Our military is need of a change agent who will challenge the status quo, demand transparency and accountability, and ensure our allies and strategic partners have confidence in America’s commitment and capability to stand for freedom,” the statement said.

Jill Biden speaks during a reception at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 2, 2024.

First lady Jill Biden will be in the Oval Office to watch her husband President Joe Biden deliver his farewell address to the nation, a source familiar with the matter says.

The first lady and several family members were also on hand in the Oval Office the night Biden addressed the country about his decision to end his re-election bid in July. It is not clear whether other family members will be in attendance this evening.

The first lady traveled back to Washington, DC, from California this afternoon after delivering remarks Tuesday at an event on women’s health research, an issue she plans to continue work on in her post-White House years.

In an interview with the Washington Post today, the first lady shared how she hopes her husband will be remembered even as she has expressed disappointment with those who tried to push him out of the 2024 race, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“I hope that they remember Joe as a strong, empathetic president with integrity and character,” she said. “I mean, character really is everything, isn’t it?”

Here’s who else was in the room: Vice President Kamala Harris, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff were seated to the president’s left, according to pool reports. In addition, about a half-dozen senior administration officials, including White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, and Senior Adviser Bruce Reed were standing in the room.

This post was updated with more details on who was in the Oval Office.

House Speaker Mike Johnson denied that President-elect Donald Trump urged him to remove Rep. Mike Turner as chair of the House Intelligence Committee and told reporters they would “find out tomorrow” who the new chair will be.

A source familiar with Johnson’s thinking told CNN that Johnson wanted to bring in his own chairman of the committee, just as then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy did in naming Turner. The Ohio lawmaker was not told in the meeting that it was Trump’s decision to remove him, the source added.

Calling Turner a “good man,” Johnson said that Turner would continue to be his “appointee with everything regarding to NATO.”

Turner’s response: He released a statement saying he is “very proud to have served on the House Intelligence Committee and as its chairman.”

“There are great members on the Committee, and I’m honored to have served with them,” Turner said in the statement. “Under my leadership, we restored the integrity of the Committee and returned its mission to its core focus of national security. The threat from our adversaries is real and requires serious deliberations.”

This post was updated with Turner’s statement.

Sen. John Fetterman walks toward the Senate Chambers in Washington, DC, on March 23.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman said he’s open to supporting “many” of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks and that the president-elect didn’t have to pressure him to be open to those going through the nomination process when they met at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend.

“That’s been part of the ongoing dialogue,” he told CNN. Fetterman said he’s met with “virtually all” of Trump’s choices and has been watching the hearings.

Fetterman was the first Democrat to meet with Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, and said he’s “inclined to continue” the “ongoing process” when asked if he was leaning toward voting to confirm the controversial pick.

He said he met both with senators in his party and Republicans about the hearing after Hegseth faced tough questioning by Democrats about allegations of sexual misconduct, mismanagement and other concerns.

Fetterman called his meeting over the weekend with Trump a “positive experience.” He said he was “glad to do it” and he appreciated the opportunity. Fetterman said they talked about steel, Dreamers, SNAP food benefits, among “other things.” He later told reporters they also talked about Greenland, which Trump has floated seizing using the military.

Asked if Trump had urged him to back his Cabinet picks, Fetterman said he’s “always been open to supporting them,” highlighting how he’s already voiced support for Marco Rubio, Elise Stefanik and Sean Duffy.

President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming national security adviser on Wednesday likened today’s ceasefire and hostage release deal to when American hostages held at the US Embassy in Tehran were freed just as Ronald Reagan was sworn in as president in 1981.

“This really is a Reagan moment, and we’re quite excited about it,” Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.

Waltz said it was “a little unfortunate” how President Joe Biden responded to a question from a reporter earlier in the day about whether he or Trump deserved credit for the deal. Biden said to the reporter, “Is that a joke?”

“I think that was a little unfortunate, frankly. But his State Department spokesman was very clear that President Trump’s election has had tremendous consequences. And we’re seeing tremendously positive consequences,” Waltz said.

Waltz said Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke earlier on Wednesday and noted that the deal will need to gain approval from Israel’s government.

“Right now, we should be celebrating that we are going to have people coming out alive, Wolf,” Waltz said.

US President Joe Biden walks to the Rose Garden to deliver remarks at the White House in Washington, DC, on November 26, 2024.

Through a series of speeches, President Joe Biden has sought to put his own brand on his term.

During a capstone foreign policy speech this week, he said the world remains at an “inflection point” in history, a phrase he has employed since the 2020 campaign. Through the administration’s support of alliances, Biden said, adversaries have been weakened.

“My administration is leaving the next administration with a very strong hand to play,” Biden said from the State Department on January 13.

While a climate address from Los Angeles was cancelled due to the historic fires across the city, Biden told reporters, “Climate change has been real. It’s been real for the last four years of our administration. We’ve seen devastating impacts.”

And in an economic speech from the Brookings Institution in December, he touted his “middle-out, bottom-up economic playbook” and urged the incoming administration to build on his policies.

While that closing economic speech touched on the pain Americans were feeling from the cost of groceries and gas, that message was absent from his cross-country tour talking “Bidenomics,” a banner meant to highlight economic strength Biden’s advisers believed would eventually land with voters.