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| Only a Week In, the Trump Transition Is Showing Strains | Only a Week In, the Trump Transition Is Showing Strains |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The jockeying for power in the incoming administration of President-elect Donald J. Trump and on Capitol Hill is exposing frayed nerves and lingering anger — but also the seeds of new leadership in both parties. | |
| Eliot A. Cohen, who wrote one of the “Never Trump” pieces this year that called Mr. Trump’s view of the American power and influence in the world “wildly inconsistent and unmoored in principle,” said in an interview on Tuesday that a Trump transition aide asked him for recommendations for the national security team. | |
| But when Mr. Cohen suggested the caveat that many foreign policy hands would only enlist if there were credible people leading national security agencies and departments, he said he received a vituperative email in response. | |
| The tone of the email surprised him, he said, expressing a level of vengefulness at odds with an administration that is trying to fill important national security positions with qualified people. | |
| “They think of these jobs as lollipops,” Mr. Cohen said. “I think we’re on the verge of a crisis here.” | |
| With John Bolton, the former United Nations ambassador, emerging as a finalist for a senior national security post, even secretary of state, Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, said on Tuesday that he would do “whatever I can” to block him. | With John Bolton, the former United Nations ambassador, emerging as a finalist for a senior national security post, even secretary of state, Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, said on Tuesday that he would do “whatever I can” to block him. |
| Such opposition is improving the stock of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, to lead the State Department. | Such opposition is improving the stock of Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, to lead the State Department. |
| The floating of Mr. Bolton as one of Mr. Trump’s contenders for secretary of state has baffled members of both parties, because his hawkish foreign policy worldview is so at odds with Mr. Trump’s campaign pitch for less military engagement in the world. | The floating of Mr. Bolton as one of Mr. Trump’s contenders for secretary of state has baffled members of both parties, because his hawkish foreign policy worldview is so at odds with Mr. Trump’s campaign pitch for less military engagement in the world. |
| That is one area in which Mr. Paul, one of Mr. Trump’s rivals in the race for the Republican nomination, said he agreed with the president-elect. | That is one area in which Mr. Paul, one of Mr. Trump’s rivals in the race for the Republican nomination, said he agreed with the president-elect. |
| “I can’t imagine supporting anyone who hasn’t learned the lesson of the last 20 years,” Mr. Paul said of Mr. Bolton, who was ambassador to the United Nations for George W. Bush during the escalation of the war in Iraq. Mr. Paul called Mr. Bolton “unrepentant.” | “I can’t imagine supporting anyone who hasn’t learned the lesson of the last 20 years,” Mr. Paul said of Mr. Bolton, who was ambassador to the United Nations for George W. Bush during the escalation of the war in Iraq. Mr. Paul called Mr. Bolton “unrepentant.” |
| “People like that really shouldn’t get within 10 miles of the State Department.” Mr. Paul added. | “People like that really shouldn’t get within 10 miles of the State Department.” Mr. Paul added. |
| Matthew Freedman, the chief executive at Global Impact, a consulting firm, was removed from his post overseeing the National Security Council transition after questions emerged about his lobbying ties. | |
| According to a former federal government official, Mr. Freedman had been using his Global Impact email to conduct official transition business. The official said transition members were advised to only use their ptt.gov email. The use of a business email is counter to transition policy, the official said. | |
| Mr. Freedman has worked as a security consultant for decades, after getting a brief career with the federal government in jobs at White House National Security Council and the U.S. Agency for International Development. He started as a foreign government lobbyist in the 1980s, when he joined a company then led by Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s former campaign chairman, taking up prominent international clients, such as the government officials from Nigeria, Argentina and the dictator Ferdinand Marcos from the Philippines. | |
| Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Rick Dearborn, a Trump campaign staff member who is close to Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are going over the transition staffing list to make a “very concerted effort to clear house of any lobbyists,” said one transition official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. This means others beyond Mr. Freedman will likely be purged as well. | |
| Ben Carson spent months trying to persuade voters to elect him president but, according to his spokesman, he does not think he is qualified to run a federal agency in the Trump administration. | |
| According to Armstrong Williams, who is also Mr. Carson’s business manager, Mr. Trump offered the retired neurosurgeon a “buffet” of job options as a reward for being a loyal ally after dropping out of the race for the Republican nomination. | |
| “The president-elect said, ‘Ben, tell me whatever you want to run, it will be yours,’” Mr. Williams recounted. | |
| But Mr. Carson has no experience running large enterprises, Mr. Williams said, and did not think it would be a wise move to start in the new administration. Mr. Carson had been discussed as a candidate to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education or to be surgeon general. | |
| “He’d be like a fish out of water,” Mr. Carson said. | |
| Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager who was often credited with steadying his roiling political machinery, may not go to the White House, according to two people briefed on the discussions. | Kellyanne Conway, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager who was often credited with steadying his roiling political machinery, may not go to the White House, according to two people briefed on the discussions. |
| Ms. Conway, Mr. Trump’s final campaign manager, sanded down the candidate’s rougher edges in her television appearances, but she has four young children and is weighing what a move into the West Wing would do to them. | Ms. Conway, Mr. Trump’s final campaign manager, sanded down the candidate’s rougher edges in her television appearances, but she has four young children and is weighing what a move into the West Wing would do to them. |
| Instead, she may remain on the outside, as a voice for the new administration on television or with a new “super PAC” set up to support the president-elect’s activities. | Instead, she may remain on the outside, as a voice for the new administration on television or with a new “super PAC” set up to support the president-elect’s activities. |
| Former Representative Mike Rogers stepped down on Tuesday as national security senior adviser to the Trump transition team. There is no word yet whether that means he is preparing to enter the Trump administration or returning to the world of radio and punditry. From his statement: | Former Representative Mike Rogers stepped down on Tuesday as national security senior adviser to the Trump transition team. There is no word yet whether that means he is preparing to enter the Trump administration or returning to the world of radio and punditry. From his statement: |
| Amid rising calls for change in Democratic leadership, House Democrats decided in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday to postpone their leadership elections until Nov. 30. | Amid rising calls for change in Democratic leadership, House Democrats decided in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday to postpone their leadership elections until Nov. 30. |
| After last week’s bruising loss, there have been rumblings among some Democrats that perhaps a new leader should replace Representative Nancy Pelosi of California in the role she has held since 2003. Some members have urged Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio to run, and he is considering it, his office said Monday. | After last week’s bruising loss, there have been rumblings among some Democrats that perhaps a new leader should replace Representative Nancy Pelosi of California in the role she has held since 2003. Some members have urged Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio to run, and he is considering it, his office said Monday. |
| Mr. Ryan, a former football player from the Youngstown area, is in stark contrast with Ms. Pelosi, an affluent scion of a Baltimore political family long ensconced in San Francisco, one of the most liberal bastions in the country. | Mr. Ryan, a former football player from the Youngstown area, is in stark contrast with Ms. Pelosi, an affluent scion of a Baltimore political family long ensconced in San Francisco, one of the most liberal bastions in the country. |
| House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who is widely expected to be renominated by his colleagues later Tuesday for his position, gushed at the Capitol, “Welcome to the dawn of a new united Republican government,” noting that his team is working carefully with Mike Pence, the vice president-elect, on common agenda. | House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, who is widely expected to be renominated by his colleagues later Tuesday for his position, gushed at the Capitol, “Welcome to the dawn of a new united Republican government,” noting that his team is working carefully with Mike Pence, the vice president-elect, on common agenda. |
| Mr. Ryan added that he saw no problem with Mr. Trump’s children serving in the administration, saying the president-elect was “so successful because he’s surrounded himself with good people.” | Mr. Ryan added that he saw no problem with Mr. Trump’s children serving in the administration, saying the president-elect was “so successful because he’s surrounded himself with good people.” |
| Long gone are all those qualms about endorsing Candidate Trump or campaigning for him. | Long gone are all those qualms about endorsing Candidate Trump or campaigning for him. |
| Steven Mnuchin, Mr. Trump’s national campaign finance chairman and a leading contender for secretary of the Treasury, seems to have big plans. | Steven Mnuchin, Mr. Trump’s national campaign finance chairman and a leading contender for secretary of the Treasury, seems to have big plans. |
| Spotted entering Trump Tower on Tuesday, he told reporters, “We’re working on the economic plan with the transition, making sure we get the biggest tax bill passed, the biggest tax changes since Reagan, so a lot of exciting things in the first 100 days of the Trump presidency.” | Spotted entering Trump Tower on Tuesday, he told reporters, “We’re working on the economic plan with the transition, making sure we get the biggest tax bill passed, the biggest tax changes since Reagan, so a lot of exciting things in the first 100 days of the Trump presidency.” |
| Mr. Trump has called for deep tax cuts for people at all income levels, consolidation of tax brackets, higher standard tax deductions, the elimination of the death tax and lower corporate tax rates. He has also called for ending “special interest loopholes” and he has said he wants to end the “carried interest” provision that benefits private equity groups. | Mr. Trump has called for deep tax cuts for people at all income levels, consolidation of tax brackets, higher standard tax deductions, the elimination of the death tax and lower corporate tax rates. He has also called for ending “special interest loopholes” and he has said he wants to end the “carried interest” provision that benefits private equity groups. |
| The estimated cost to the treasury of those plans is more than $5 trillion over 10 years. To put that in perspective, George W. Bush’s tax cuts in 2001 — the largest in history — were a wee $1.35 trillion over a decade. | The estimated cost to the treasury of those plans is more than $5 trillion over 10 years. To put that in perspective, George W. Bush’s tax cuts in 2001 — the largest in history — were a wee $1.35 trillion over a decade. |
| Mr. Mnuchin is a former partner at Goldman Sachs and a co-founder of the hedge fund Dune Capital Management. | Mr. Mnuchin is a former partner at Goldman Sachs and a co-founder of the hedge fund Dune Capital Management. |
| Hillary Clinton will not be president, but her lead in the popular vote is nearing one million — a full percentage point above Mr. Trump’s 47 percent. Protesters in the streets of major cities have used that rising tally as a rallying cry. | Hillary Clinton will not be president, but her lead in the popular vote is nearing one million — a full percentage point above Mr. Trump’s 47 percent. Protesters in the streets of major cities have used that rising tally as a rallying cry. |
| And now the president-elect has responded, in his inimitable way, on Twitter. | And now the president-elect has responded, in his inimitable way, on Twitter. |
| And: | And: |
| Of course, critics are happy to point out that in 2012, Mr. Trump took to the same platform to declare the Electoral College a disaster for democracy. | Of course, critics are happy to point out that in 2012, Mr. Trump took to the same platform to declare the Electoral College a disaster for democracy. |
| Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations said Tuesday that he spoke last week with Mr. Trump about his vows to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, and that he planned to continue to press the issue of climate change with Mr. Trump. | Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations said Tuesday that he spoke last week with Mr. Trump about his vows to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement, and that he planned to continue to press the issue of climate change with Mr. Trump. |
| “As president of the U.S., he will understand and listen and evaluate his campaign remarks,” Mr. Ban said. “We have seen many campaign rhetorics, not only in the U.S. but all over the world. He may have to learn to understand the reality of the whole world’s progress, particularly on climate. I am sure he will make a good and wise decision. I will discuss this personally with him.’’. | “As president of the U.S., he will understand and listen and evaluate his campaign remarks,” Mr. Ban said. “We have seen many campaign rhetorics, not only in the U.S. but all over the world. He may have to learn to understand the reality of the whole world’s progress, particularly on climate. I am sure he will make a good and wise decision. I will discuss this personally with him.’’. |
| He added, “My sense is that as a very successful business person he understands that there are market forces already at work on this issue and we need to harness these forces for the good of the planet.” | He added, “My sense is that as a very successful business person he understands that there are market forces already at work on this issue and we need to harness these forces for the good of the planet.” |
| It may not be possible for Mr. Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, to follow through on his campaign pledges to fully withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris deal, which commits more than 190 countries to take action to cut planet-warming emissions. The United States will remain legally bound to the accord for at least four years. A Trump administration could refuse, however, to implement President Obama’s climate change policies. | It may not be possible for Mr. Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, to follow through on his campaign pledges to fully withdraw the United States from the 2015 Paris deal, which commits more than 190 countries to take action to cut planet-warming emissions. The United States will remain legally bound to the accord for at least four years. A Trump administration could refuse, however, to implement President Obama’s climate change policies. |
| Climate diplomats gathering in Marrakesh, Morocco, to hammer out the details of implementing the Paris accord have said that the governments of most countries, including China, intend to move forward despite the possible withdrawal of the United States. But they conceded that the absence of the United States would significantly weaken the accord. Mr. Ban, who will step down as secretary general at the end of the year, said he hoped to convey to Mr. Trump the moral, diplomatic and financial consequences of withdrawing the United States from the Paris deal. | Climate diplomats gathering in Marrakesh, Morocco, to hammer out the details of implementing the Paris accord have said that the governments of most countries, including China, intend to move forward despite the possible withdrawal of the United States. But they conceded that the absence of the United States would significantly weaken the accord. Mr. Ban, who will step down as secretary general at the end of the year, said he hoped to convey to Mr. Trump the moral, diplomatic and financial consequences of withdrawing the United States from the Paris deal. |
| “I hope that President-elect Mr. Trump will really hear and understand the seriousness and urgency of addressing climate change,” Mr. Ban said. | “I hope that President-elect Mr. Trump will really hear and understand the seriousness and urgency of addressing climate change,” Mr. Ban said. |