Bernd Debusmann Jr BBC News, White House Getty Images Donald Trump held his first cabinet meeting at the White House on Wednesday, turning the occasion into an extended question-and-answer session that lasted for more than an hour. Speaking alongside his cabinet – and billionaire Elon Musk who wore a “tech support” T-shirt – Trump covered a wide range of topics, ranging from Doge’s efforts to cut government spending to immigration, the economy and the war in Ukraine. Here are a five takeaways from his remarks. 1) Trump praises Rubio and Musk Trump was asked by reporters which government department – and, by extension, which cabinet members – were most resistant to his policy changes. “So far, I’m happy with all of those choices,” he said. He added, however, that “some
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US President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle Gaza’s population would only be temporary, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said. It follows Trump’s suggestion that the US could “take over” Gaza and resettle the millions of Palestinians living there – an idea that has drawn criticism from the UN, human rights groups and Arab leaders. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt further clarified Trump’s comments, saying the US was not planning to put “boots on the ground” in the territory. Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said Gazans “should be allowed to enjoy freedom of exit and immigration”, but gave few details on how this would work. On a trip to Guatemala, Marco Rubio said Trump’s proposal was not “hostile”, but a “generous move”, showing “the willingness of the United
![Pam Bondi, President-elect Donald Trump's choice for attorney general, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 15 [Ben Curtis/AP Photo]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Key-takeaways-as-Trump-nominees-face-US-Senate-confirmation-hearings.jpg)
For a second day in a row, the United States Senate has weighed nominees for key positions in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet, grilling candidates on their backgrounds and qualifications. Wednesday was a busy day for the Senate, as it held hearings for six Trump nominees, including heavy-hitters like Senator Marco Rubio — his pick to be secretary of state — and Pam Bondi, tapped for the attorney general’s seat. The hearings come as Republican leaders in Congress hope to give Trump a strong start to his second term, which begins on Monday. High-level cabinet positions need Senate approval, and Republicans hold 53 seats to the Democrats’ 45. Still, controversial nominees will need every vote possible to succeed in their appointment. Wednesday’s hearings, for instance, were preceded by fiery proceedings a day