News of Marco Rubio’s selection as Donald Trump’s secretary of State Monday night prompted a flurry of reports about Trump’s forthcoming announcement of one of his most important cabinet positions.

Except Tuesday rolled around, and then Wednesday, and by midday Trump had yet to officially name Rubio as his selection.

By Wednesday afternoon — 42 hours after the New York Times reported Trump would tap Rubio, a report POLITICO and other major outlets quickly confirmed — Trump finally issued a statement sealing the news as official.

The Rubio news was the most notable in a series of leaks in recent days about Trump’s still-forming cabinet — a stark contrast to the nearly two-year presidential campaign his team ran that was relatively leak-free. According to a count by POLITICO, half the Cabinet and senior staff decisions so far were shared with the press first.

The initial Rubio non-announcement set off speculation — especially among those hoping to see Ric Grenell in the role — about whether his appointment was real or a leak meant to force Trump’s hand.

The leaks and lag time between reports about personnel decisions and their official confirmation has called into question whether his political operation, widely hailed as professional over the last two years, will continue as such into Trump’s second White House. Trump’s circle of influence is quickly growing as he has brought in additional transition advisers and is naming new administration appointees.

The confusion and apparent disorganization about staffing rollouts has even set off conspiracy theories within his MAGA base about whether the selections were actually Trump’s. And they have frustrated some of Trump’s longtime aides.

“The president is busy with people in his ear and he’s in meetings all day. And it’s difficult for his staff to get statements in front of him and approved at this point, unlike on the campaign where things were getting out the door immediately,” said a person familiar with the transition process granted anonymity to discuss internal dealings.

Some 18 hours passed between when the Wall Street Journal first reported Monday evening that Trump was appointing Rep. Mike Waltz as national security adviser, and when his transition officially announced it on Tuesday afternoon.

Nearly 19 hours went by in the case of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. CNN reported in the early hours of Tuesday morning that she was tapped to be secretary of Homeland Security, later confirmed by an official statement Tuesday night.

A trickle of leaks about the four deputy White House chief of staff positions came on Monday and Tuesday — with Vice President-elect JD Vance confirming one of those on X — before Trump’s team announced late Wednesday morning that Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller, James Blair and Taylor Budowich would each serve as co-deputy chiefs of staff.

Susie Wiles, Trump’s co-campaign manager, who he has since been named White House chief of staff, was widely credited with preventing both unauthorized leaks to the news media and the infighting that was previously common within Trump world.

Now, finger-pointing has begun behind the scenes about who has been behind the leaks, and why they sought to get ahead of Trump or the official press office. It did not go unnoticed by some on Trump’s team that the leaks were going to top reporters at some of the mainstream outlets Trump rails against the most, like CNN and the New York Times.

An adviser to Rubio did not respond to a request for comment.

Here’s a look at the timing of cabinet appointees, from when they were first reported in the media to when an official statement was released:

Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff: Announced by Trump Transition on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 5:39pm

Tom Homan, Border Czar: Announced on Truth Social Sunday, Nov. 10 11:23pm 

Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator: First reported by the New York Post at 3:10pm, then announced by Trump Transition on Monday, Nov. 11, 3:26pm 

Elise Stefanik, UN Ambassador: First reported by CNN on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 9:50pm, then announced by Trump Transition on Monday, Nov. 11 at 4:03pm

Mike Waltz, NSA: First reported by the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Nov. 11 at 6:30pm, then announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 1:16pm
 

Mike Huckabee, Israel Amb.: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 1:39pm

Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy to Middle East: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 5:04pm

Bill McGinley, WH counsel: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 5:33 pm

John Ratcliffe, CIA director: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 5:39 pm

Pete Hegseth, Defense secretary: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7:07 pm

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, DOGE: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7:35 pm

Kristi Noem, DHS secretary: First reported by CNN around 1am on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and then announced by Trump Transition at 7:45 pm 

Stephen Miller, James Blair, Taylor Budowich, Dan Scavino deputy chiefs of staff: Miller first reported by CNN Monday, Nov. 11 at 10:30am; Washington Post reported Blair, Budowich, and Scavino on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 1:30pm; Announced by Trump Transition Wednesday, Nov. 12, 10:41am  

Still not confirmed:

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State: First reported by the New York Times Monday, Nov. 11 at 8:20 p.m.

UPDATE: This post was updated to reflect that Trump announced Rubio as his pick shortly before 3 p.m. Wednesday.

California Governor Gavin Newsom rallied Democratic members of the state’s California delegation as they steeled themselves for a Trump presidency in a closed-door lunch meeting over sandwiches in a Capitol office building Wednesday afternoon.

Newsom told reporters he and the lawmakers talked about getting on the same page ahead of California’s upcoming special legislative session as they worked to prepare their legal defenses for Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

“We talked about the 122 lawsuits we were involved in in the Trump administration. We talked about the special session and how we’re going to move aggressively, to be proactive and not reactive to the incoming Trump administration,” he said. “We talked about the playbook that’s very familiar, that goes back even before Donald Trump, to the George W. Bush administration, as it relates…issues related to the environment — clean air.”

As for questions about a potential 2028 presidential bid for Newsom, other Democrats dodged.

“We didn’t really talk politics. It was just policy,” said former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

Senate Republicans have tapped Sen. Tom Cotton, an unwavering conservative, to be their Republican Conference chair, elevating a lawmaker known for his hawkish foreign policy positions and efforts to restrict immigration into a top-tier leadership role.

Cotton (R-Ark.), who is serving his second term after being elected in 2014, bested Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa.) for the No. 3 spot in the Senate GOP hierarchy. The vote was 35-18, according to a person familiar with the vote.

“One priority is to make sure each senator has the tools and the resources they need to communicate with their voters in their states,” Cotton told “The Hugh Hewitt Show” in March, speaking about how he saw the role. “It’s helping bridge the divides, finding those issues and approaches that unite us in Washington while also helping every senator make sure that they are reaching their voters where they are in their home states.”

On policy, Cotton has fiercely battled the Obama and Biden administrations on myriad issues. One of his first notable actions as a senator was leading a highly unusual letter to Iranian leaders warning them that any nuclear agreement inked with the Obama administration could be revoked by the next administration. More recently, he led a blanket slowdown of confirming lower-level Biden administration nominees like U.S. marshals and U.S. attorneys.

But he’s also been unafraid to spar with his fellow Republicans, criticizing GOP lawmakers who worked toward an immigration compromise proposal. He additionally bashed a Trump-era criminal justice reform effort, deriding it as a “jailbreak” proposal.

Stylistically, he’ll mark a departure from the current crop of Senate GOP leaders, who often gaggle at length with reporters in the hallways. Cotton’s go-to phrase is “no comment,” though he has made noticeably more appearances on national mainstream television programs in recent months.

Cotton, who’s up for reelection in his deep-red state in 2026, has reportedly taken himself out of consideration for roles in the incoming Trump administration, despite frequent speculation for various national security positions.

President-elect Donald Trump thanked President Joe Biden for overseeing a smooth transition of power during an Oval Office meeting on Wednesday that marked the rivals’ first face-to-face meeting since the election.

“I appreciate very much a transition that’s so smooth,” Trump said as the two men sat stiffly in oversized chairs, a fire roaring in the background. “It’ll be as smooth as it can get and I very much appreciate that, Joe.”

“You’re welcome,” a smiling Biden said.

The meeting, normally a formality between presidents, represented a striking contrast from four years ago, when Biden was poised to take the White House after unseating Trump. At that time, Trump refused to extend the courtesy of the invitation and instead spent the following weeks trying to overturn the results of the election.

In the Oval Office on Wednesday, the two acted cordially toward each other. Biden congratulated Trump on his victory, and after their brief opening remarks, they exchanged words and smiles as they waited for reporters to leave the room.

Trump at the outset of the meeting, however, did nod toward the viciousness of the campaign — taking apparent satisfaction that he had ended up on top.

“Politics is tough and in many cases it’s not a nice world,” Trump said. “But it is a nice world today.”

Rank-and-file House Democrats started to air their grievances with leadership about what they think went wrong on Election Day, as the party began its internal reckoning in their first closed-door meeting since last Tuesday’s vote led to the likely loss of their majority.

House Democratic leaders announced a series of three listening sessions over the coming weeks with lawmakers, according to a notice sent to lawmakers obtained by POLITICO.

Democratic leaders are also expected to hold private meetings with lawmakers as they chart their path forward, three people in the room said.

“There will be one each week for the next three weeks,” Caucus chair Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) told reporters about the listening sessions. “An opportunity for us to hear our members is absolutely what we should do.”

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team delivered what attendees described as a “celebratory” message about Democratic candidates defying the odds. The caucus has its leadership elections scheduled for next week, though no formal challenges are expected.

Other lawmakers who spoke up in their meeting, however, took tougher tones than leadership did, arguing several things went wrong in the lead-up to the Democratic underperformance in key races last week.

Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), who lost a tough reelection bid, spoke about challenges at the House Democratic campaign arm, while Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), who represents a district that swung heavily for Trump, said pollsters were way off, especially with Latino voters. Gonzalez ended by saying he knows his district better than anyone, according to three people in the room. Both members said the DCCC needed to get rid of all of the consultants and pollsters, and Wild said the group needed to bring in new young people.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) spoke to the caucus about the damage the Israel-Hamas war did to their electoral standing, the three people in the room said.

Senior Democrats, meanwhile, urged patience as they sorted through the post-election data.

“When you take a political pounding, become a student, not a victim, and I think it’s too early to have a complete diagnosis. I think at some point we need to have an autopsy,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said he told his fellow Democrats Wednesday.

President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that a handful of loyalists from his campaign will join him in the White House as senior aides.

Dan Scavino will serve as deputy chief of staff; Stephen Miller will serve as deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security adviser; James Blair will serve as deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs; and Taylor Budowich will serve as deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel. All four will also carry the title assistant to the president.

The figures are familiar in Trump world and come as the president-elect is quickly naming his closest stalwarts to top roles in his second administration.

“Dan, Stephen, James, and Taylor were ‘best in class’ advisors on my winning campaign, and I know they will honorably serve the American people in the White House,” Trump said in a statement. “They will continue to work hard to Make America Great Again in their respective new roles.”

Scavino was a top communications aide in Trump’s White House and a senior adviser on his reelection campaign. He met Trump as a 16-year-old golf caddie.

Blair, a Florida-based GOP strategist who previously was deputy chief of staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis, served as political director for the Trump campaign and Republican National Committee.

Miller — an immigration hard-liner who took a role in Trump’s family separation policies during his first administration — previously served in Trump’s White House as his top speechwriter and senior adviser to the president for Policy, and was a senior adviser for his campaign.

Budowich was chief of staff to Donald Trump Jr. during his father’s 2020 presidential campaign and worked as a spokesperson for Trump after he left the White House. The Jan. 6 select committee interviewed him under subpoena, pressing for information about his work helping organize the Trump rally at the Ellipse that preceded the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Budowich told the committee he did not expect the day to turn violent.

He also helmed the pro-Trump super PACs MAGA Inc. and Save America PAC. The latter spent more than $100 million during the 2024 campaign, including millions on legal bills for Trump and his allies.

President-elect Donald Trump appeared to back Mike Johnson’s speakership bid during his visit with the House GOP Wednesday morning, hours ahead of an internal party leadership vote, according to five people in the room.

“He said, ‘I am with him all the way,’” according to two people.

Trump is meeting with House Republicans hours before an internal leadership election where they are expected to elect Johnson as their speaker nominee. That election will be conducted via secret ballot and only requires a simple majority.

It’s a significant boost for Johnson, who has tied himself closely to the incoming president and needs his support in order to win the gavel in a tougher Jan. 3 vote, when Johnson will need near-unanimous support from House Republicans to officially become speaker. But Trump’s endorsement isn’t a surprise — both the Louisiana Republican and his critics predicted that Trump would give Johnson his support during the closed-door meeting.

Johnson predicted it in a brief interview with POLITICO Tuesday night, saying: “He’s been talking very publicly everywhere about this, so I expect he’ll do it again tomorrow.”

Trump holds significant sway over the House GOP conference. His endorsement of Johnson could force the speaker’s opponents to decide if having a monthslong fight over the speakership and their demands on certain House rules is worth crossing Trump. And Johnson’s allies bet conservatives won’t want to be seen as an impediment to Trump’s agenda as he assumes power with likely both chambers of Congress under GOP control.

Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), a conservative who has previously expressed doubts about Johnson’s leadership, indicated after Trump’s endorsement that he would back the speaker.

He said Trump should get “the team he wants on the field.”

While Trump’s endorsement might shrink Johnson’s opposition, it’s not going to completely dissipate. House conservatives are still planning to force an internal vote on his speakership on Wednesday afternoon, instead of letting Johnson be nominated by a voice vote that would allow him to claim unanimous support.

Johnson also lavished praise on Trump during the closed-door meeting, calling him a “singular figure in American history.”

“They used to call Bill Clinton the comeback kid, [Trump] is the comeback king,” Johnson said.

Later on, Trump remarked to Johnson, according to a person in the room: “Mike you’re going to have a tremendous year. Tremendous two years.”

Then, he said to the room: “Get it all done. Unify.”

Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans behind closed doors that he doesn’t have any challengers to his candidacy right now, according to four people familiar with the matter.

The private comments come after two people familiar with the private discussions told POLITICO on Tuesday night that members of the House Freedom Caucus would not throw in a candidate but instead force an internal vote on the speakership race during a closed-door election set for Wednesday afternoon.

The decision by Johnson’s right flank came after the bloc’s members deliberated for days about whether or not to throw in an alternative candidate. As of Tuesday afternoon, they still appeared to be leaning toward throwing someone into the race.

Instead, after a closed-door Freedom Caucus meeting on Tuesday night, the group’s plan is now to force an internal vote without formally mounting a challenger. That means they would prevent leadership from allowing Johnson to be nominated for speaker by a simple voice vote — one that would have allowed him to say he was nominated unanimously. Instead, members would go ahead with the secret-ballot process, giving them the option to oppose Johnson’s speaker nomination without revealing who they are.

Despite the move, Johnson is expected to easily get the simple majority needed to become his party’s speaker nominee.

Part of the frustration from Johnson’s right is tied to a debate over the conference’s internal rules, which House Republicans are set to vote on Thursday. Rules proposals circulated on Tuesday included several amendments to the House GOP’s rules that would punish members who broke with the conference on certain procedural and leadership votes.

Johnson told POLITICO on Tuesday that he does not support rules to punish members. But some conservatives want him to go further and actively tell his members to vote against the rules proposals during Wednesday’s closed-door conference meetings.