“A lot of people at certain years can find the holidays to be more challenging than they have experienced in past years,” said Shilagh Mirgain, a psychologist at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin. “It’s important to recognize the common humanity that others, too, are struggling.
“You’re not alone.”
Here’s what experts say you can do to make your holiday season a little more bearable, if not cheery.
If family time isn’t super fun, set boundaries
Spending an extended amount of time with family is hard to avoid around the holidays, Mirgain said, but there are ways to make it a little easier.
“Certainly this year, I think with the recent election, there’s a lot of divisiveness and discord, and you’re probably having to interact with family members that have really opposing beliefs,” she said. “That can bring up strong emotions.”
Think about the boundaries you want to set: What kind of contact do you want to have with your family and how long are you prepared to be around them?
It’s also important to give yourself permission to exit the event — and have some strategies in place, she said. For example, if you need some space, go on a walk or run some errands.
“You could say, ‘Gosh, thanks for asking, but I don’t talk politics over the holidays,’” Mirgain suggested.
If you have grief or are lonely, connect with others
The holidays can be difficult for people who are grieving or don’t have anyone nearby with whom to celebrate.
“Loneliness and isolation can feel exacerbated during the holiday season when you look around and it seems like everyone’s getting together and you don’t have plans, or you’re not looking forward to your plans,” Mirgain said.
Find ways to connect with people if that’s something you’re craving, like scheduling calls with people across the country or volunteering in your community.
“There’s so much opportunity to give back during this time, and I think generosity is one of the best things we can do for our own well-being,” she said.
And if you’re grieving the death of someone close to you, the holidays can be the perfect time to reflect on that person’s legacy, said Dr. Ellen Lee, a geriatric psychiatrist at UC San Diego Health.
“Try to honor that person by visiting their grave site or doing something they really loved to do, and then find people to share those memories with,” Lee said. She also advises people not to tamp down feelings but let yourself grieve.
If money is making you anxious, reach out
Gifts, dinners, decorations — it’s all a lot to keep track of around this time of year, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Those extra expenses and get-togethers can put more stress on your mental health.
For milder symptoms of depression, anxiety or mood issues, lean on tried-and-true methods of self-care, experts said, such as spending time doing something you love or watching a movie.
But it’s important to reach out for help if you start to feel mounting financial anxiety
or intensifying symptoms that impair your ability to function. Early intervention can keep them from intensifying, Mirgain said, adding that if you have suicidal thoughts, reach out to your provider. You can also call or text 988 or chat at 988Lifeline.org.
If you are overwhelmed, set realistic expectations
Remember, your holidays don’t have to be a Hallmark movie. Give yourself permission to do it differently this year, Lee said.
“We have so many goals, so many targets,” she said. “Getting all the gifts, decorating the house perfectly … sometimes it’s helpful to sort of focus on the most important part of it.”
That can look different depending on who you are: The most important part may be spending time with people you don’t get to see often, or having a nice meal with your favorite foods.
Lee emphasized that it is fine to have a low-key celebration.
“I ask people, ‘What’s the best part of the holiday?’” she said, “It’s not usually about the decorations or all these extra things that we all spend a lot of time worrying about.”
Sunday is the seven-year anniversary of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a landmark piece of legislation that contributed to historic economic prosperity under the first Trump administration
.
In December 2017, a Republican Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed this package of sweeping reforms into the U.S. tax code, both for individual filers and corporations. Next year, Congress and Trump
are poised to renew the expiring provisions of the law as well as add additional reforms.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act cut income tax rates
for workers at every level and nearly doubled the standard deduction, shielding more income from taxation. It expanded the child tax credit and preserved other popular tax benefits like the deductions for mortgage interest and charitable deductions, among others.
Tyler Cowen, an economics professor at George Mason University, reported in July—some 6 1/2 years after the legislation took effect—that as a result of the law, “total tangible corporate investment went up by about 11%” and “there has been a long-run increase in GDP [gross domestic product] of 0.9%—a substantial sum in an economy of more than $27 trillion.”
Before the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, American corporations faced one of the world’s highest statutory corporate income tax rates at 35%. The tax law lowered this rate to 21%, putting the U.S. rate near the global average. Many small businesses known as “pass-through entities”
(because income “passes through” to the owner and is taxed as the owner’s personal income) benefited from tax reform because the law provides them with a 20% deduction on business profits.
This substantial reduction of the corporate tax rate largely benefited workers, who indirectly pay the lion’s share of corporate taxes through reduced wages and benefits. Corporations responded to the reduced corporate income tax rate with immediate investments in their workforces through wage raises, bonuses, expanded benefits and training programs, and new jobs.
American families could keep more money from every paycheck
. In the two years after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law, real wages rose by 4.9%—the fastest growth in 20 years. This law also lowered the income tax rates and adjusted the income thresholds for each bracket, resulting in lower income tax liabilities for people at every income level. Additionally, it nearly doubled the standard deduction, simplifying taxes for many earners because they no longer had to itemize their deductions, and expanded the child tax credit in size and to more households.
These results suggested the tax reform law helped American families, expanded work opportunities, and fostered strong economic growth. If the law is not extended, the Tax Foundation finds that more than 62% of tax filers will experience tax increases in 2026. The average family of four making $75,000 a year is projected to see their taxes increase by $1,500 if Congress does not take action on the tax law.
Trump vowed on the 2024 campaign trail to build on the expiring tax cuts by eliminating taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits. These would save households money and assist small businesses’ profitability.
Small businesses are the foundation of the U.S. economy. These “pass-through” businesses, which include sole proprietorships, partnerships, and Subchapter-S corporations, are critical to our economy, employing nearly half of the American workforce and representing nearly 44% of America’s gross domestic product.
Prior to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, some small businesses that filed through the individual income tax code faced tax rates of up to 39.6%. Less than a year after the tax law’s enactment, the National Federation of Independent Business’ small-business optimism index hit the highest level ever recorded during its 45-year history (the previous record was in 1983, set during the second year of Ronald Reagan’s presidency).
A significant challenge facing these businesses is the expiration of the 20% small business deduction at the end of next year, which could lead to small businesses facing increased taxes. It was viewed as a means to reduce tax burdens for small and mid-sized businesses, similar to how C-corporations benefited from the corporate tax rate cut.
Polling shows the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is widely popular and that a majority of Americans say that failing to renew the 2017 tax cuts would hurt middle-class families, small businesses, American consumers, and the economy.
The big question will be how these tax cuts will be “paid for.” Trump created the Department of Government Efficiency to reduce government waste. Trump will also work with Congress, which could also extend the cuts just temporarily to control costs.
Critics falsely claim that the renewing the law will lead to a decrease in government revenue; however, as The Wall Street Journal reported in November, “More than six years after the TCJA [Tax Cuts and Jobs Act] took effect, tax revenue has exceeded CBO [Congressional Budget Office] projections from June 2017. By 2023, annual tax revenue had recovered from the COVID-19 recession and returned to its historical average of about 16.5% of GDP [gross domestic product].”
It’s clear the American people desire a simpler, fairer tax system, and enacting sensible reforms, extensions and updates to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will do just that. Making tax rate reductions permanent will lower taxes for most taxpayers—a critical need for Americans seeking economic relief.
We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal.
Tens of thousands streamed into a central square in Serbia’s capital on Sunday for a big rally against populist President Aleksandar Vucic and his government, whose tight grip on power has been challenged by weeks of street protests led by university students.
Lake County Councilman and county Republican Party Chairman Randy Niemeyer has been tapped to be a part of president-elect Donald Trump’s transition team participating in conference calls with Department of Transportation officials.
Niemeyer, who lost in his race against U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, in November, said he will likely serve on the transition team through the confirmation hearings for former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy for transportation secretary.
“I ran for Congress because I want to serve my country. If I can serve my country this way, I am happy to do it,” Niemeyer said.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
As Trump’s incoming second administration takes shape, former federal officials are noting the differences in approach as nominees and appointees get up to speed.
Leslie Lenkowsky, professor emeritus in public affairs and philanthropic studies at Indiana University Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, said presidential transition teams strategy differ based on the incoming administration’s goals.
Trump’s transition team has been unique in that it’s his second non-consecutive term, which means “there’s not a lot of mystery there at the top executives,” Lenkowsky said. His transition team also has had the unique quality of being headquartered at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort Trump owns, instead of Washington D.C., Lenkowsky said.
FILE – Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., speaks during a hearing July 18, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Duffy to be Transportation Secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
In selecting transition team members, Lenkowsky said Trump has been picking people who have been active in Republican Party politics, who have demonstrated some degree of loyalty to Trump and some expertise in the area they are working.
A member of the incoming administration reached out to him to help with the Department of Transportation transition, Niemeyer said. The position is volunteer, Niemeyer said.
Niemeyer, who is also a small business owner and truck driver, said he couldn’t disclose many details about the work he’s doing as he signed a non-disclosure agreement, but that he’s participated on a few conference calls with stakeholders in the Department of Transportation.
During the calls, the team has discussed reports, analysis and legislation recommendations ahead of Duffy’s confirmation, he said.
“This is about getting the foundational pieces done for them,” Niemeyer said. “I’ve enjoyed the calls we’ve been on.”
Transition team members do not get paid for their work, said Lenkowsky. Typically, they have to cover the cost of any travel and lodging expenses as part of their work for the team, he said.
Sometimes, transition team members sign formal agreements to not share their reports or information with the public, Lenkowsky said. For example, when he served on the Reagan transition team, Lenkowsky said he signed documents that were similar to a consultant agreement, he said.
Duffy served in the U.S. House for nearly nine years, from 2011 to 2019. He was a member of the Financial Services Committee and chairman of the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019, and is co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Duffy is a former lumberjack athlete and he was featured on MTV’s “The Real World: Boston” in 1997. He met his wife, former “The Real World: San Francisco” cast member Rachel Campos-Duffy, on the set of MTV’s “Road Rules: All Stars” in 1998.
In his announcement for transportation secretary, Trump said Duffy would use his experience and relationships built over the years in Congress “to maintain and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, and fulfill our mission of ushering in the golden age of travel, focusing on safety, efficiency, and innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the travel experience for all Americans.”
Trump wanted Duffy to run for Wisconsin governor in 2022, but Duffy declined saying he needed to take care of his nine children, including his youngest child who had a heart condition.
Niemeyer said Duffy would bring his experience working in Congress into the role of transportation secretary.
“I think he’s going to be fantastic at the job,” Niemeyer said.
The work a transition team does could be impacted by whether or not the incoming department secretaries have a lot of experience in the field, Lenkowsky said. The less experience an incoming department secretary has, the more work the transition team has to do, he said.
Niemeyer said he hasn’t had direct contact with Trump while a member of the transition team.
“I’m a small player on the team. But it’s fine, I’m happy to contribute to the team,” Niemeyer said.
Lenkowsky served on the presidential transition teams of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
Reagan’s transition team was highly organized, Lenkowsky said, which included the creation of smaller teams that reported to a lead person, who reported to a steering group, which reported to the president.
While on Reagan’s transition team, Lenkowsky said he was on a team addressing international broadcasting efforts like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Lenkowsky said he and one other person met with agency officials, studied records, and wrote up a 10-page report.
“We reported up to one person, who reported to others,” Lenkowsky said. “It was very hierarchical.”
In the Bush transition team, Lenkowsky said he played a smaller role. Bush’s transition period was shorter because the 2000 election results were delayed until December when the Supreme Court ruled in Bush’s favor in a Florida recount case, he said.
While the Bush transition didn’t include the creation of subset teams, Lenkowsky said members of Bush’s staff reached out to various professionals to get their insight on what issues the president should address.
Lenkowsky, who worked at AmeriCorps at the time, said he talked with a person who would become a White House policy staff member about what Bush could do to keep his campaign promise to mobilize “armies of compassion,” which meant the nation’s volunteer groups.
“I explained to him how they could use AmeriCorps to do this,” Lenkowsky said. “It was very informal. I had no sense of hierarchy.”
Since Trump has been elected, Marjorie Hershey, professor emeritus of political science at Indiana University Bloomington, said the decisions he’s made have been based on emotions rather than policy.
“He’s not really accustomed to paying attention to what other people have to say, because he’s never had to,” Hershey said. “So much that he’s doing is emotional rather than policy.”
Jeff Bezos is furiously denying a report that he is about to marry fiancee Lauren Sanchez in a $600 million ceremony in Aspen.
In a fiery post on X Sunday morning, the Amazon founder seethed about the report — which was first put out by the Daily Mail
, then picked up by others
— which stated he and Sanchez are set to tie the knot on Dec. 28 and drop more than half a billion on the event.
“[T]his whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening,” Bezos wrote. “The old adage ‘don’t believe everything you read’ is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out there folks and don’t be gullible.”
Bezos added, “Will be interesting to see if all the outlets that ‘covered’ and re-reported on this issue a correction when it comes and goes and doesn’t happen.”
Furthermore, this whole thing is completely false — none of this is happening. The old adage “don’t believe everything you read” is even more true today than it ever has been. Now lies can get ALL the way around the world before the truth can get its pants on. So be careful out… https://t.co/wz2SWp6wBZ
The Mail reported, “The rumor in town – as yet unconfirmed – is that Bezos will be holding the ceremony at Kevin Costner’s 160-acre Dunbar Ranch.”
They added:
A source familiar with the wedding planning revealed to DailyMail.com that guests are set to arrive in Aspen’s top accommodations including the five-star St Regis Hotel after Christmas Day.
Bezos, the second-richest man in the world, is believed to have also booked up private mansions around the affluent town for his guests.
It was a post from another financial titan — Bill Ackman — which prompted Bezos to respond in the first place. Ackman, for his part, believes a $600 million wedding to be impossible.
“This is not credible,” Ackman wrote. “Unless you are buying each of your guests a house, you can’t spend this much money”
The court decisions were a victory for Northwest consumers, who would have seen grocery store competition crumble. According to Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Albertsons and Kroger operate “more than 300 locations
in the Evergreen State, accounting for more than 50% of the state’s grocery sales.”
In a one-mile radius in my neighborhood, we would have had one specialty market (Trader Joes); one national chain (Safeway and QFC); and one membership store (Costco). There has never been a Sam’s Club in this neighborhood to compete with the baby Costco (a business center).
A two-mile radius adds a specialty market (an Asian market, Ranch 99); one employee-owned regional chain (WINCO); and one national chain (a baby Walmart). A Fred Meyer, part of Kroger, is in that extended radius; prices at QFC and Safeway are routinely 10% or more than those at Fred Meyer.
This historic win protects millions of Americans across the country from higher prices for essential groceries—from milk, to bread, to eggs—ultimately allowing consumers to keep more money in their pockets. This victory has a direct, tangible impact on the lives of millions of Americans who shop at Kroger or Albertsons-owned grocery stores for their everyday needs, whether that’s a Fry’s in Arizona, a Vons in Southern California, or a Jewel-Osco in Illinois.
Without waiting for the ink to dry on Tuesday’s decisions, Albertsons sued Kroger
“for breach of its contract agreement, alleging Kroger caused the merger to be blocked. Albertsons said that Kroger failed to exercise its ‘best efforts’ and to take ‘any and all actions’ to secure regulatory approval of the merger.”
Albertsons and Kroger argued that they needed to merge to compete with Walmart, Costco and Amazon
. This is fallacious. Costco is a membership store. Walmart is a department store with groceries, like Fred Meyer. QFC and Safeway are modern grocery stores that do not sell camping and sporting equipment, clothes or furniture. Amazon’s food sales are a fraction of the grocery stores.
Consolidation means higher prices for consumers, lower ones for farmers and suppliers
In 2021, The Guardian reported that “for 85% of the groceries analysed, four firms or fewer controlled more than 40% of market share
. It’s widely agreed that consumers, farmers, small food companies and the planet lose out if the top four firms control 40% or more of total sales.”
Four or fewer corporations control 93% of soda sales
Three cereal companies control 90% of breakfast items
Four or fewer control 80% of toothpaste and 80% of toilet paper sales.
Four or fewer control 80% of candy and 60% of snack bars
Four yogurt companies control 75% of sales
That’s why blocking this merger is somewhat like locking the barn door after the horses have escaped.
It’s an illusion of choice.
Be wary of graphs that exaggerate food sales. For 2023, “Amazon’s e-grocery sales
were approximately $36,400,000,000″ but its total sales were $574,800,000,000. Although we may think of Walmart as a “grocery store,” its revenue
for the twelve months ending October 31, 2024 was $673,819,000,000, which includes a LOT of items that are not groceries.
WASHINGTON — After days of threats and demands, Donald Trump had little to show for it once lawmakers passed a budget deal in the early hours of Saturday, narrowly averting a pre-Christmas government shutdown.
The president-elect successfully pushed House Republicans to jettison some spending, but he failed to achieve his central goal of raising the debt limit. It demonstrated that despite his decisive election victory and frequent promises of retribution, many members of his party are still willing to openly defy him.
Trump’s decision to inject himself into the budget debate a month before his inauguration also showed that he remains more adept at blowing up deals than making them, and it foreshadowed that his second term will likely be marked by the same infighting, chaos and brinksmanship that characterized his first.
“Stay tuned. Buckle up. Strap in,” said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., a senior appropriator.
A glance at Trump’s agenda shows a cascade of opportunities for similar showdowns in the years to come. He wants to extend tax cuts that he signed into law seven years ago, slash the size of government, increase tariffs on imports and crack down on illegal immigrants. Many of those efforts will need congressional buy-in.
For many of Trump’s supporters, disruption could be its own goal. Thirty-seven percent of those who voted for him this year said they wanted “complete and total upheaval,” according to AP VoteCast, a broad survey of more than 120,000 voters. An additional 56% said they wanted “substantial change.”
But the past few days made clear the difficulty Trump could face in quickly fulfilling his goals, especially with Republicans holding only thin majorities in the House and the Senate. Some lawmakers already seem weary of the apparent lack of a unified strategy.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., said the budget battle was “a valuable lesson in how to get our act together.”
“There are no layups and it gets more complicated,” he said.
How Trump’s demands fell flat
The trouble started when top lawmakers released a copy of the bill, known as a continuing resolution, that was required to keep the federal government functioning until March. It wasn’t the president-elect but Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and a Trump confidant, who first began whipping up opposition to the legislation on social media by calling it excessive spending.
Trump eventually waded into the fight. He ordered Republicans to cancel the bipartisan deal they had made with Democrats. And he demanded they increase the debt limit — the cap on how much the government can borrow — in hopes of preventing that thorny issue from coming up while he is in charge of the government.
He ratcheted up the pressure even as his demands shifted. First he wanted to eliminate the debt limit altogether. Then he wanted to suspend it until 2027. Then he floated an extension until 2029.
If there was a shutdown, Democratic President Joe Biden would take the blame, Trump insisted.
“All Republicans, and even the Democrats, should do what is best for our Country, and vote “YES” for this Bill, TONIGHT!” Trump wrote Thursday, before a vote on a version of the bill that included a higher debt limit.
Instead, 38 Republicans voted no. It was a stunning brush-off to Trump, whose power over his party has at times seemed near-absolute.
“Without this, we should never make a deal,” he wrote on Truth Social, his social media site.
If he didn’t get what he wanted, Trump said, there should be a government shutdown. He also said members of his own party would face primary challenges if they refused to go along, saying “Republican obstructionists have to be done away with.” He singled out Rep. Chip Roy of Texas by name and with insults.
But in the end, lawmakers left out that debt ceiling increase, and a final deal passed early Saturday.
Musk and other Trump allies tried to frame it as a win because the final legislation was significantly slimmed down and omitted unpopular items such as a pay raise for members of Congress. Charlie Kirk, the prominent conservative activist, wrote on X that Trump “is already running Congress before he takes office!”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he had been in “constant contact” with Trump, who, he added was “certainly happy about this outcome.”
If Trump agreed, he didn’t say so himself.
After days of frequent social media messages, Trump again went silent on Friday. He did not offer a reaction to the final vote or issue any statements. Instead, he went golfing at his Florida resort.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump, said the president-elect helped prevent an original deal “full of Democrat pork and pay raises for members of Congress.”
“In January, President Trump and DOGE will continue this important mission to cut the waste out of Washington, one bill at a time,” she said. DOGE is a reference to the Department of Government Efficiency, an advisory panel that will be led by Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
More clashes to come
The circus-like atmosphere of the funding fight was reminiscent of Trump’s first term. Back then, one budget standoff led to a government shutdown when Trump demanded money for his U.S.-Mexico border wall. After 35 days — the longest shutdown in history — he agreed to a deal without the money he wanted.
It was a political low point for Trump, and 60% of Americans blamed him for the shutdown, according to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll at the time.
Trump didn’t stop trying to bend Republicans to his will then. He’s certainly not going to do so now.
He is cranking up the pressure on his own party over his Cabinet picks, pushing reluctant Republican senators to get on board with some of his most controversial choices, such as anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary and then-Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary.
The spending debates next year seem certain to further test Trump’s influence in the House. Many conservatives view the rapid growth of the federal debt as an existential threat to the country that must be addressed. But some Republicans fear a voter backlash if steep cuts are made to federal programs upon which Americans rely.
Concerns about deficit spending could intensify if Trump pushes expensive tax cuts that he promised during the campaign, such as eliminating taxes on tips, Social Security and overtime pay.
He also wants to extend the tax cuts he signed into law in 2017 that are set to expire next year. He has called for further lowering the U.S. corporate tax rate
from 21% to 15%, but only for companies that produce in the United States.
Trump has said he will pay for the dips in revenue with aggressive new tariffs that economists warn will lead to higher prices for consumers.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said reducing spending would likely continue to be a gulf between Trump and House Republicans.
“That’s never been really a campaign promise of Trump, but it’s a big priority for House Republicans,” he said.
There was no sense that the animosity was dying down on Saturday. Some Republicans faulted the House leadership for not securing Trump’s “blessing” on the original deal. Democrats cast Trump as second fiddle to Musk.
While Trump stayed quiet, Biden announced that he signed the budget legislation.
“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted,” he said. “But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity.”
Boak reported from West Palm Beach, Florida, and Colvin from New York.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mark Burnett, the power producer who helped reintroduce Donald Trump to a national television audience with “The Apprentice,” is being tapped by the president-elect as special envoy to the United Kingdom in his upcoming administration.
“With a distinguished career in television production and business, Mark brings a unique blend of diplomatic acumen and international recognition to this important role,” Trump announced Saturday.
Burnett, who was born in London, helped produce hits like “Survivor” and “The Voice,” but is perhaps best known for teaming up with Trump for “The Apprentice,” which first aired on NBC in 2004.
Trump had been well-known in real estate and pop culture circles for decades. But the show helped again make him a household name — though Trump severed ties with NBC in 2015, the same year he launched his first White House run.
The selection of Burnett continues Trump’s trend of filling out his incoming administration with people who have high-profile backgrounds in television or politics, or both — including his choice to be defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, a former co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” and ex-television doctor and unsuccessful Senate candidate in Pennsylvania, Mehmet Oz.
Trump’s first campaign in 2016 was rocked by allegations about his conduct on “The Apprentice” and other appearances during his association with NBC, notably in footage in which he said he could sexually assault women and get away with it because he was a “star.”
Almost a decade after he left his reality TV role, Trump’s television career remains central to his biography and political rise. The show presented Trump Tower to tens of millions of people as a symbol of power and success before Trump launched his first campaign from the building’s lobby.
“Mark is known for creating and producing some of the biggest shows in Television History,” Trump wrote in his statement on Burnett, listing many of his biggest hits before adding, “most notably, ‘The Apprentice’” and noting that Burnett “has won 13 Emmy Awards!”
Later Saturday, Trump announced in a separate statement that he was picking casino magnate Tilman Fertitta as his choice to be U.S. ambassador to Italy.
Burnett, meanwhile, will be a special envoy, posts usually filled by presidents for the world’s traditional hotspots, including the Middle East — where Trump has already said he’d like Steven Witkoff
to fill the role. The United Kingdom, which has long enjoyed a “special relationship” with the U.S. that makes it one of Washington’s strongest global allies, is not typically a candidate for such posts.
But Trump has announced a series of special envoy positions to several top loyalists ahead of Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, including his former ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell
who he chose as envoy for special missions. That announcement joined previous ones including Adam Boehler as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, and Keith Kellogg to serve as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia.
Trump previously announced on Dec. 2 that he was picking billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens
for the more standard role of U.S. ambassador to Britain. That might raise questions about how a special U.K. envoy could overlap duties, but the president-elect said in his statement that Burnett “will work to enhance diplomatic relations, focusing on areas of mutual interest, including trade, investment opportunities, and cultural exchanges.”
German authorities said they received tipoffs last year about the suspect in a car attack at a Christmas market in Magdeburg as more details emerged on Sunday about the five people killed.
Sen.-elect John Curtis (R-Utah) said in an interview on Sunday that he will disagree with President-elect Trump on spending from “time to time.”
“I want him to be wildly successful. I’m going to be wind at his back on things like inflation. I want him to bring peace around the world,” Curtis said on ABC News’s “This Week” to the outlet’s Jonathan Karl.
“I want to deal with the border situation, and, and, and I’m really there for him. I want to be helpful. And, ‘Mr. President, from time to time, I’m going to disagree with you. And it will be respectful. And I think when I disagree with you, it will be helpful. And I hope you’ll listen to me,’” he added.
Curtis will be replacing
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who voted to convict the president-elect in two impeachment trials during Trump’s first term.
“Mitt Romney, no matter what you say about him, everybody says he’s true to who he is. And that’s such a great attribute. I wish we could say that about all of — all of us. And if they say that about me when I’m done, I’ll be very happy,” Curtis said during his “This Week” interview.
On Wednesday, Romney gave a Senate farewell speech
in which he pushed elected officials to focus on unity as a priority while facing heated partisanship.
“I will leave this chamber with a sense of achievement. But in truth, I will also leave with the recognition that I did not achieve everything I had hoped,” Romney said.
“Among other things, the scourge of partisan politics has frustrated repeated efforts to stabilize our national debt. Without the burden of the interest on that debt, we would be able to spend three times as much as we do on military procurement,” he continued.
