The latest on Trump’s presidential transition

Donald Trump was wavering in recent days between two candidates to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray: Kash Patel and Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, sources familiar with the discussions told CNN.

Trump had long slated Patel into a top national intelligence role or at the Department of Justice. But some people close to Trump, including those working on his transition, made the case in recent weeks that perhaps the controversy that would likely accompany Patel’s Senate confirmation process made him a better fit for deputy director of the FBI rather than director.

However, those closest to Trump, including his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, as well as his incoming deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, encouraged the president-elect to pick Patel, arguing he was the only choice to properly reform the bureau that Trump himself views as being rooted in bias against him.

Trump interviewed both Bailey and Patel at his Mar-a-Lago home earlier this month, and regularly talked to them by phone as he weighed his decision.

However, Trump wasn’t impressed with Bailey during their in-person interview, the sources said, arguing Bailey did not fit the mold of the legal bulldog the president-elect wants at the helm of the FBI.

Axios was first to report Trump’s selection came after Bailey failed to impress him during the interview.

More on the process: As of late last week, some close to Trump believed it was a “toss-up” between Patel and Bailey, according to a source familiar with the discussions, with some in Trump’s inner circle not happy with either option.

Patel, in particular, is not viewed as a consensus choice for the job, the source said, noting that it was always going to come down to what Trump wanted and, potentially, the last person he spoke to on a given day.

CNN’s Zachary Cohen contributed reporting to this post.

The border wall separating Mexico and the United States is seen in Imperial County, California in 2022.

The California State Legislature is hosting a special session this week that lawmakers say will help safeguard the state against President-elect Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

The incoming Trump administration’s plans to implement strict border measures, strike down Biden-era policies, and kick off the detention and deportation of migrants at large scale are underway — and one of the biggest concerns for Democrats in the Golden State.

While other states are willing to assist in enforcing federal immigration law, Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla said California leaders believe they are under no obligation to do so.

Indiscriminate deportation of undocumented immigrants would tear communities apart and cause tremendous damage to the economy, Padilla said. And using state or local law enforcement for immigration duties could harm public safety, the senator said, because immigrants who are witnesses to crimes may be afraid to come forward.

However, Padilla said Democrats and Republicans would agree to a focus on deporting violent criminal, which some Trump allies have emphasized as the first step in his plan.

“It doesn’t have to be a conflict unless that’s what Trump wants,” Padilla said.

Massad Boulos sits for a portrait in New York on September 4.

President-elect Donald Trump has selected billionaire Massad Boulos to serve as senior adviser on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, he announced Sunday.

Boulos is the father-in-law of Trump’s daughter, Tiffany, and was heavily involved in the president-elect’s campaign outreach to Muslim communities in battleground states. Trump did not mention his familial connection to Boulos in Sunday’s announcement.

“Massad is an accomplished lawyer and a highly respected leader in the business world, with extensive experience on the International scene,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“He is a dealmaker, and an unwavering supporter of PEACE in the Middle East. He will be a strong advocate for the United States, and its interests, and I am pleased to have him on our team!” wrote Trump, who also touted the billionaire’s conservative credentials.

On Saturday, Trump named real estate executive Charles Kushner to serve as the next US ambassador to France. He is the father of Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law.

Kash Patel speaks during a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Las Vegas on October 24.

Democratic lawmakers are expressing their concern Sunday over President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to head the FBI, firebrand Trump loyalist Kash Patel.

Patel has heavily criticized the FBI in the past and called for “a comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department, arguing it has unjustly targeted Republicans and their allies.

He would be replacing current FBI Director Christopher Wray, whom Trump appointed and still has three years left of his term — making it an extraordinary move if the president-elect follows through.

Here’s what Democrats have said this morning:

• Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said he would vote against confirming Patel — and rally his fellow senators and the American public to oppose his nomination. “Kash Patel’s only qualification is because he agrees with Donald Trump that the Department of Justice should serve to punish, lock up and intimidate Donald Trump’s political opponents. And so the cost to the American public is pretty simple,” Murphy said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

• Majority Whip Dick Durbin described Patel as an “unqualified loyalist” in a statement Sunday. Durbin called on the Senate to “reject this unprecedented effort to weaponize the FBI for the campaign of retribution that Donald Trump has promised.”

• Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said Patel’s pledge to go after the so-called deep state refers to simply punishing “anybody who doesn’t do the will of Donald Trump.” Raskin told CNN’s Kasie Hunt on “State of the Union” that claims Wray, “a Republican appointed by a Republican,” went after Trump and his allies for political gain are unfounded.

• Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla said the plan to nominate Patel raises questions about the politicization of the FBI and Justice Department. “Is it a genuine, legitimate appointment — or a political appointment to politicize the Bureau and the Department in Trump’s favor?” Padilla, who serves on the Judiciary Committee, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Sunday that President-elect Donald Trump will quickly deliver on his promise to impose steep tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China.

Trump’s threat of increased taxes on imported goods has already given the country more leverage over trade partners, Cruz said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” Sunday.

Cruz claimed Mexico will cooperate with Trump on immigration issues in response to the threat of tariffs, and criticized President Joe Biden’s immigration policies, questioning why the president had not used Trump’s tariff tactic.

“This is a promise that I believe President Trump is going to deliver on — and deliver quickly,” Cruz said. “We are going to secure the border. This is about using leverage to get Mexico and Canada to cooperate.”

Some context: Cruz’s claim about Mexico cooperating with Trump’s border plans comes after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and the US president-elect offered differing descriptions of a call about that topic last week. Sheinbaum denied proposing that Mexico would close its border with the United States, as Trump had claimed in a post on Truth Social.

While Cruz accused the Biden administration of inaction on immigration, he was serving in the Senate when Trump lobbied Republican lawmakers to oppose a bipartisan border deal — in part because he wanted to campaign on the issue in the 2024 presidential election, as CNN has previously reported.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan praised the professionalism of his counterparts in President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration on Sunday.

The national security adviser echoed those remarks in an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Karl that also aired this morning.

“We got a lot of work to do,” Sullivan said on ABC. “And I have to say that I’ve been gratified so far by the coordination I’ve been able to have with the incoming Trump team. They seem focused also on a smooth transition, because they want to be able to hit the ground running,” he added.

Sullivan also spoke positively of the incoming Trump national security team in Sunday interviews with NBC and CBS.

Kash Patel speaks during a campaign event for Republican election candidates in July 2022 in Tucson, Arizona.

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he intends to nominate Kash Patel to serve as FBI director, indicating that he will make the extraordinary move of replacing the current director, Christopher Wray, before his 10-year term expires.

As a reminder, Trump also nominated Wray.

Patel has heavily criticized the FBI and vowed to dismantle the “deep state,” which he says includes “elected leaders, journalists, Big Tech tycoons and ‘members of the unelected bureaucracy.’” Patel has also called for “a comprehensive housecleaning” of the Justice Department, arguing it has unjustly targeted Republicans and their allies.

Here’s how some Republicans are responding to Trump’s announcement:

• GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, the incoming Senate Judiciary chair, heavily criticized Wray, saying in a social media post that the current FBI director “failed” during his tenure. Grassley added that Patel “must prove to Congress” that he will do better than Wray.

• House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the Patel pick in a post on X, saying he has “extensive experience in national security and intelligence. He is an America First patriot who will bring much-needed change and transparency to the FBI. Congratulations to Kash!”

• Republican Rep. Mike Lawler said he had no reservations about Patel serving as head of the FBI due to his previous roles in public service. “Donald Trump campaigned on reforming the FBI and the Department of Justice. So I don’t know why any of this is frankly surprising to people,” Lawler told Kasie Hunt on CNN’s “State of the Union.” Lawler added that he does not foresee Patel going on a “revenge tour” or partisanship being part of his leadership.

• GOP Sen. Mike Rounds said on ABC’s “This Week” that he wasn’t surprised by Trump’s pick and that he currently has no complaints on how the president-elect has selected his Cabinet and other key positions. Rounds said there will be open hearings for the public to weigh in on Trump’s picks, and that they deserve the benefit of the doubt while the Senate goes through the process of providing Trump with advice and consent.

• Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said he believes that regardless of Patel’s nomination, Wray will either resign or be removed by Trump. Cruz said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that he believes Patel is a strong candidate who can “clean out” Washington.

• GOP Sen. Bill Hagerty, who remains one of Trump’s staunchest defenders, affirmed his support of the Patel pick. “He represents the type of change that we need to see in the FBI,” Hagerty said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

This post has been updated with additional comments from Republicans.

Former national security adviser John Bolton speaks to reporters in Washington, DC in August 2022.

Former national security adviser John Bolton says the Senate should reject Kash Patel as FBI director if he is nominated as promised by President-elect Donald Trump.

Bolton was one of several national security advisers who served and then eventually resigned or were fired during Trump’s first term in the White House. He has since become a vocal Trump critic.

Trump’s announcement on Patel, a loyalist to the president-elect and fierce critic of the FBI, has set up another potentially explosive confirmation battle in the Senate, where members are already bracing for how they’ll navigate a slew of unorthodox Trump picks.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan answers questions during a briefing at the White House in November 2023.

Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, declined to comment Sunday on President-elect Donald Trump’s intention to name loyalist Kash Patel as FBI director once he takes office, but said it was vital to keep the position insulated from politics.

Sullivan said the Biden administration had upheld that “long-standing bipartisan tradition,” telling CNN’s Kasie Hunt on “State of the Union” that Christopher Wray — the current FBI director, whom Trump would replace before the end of his term — has performed well in the role.

As for Trump’s specific picks, Sullivan said, “I’ll let him speak for his own rationale.”

Hunt asked Sullivan if he feared personal retribution from Patel, who has criticized the national security adviser as part of the “deep state” in the past, but Sullivan said it wasn’t something he was concerned about.

“I wake up every day to try to defend this country and protect the national interest. I’ve got 50 days left. I’m going to stay totally focused on every single one of those days to make sure that we have a smooth handoff to the next team, and we put them in the best strategic position possible,” he said.

Some context: Trump’s announcement on Patel, a vocal critic of the FBI, is part of a trend of filling top law enforcement and intelligence positions with supporters who may be open to carrying out his demands for specific investigations, as well as inoculating the president against possible future probes.

CNN’s Holmes Lybrand, Zachary Cohen, Evan Perez and Kristen Holmes contributed reporting to this post.

Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, announced Sunday that he is entering the race to lead the national party.

Wikler is the fourth person to toss his name into the running for the next Democratic National Committee chair — a role that would oversee the party’s rebuilding as it continues to reel from President-elect Donald Trump’s win and Republicans clinching control of both chambers of Congress.

“This is a time for Democrats to come together to learn about what we need to do and change, and to start winning elections up and down the ballot for the next four years,” Wikler said.

Wikler joins a competitive — and likely growing — field, including New York State Sen. James Skoufis, former Maryland Gov. and Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley, and Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin.

Democrats will vote on February 1 to select the party’s leader, who will also supervise the selection of the 2028 primary calendar, which was reshuffled before 2020 to play to the strengths of President Joe Biden.

Since Wikler’s election to lead the Wisconsin Democrats in 2019, the party has been able to boast several key victories for Democrats, including maintaining the governorship and holding onto a key Senate seat despite Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 defeat in the state. Though Trump flipped Wisconsin earlier this month, he won by 0.8% — the thinnest margin of any swing state.

More context: Democratic operatives involved in key races told CNN they don’t know how to figure out what those voters who went for Trump want, or how they’re doing in appealing to them.

In CNN’s conversations with two dozen top Democratic operatives and elected officials since Election Day, the fear isn’t just that no one knows the answer to what’s next — it’s that they don’t even know what the question is at this point.

Read more about conversations among Democrats about their path forward here.

CNN’s Antoinette Radford contributed to this report.