Trump makes key appointments ahead of White House return

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced his selections for several key cabinet roles on Wednesday.   CGTN’s John Terrett reports.

Transcript

00:00win for the MAGA Republicans and what the Americans call a clean sweep

00:04because President Trump and the Republican Party have won the

00:06presidency in the White House the House of Representatives where of course they

00:10raise the taxes and make the laws and the Senate which is essentially a very

00:14very large debating chamber now this offers the Republicans a chance to pass

00:19major legislation certainly in the course of the next two years leading up

00:25to the next congressional elections it also limits the possibility of probes

00:29into President Trump's businesses and behavior because a lot of those that got

00:32going in the last four years under Biden were at times when the Democrats

00:37were in the majority in certain committees on Capitol Hill within the

00:40past 24 hours two or three key things have happened the Senate has chosen a

00:44new majority leader to replace Mitch McConnell he's John Thune 63 years old

00:49a senator from the north and Midwestern state of South Dakota Marco Rubio Cuban

00:55born American actually he's American born but he's Cuban ancestry Florida

00:59congressman Florida senator confirmed within the past 24 hours as the nominee

01:04for Secretary of State it's relevant for us because he's a China hawk he said

01:08some very cruel things about China it is a warning for Beijing going forward

01:12quite possibly and the big story in the last 24 hours the controversial

01:16appointment or nomination to the job of Attorney General of Matt Gaetz a Florida

01:22congressman now this is raising some eyebrows in the Republican Party as well

01:26as the Democratic Party I want to make it very clear Jamie it is perfectly

01:30possible that Donald Trump wants Matt Gaetz to be the Attorney General Matt

01:33Gaetz very loyal to Donald Trump in the last four years it is perfectly possible

01:37but there is some scuttlebutt out there and the scuttlebutt suggests that this

01:41was a ploy because Matt Gaetz has been accused for a long time of sexual and

01:45drug use now the Department of Justice has never charged it they looked into it

01:51they never charged him but tomorrow Friday the House of Representatives was

01:55due to publish a report into his alleged behavior and it is said that this

02:00nomination as Attorney General gave Matt Gaetz the chance to resign from the

02:05Senate which he did yesterday giving him a reason to do so because in doing so by

02:11leaving this particular Congress the report is squashed it can't be published

02:16at least in theory so that's the scuttlebutt out here if he does go all

02:19the way through to confirmation it will be a very tough confirmation and finally

02:22now all eyes on the Treasury Secretary an absolutely key post in the new

02:26administration the favorite at the moment appears to be Howard Lutnick he

02:30is the CEO and chairman of Cantor Fitzgerald you know Cantor Fitzgerald

02:34because they lost 653 members of staff here where I am now in lower Manhattan

02:38on 9-11 in 2001