Evening Report — Trump’s post-election presser

President-elect Trump addressed a plethora of matters together with vaccines, TikTok, the Russia-Ukraine battle and drones in his first press convention since profitable a second presidential time period.

• Trump was joined by Masayoshi Son, the SoftBank Group CEO, and Howard Lutnick, his choose for Commerce secretary and co-lead of his transition crew, for the information convention at Mar-a-Lago.

• The president-elect introduced that the Japan-based SoftBank Group would make investments $100 billion in the US over the subsequent 4 years, with a give attention to synthetic intelligence and different rising applied sciences

The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Brett Samuels have 5 takeaways from Trump’s sprawling presser.

Catch-up on the press convention with The Hill’s stay weblog.

Trump fielded questions on vaccine entry as his choose to steer the Division of Well being and Human Companies, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., heads to Capitol Hill this week to courtroom lawmakers for his affirmation battle.

Kennedy is a recognized vaccine skeptic and can face intense scrutiny from all sides of Congress.

Trump pushed again on considerations that vaccine licenses could be revoked, particularly the polio vaccine, saying he’s a “huge believer” within the polio vaccine.

“You’re not going to lose the polio vaccine, that’s not going to occur,” Trump stated.

However he did point out that he would have Kennedy conduct vaccine critiques and recommended that vaccines are linked to rising autism charges. That principle has been extensively debunked. 

“Once more, you check out autism as we speak versus 20, 25 years in the past. It’s like, not even plausible. So we’re going to have reviews. Nothing’s going to occur in a short time. I believe you’re going to seek out that Bobby is… a really rational man,” Trump stated.

Trump stated he’s against vaccine mandates, particularly in faculties, saying he’s “not an enormous mandate particular person.”

When Trump takes workplace in January, he’ll assume the accountability of making an attempt to dealer Center East peace within the battle between Israel and Hamas, in addition to the Russia-Ukraine battle in Japanese Europe. 

Concerning the Israel-Hamas battle, Trump stated throughout the press convention that his crew is working with Israel and pushing Hamas to launch the hostages.

Trump stated he not too long ago spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and issued a stark warning to Hamas.

“We had an excellent speak, we mentioned what will occur. I might be very obtainable on Jan. 20 and we’ll see. As you understand, I gave warning that if these hostages aren’t residence by that date, all hell goes to interrupt out and really sturdy,” he stated.

Trump stated he believes ending the battle between Ukraine and Russia would show harder, citing the complexity of the battle, in addition to the presence of North Korean troops preventing alongside the Russian navy.

He additionally slammed the Biden administration for permitting Ukraine to make use of long-range missiles towards Russia and recommended he’d reverse the long-range strike authorization.

“I don’t assume that ought to have been allowed,” he stated, “and positively not simply weeks earlier than I take over. Why would they do this with out asking me what I believed? I wouldn’t have had them do this, I believe that was an enormous mistake.”

Trump has beforehand pledged to finish the Russia-Ukraine battle by the point he’s inaugurated, claiming he’d finish it inside 24 hours. However the president-elect has provided few particulars on how he would dealer such a deal.

• Trump additionally praised China’s President Xi Jinping, calling him a pal and an “superb man,” and recommended that the U.S. and China ought to work collectively to on international points.

Trump additionally insisted that tariffs could be a superb factor for the nation, defending a controversial central piece of his second time period agenda.

“I didn’t have any inflation, and I had huge tariffs on loads of issues. We put tariffs on metal,” he stated. “We made a fortune on it. Tariffs correctly used, which we’ll do, and being reciprocal with different nations, however it can make our nation wealthy.”

The president-elect final month promised to implement 25 p.c tariffs on items from Mexico and Canada via govt order on the primary day of his new time period, claiming one of many targets is to curb unlawful immigration. 

Trump additionally claimed the federal authorities, together with President Biden, “is aware of what is occurring” with the quite a few drone sightings within the U.S.

“The federal government is aware of what is occurring. Look, our navy is aware of the place they took off from, if it’s a storage they will go proper into that storage. They know the place it got here from and the place it went,” Trump instructed reporters.

He dismissed the concept the drones are the work of overseas adversaries, saying, “If it was the enemy they’d blast it out. Even when they had been late, they’d blast it.”

Biden and his administration have repeatedly stated the drone sightings will not be a nationwide safety menace however that they’re persevering with to observe the state of affairs.

In the meantime, lawmakers on the federal and state ranges are pushing for extra solutions. 

Trump additionally touched on different topics throughout his press convention:

• He stated he’d take into account pardoning embattled New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams (D).

• The taking pictures of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was a “horrible factor,” Trump stated. He additionally chastised those that have exalted the suspected shooter Luigi Mangione. 

• The president-elect threatened to sue the Des Moines Register for publishing a pre-election ballot that confirmed him behind in Iowa.

• Trump stopped in need of pushing for his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to be appointed to a Senate seat in Florida as soon as Sen. Marco Rubio (R) leaves to hitch the Trump administration as secretary of State.

• TikTok has “a heat spot in my coronary heart,” Trump stated when requested a few potential nationwide ban on the social media app.

💡Views:

• Trump 2.0: What number of days earlier than he loses momentum? (The Hill)

• Submit-election polling suggests a brand new cause behind Trump’s victory (The Hill)

Learn extra: 

• McConnell urges Trump to reject isolationism

• NYC mayor says he gained’t be ‘warring’ with Trump

• Trump girds for battle with Democrats, Supreme Court docket over birthright citizenship 

• Canadian finance minister notes Trump tariff menace in resignation letter

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Experiences of mysterious drones flying over components of New Jersey began in mid-November. Since then, sightings have unfold all through the Northeast, and lawmakers are ramping up requires solutions.

“New Jerseyans’ endurance is getting very skinny, together with my very own,” Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) stated Monday as she launched a plan to assist the federal authorities monitor and find the unidentified drones, The Hill’s Sylvan Lane reported.

“After weeks of unidentified-drone sightings over New Jersey, two issues are clear: One, the drones stay unidentified and, two, the individuals of New Jersey want clearer, extra constant communication as to what our authorities is studying and doing concerning the drones,” Sherrill stated. 

Sherill known as for the federal authorities to deploy a fleet of MQ-9 Reaper drones, at present operated by Customs and Border Safety, which have particular monitoring capabilities. Moreover, she needs a categorized listening to on the matter with Home and Senate committees.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) was briefed on the sightings Sunday and thanked the president for his help within the investigation, whereas additionally asking for extra sources. 

“Whereas I’m sincerely grateful to your administration’s management in addressing this regarding subject, it has change into obvious that extra sources are wanted to totally perceive what’s behind this exercise,” he wrote, including residents “deserve extra concrete data.” 

The Biden administration has been extensively criticized for its response to the drone sightings, particularly after Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated there may be “no proof” to recommend the drones are a public safety menace.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) stated in a Sunday look on ABC’s “This Week” that DHS wants extra authority on the matter, however that to say these drone sightings are “common exercise, it’s simply improper.”

Former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, who served within the Obama administration, stated the federal government struggling to establish the drones has nothing to do with sources or functionality, urging endurance.

As Congress works on a short-term funding invoice, two lawmakers are pushing for a counter-drone measure to be added to the approaching laws. 

• Senate Majority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called on DHS to  “deploy particular drone-detection.”

• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) deployed a drone detection system after drone exercise shut down runways at Stewart Airport in Orange County, N.Y.

• Connecticut state Sen. Tony Hwang (R) stated the state of affairs is “alarming” and the dearth of federal response is “unconscionable.”

• Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Unwell.) remarked in a CNN interview “[t]hey’re actually all airplanes.” 

💡Views:

• The New Jersey drone scare is a privateness wake-up name (MSNBC)

• Drones and the Value of Misplaced Belief (WSJ)

Learn extra: 

• Wright-Patterson Air Drive Base in Ohio closed for hours as a consequence of drone exercise

• Two arrested after drone flies ‘dangerously shut’ to Boston airport: Police

Because it barrels towards the federal government shutdown deadline on Dec. 20, Congress is making progress on a funding deal.

Home Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) stated the “variations are narrowing” throughout the aisle.

“It’s each between the Home and the Senate and Republicans and Democrats. So, they’re each institutional variations, and there are partisan variations,” Cole stated, including “there are rather a lot fewer of them than there have been 24 hours in the past.”

Laws textual content was anticipated over the weekend, however lawmakers hit a snag when it got here to financial help for farmers, with either side pointing fingers over who was guilty. 

The persevering with decision (CR), which is probably going the final main little bit of laws earlier than the tip of the session and the upcoming Congress, will most likely embody catastrophe support funding for the current hurricanes that hit North Carolina and Florida, in addition to a number of different add-ons, together with one regarding well being care, reviews The Hill’s Aris Folley and Emily Brooks. 

Learn extra right here.

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