Elon Musk Takes Place of One Important Person in Trump Family Photo

On Wednesday afternoon, Donald Trump’s granddaughter Kai Trump posted a photo of the entire family clan at their estate in Mar-a-Lago, including all of the president-elect’s children, their spouses, and several grandchildren. But the photo was missing his wife, Melania, and, for some reason, included billionaire Elon Musk.

The photo was clearly meant to be celebratory, coming after Trump’s election win was confirmed, so it’s conspicuous that the former and future first lady was absent. It’s telling that Musk, who juiced the Trump campaign with millions of dollars in the past few months, is, quite literally, in the picture.

The billionaire tech CEO spent election night with Trump, showing that he is now a part of the president-elect’s inner circle. He’s already been promised a major role in the Trump administration to improve government efficiency, claiming that he can cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. Such cuts would almost certainly have negative consequences in the lives of many Americans, especially since Social Security would likely be targeted.

Musk, the world’s richest man, stands to be even richer during Trump’s presidency, with less scrutiny from government regulators and favorable treatment from his new best friend. The stock in his electric car company, Tesla, has skyrocketed in the past day. The billionaire has promised to continue his political efforts through his America PAC, meaning that Trump and his MAGA friends will have Musk’s dollars at their disposal for some time to come.

The photo perhaps is a look at who will be the public faces of the next first family. Trump’s wife, while not invisible during his first term, spent a lot of time in Trump Tower in New York and wasn’t very active during his 2024 campaign. Maybe Musk is now an honorary part of the Trump family thanks to his money and support, and maybe Melania Trump is going to focus on herself this time around. She already published a new book in the past year and disclosed a hidden support for abortion rights. Perhaps she doesn’t want the same kind of attention that she got in Trump’s first term.

Kamala Harris delivered a speech to supporters Wednesday conceding the election to Donald Trump, the last coherent speech Americans may hear from a major politician for the foreseeable future.

In her afternoon address at Howard University, her alma mater, Harris promised to assist Trump and his team with their transition, and to “engage in a peaceful transfer of power.”

“A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny,” Harris said. “And anyone who seeks the public trust should honor it.”

Trump notably has not honored that important principle, as he falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him and has yet to admit he lost the race. Tuesday night, the president-elect gave a particularly dark, unwieldy victory speech, and thanks to 72 million Americans, we will likely hear similar speeches for the next four years.

“We owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States. And loyalty to our conscience, and to our God,” Harris said.

“While I concede the election,” she continued, “I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”

She urged her supporters to continue fighting for women’s bodily autonomy and against Republicans who would see it handed back to the states and legislated into oblivion. She also called on supporters to continue the fight against gun violence, in schools and on the streets.

“Sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn’t mean we won’t win,” she said. “Don’t ever give up.”

Watch her full speech here.

Donald Trump and his authoritarian vision for the country swept to power on Tuesday. While several demographics played into the Republican takeover, a survey of 120,000 voters conducted by the Associated Press found that young men played a critical role in his win, voting decisively for the MAGA leader.

Men between the ages of 18 and 29 turned away from Democrats in droves, shattering illusions that Gen Z—a cohort that statistically reads fewer books, comprehends less information, and predominantly gets their news from social media—skews more progressive than previous generations. The key demographic of young men has shifted nearly 30 points to the right since 2020, when they voted for President Joe Biden by a margin of 15 percent, according to the AP.

Millennial men also continued the growing trend of deference toward Trump at the ballot box. In 2020, men between the ages of 24 and 39 voted for President Joe Biden by a margin of 20 percentage points, according to data from the Pew Research Center. Even that result was a radical shift from the demographic’s politics four years earlier, an increase of eight percentage points in Trump’s favor from 2016.

Young women also veered in favor of the “grab ‘em by the pussy” rapist, though less so than men. The Associated Press data found that women ages 18–29 shifted to the right by 14 percentage points on Tuesday, voting for Harris by a margin of 18 percent (down from 32 percent for Biden in 2020).

The most ardent Trump supporters among women remained white women, with a majority of the voting bloc—52 percent—casting their ballots for the convicted adulterer, Jeffrey Epstein confidante, and proud abortion rights destroyer.

Steve Bannon told us he was feeling “empowered” after his release from prison last week. It’s quite obvious he means it.

Hours after Donald Trump’s victory, the former Trump campaign official and self-described “political prisoner” went on an angry rant, during which he revealed what very well may be the first targets in Trump’s second term.

“You stole the 2020 election.… This entire phony thing is getting swept out,” Bannon said. “Biden’s getting swept out. Kamala Harris is getting swept out. MSNBC is getting swept out. The Justice Department is getting swept out. The FBI is getting swept out. You people suck, OK?! And now you’re going to pay the price for trying to destroy this country.”

Bannon went on to say that Democrats and their institutions “don’t deserve any respect, you don’t deserve any empathy, and you don’t deserve any pity.… You deserve what we call rough Roman justice, and we’re prepared to give it to you.”

These chilling threats come from a man who was just released from a Connecticut federal correctional institution Tuesday after serving four months for contempt of Congress. In 2021, Bannon refused to comply with the House January 6 committee’s probe into the insurrection, failing to produce requested documents and to comply with a subpoena. He was convicted in 2022.

Bannon still faces criminal charges in New York state court, where he allegedly scammed donors who pledged money toward constructing the U.S.-Mexico border wall. The trial is set for December. The 70-year-old has pleaded not guilty.

Donald Trump might not even have to fire special counsel Jack Smith on day one—the Justice Department might do that for him.

With Trump winning the election Tuesday, Department of Justice officials now say they may give up on trying to litigate Smith’s cases against the president-elect in weeks to come, two people familiar with the situation told NBC News.

CNN’s chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid also reported Wednesday that department officials and Smith himself are “looking for ways to wind this down,” meaning that both the classified documents case and the election interference case could be dead in the water.

This comes after Trump and his allies continue to threaten Smith.

“To Jack Smith and your team: It is time to look forward to a new chapter in your legal careers as these politically motivated charges against President Trump hit a wall,” wrote Republican Senator Lindsey Graham in a post on X early Wednesday.

Trump has previously not only vowed to fire Smith “within two seconds” but also threatened to deport him.

“Jack Smith should be considered mentally deranged, and he should be thrown out of the country,” Trump said in late October.

Once Trump assumes office, it won’t just be Smith’s role on the chopping block. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon threatened Tuesday to make the Justice Department “pay the price for trying to destroy this country.” Trump will also have the opportunity to remake the entire department in his image.

As explained in Project 2025, a Justice Department under Trump may take on such issues as “enforc[ing] existing federal law that prohibits mailing abortifacients,” stopping people from traveling to receive abortions, scrapping Title IX protections, “aggressively deploy[ing] the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)” charges against Trump’s perceived political enemies, and “enforc[ing] the death penalty.”

To do so, Trump would appoint an attorney general to replace Merrick Garland, who would fall in line behind the strongman. Judge Aileen Cannon’s name has been thrown into the mix as just that person.

“I think he’s looking for somebody who’s totally obsequious,” said Ty Cobb, a former Trump administration lawyer. “In the Justice Department, he really wants somebody there who will do his bidding.”

Michigan voters have spurned the MAGA movement, electing Democratic Representative Elissa Slotkin to the Senate and delivering a resounding no to Republican Mike Rogers.

The Associated Press called the race for Slotkin on Wednesday, with the Democratic candidate winning by the slimmest margin of just 0.3 percent. 

With Wisconsin Senator Tammy Baldwin’s win earlier in the day, that’s another state where Kamala Harris has lost but the Democratic candidate has prevailed.

This is another major blow to Senate Republicans in a state where they have always struggled to gain any real ground for more than 20 years. They now have 52 seats and an eight-point lead in the Senate, with four elections remaining to be called.

In a race that was a virtual tie for days, many saw vulnerabilities for Slotkin in her staunch support for AIPAC and her unpopular House vote to allow states to set limits on gas-powered transportation. But these vulnerabilities were overblown, as Slotkin was able to reaffirm Senate Democratic control of the crucial swing state.

Her Republican opponent was ultimately more hampered by his record. Rogers is one of many Republicans who was once deeply critical of Trump, but today has dutifully fallen in line. The day after January 6, 2021, Rogers stated plainly that Trump’s “chaotic leadership style” and his actions “clearly” sparked the insurrection. In 2024, Rogers had nothing but praise for the former president, noting that his scathing past remarks are just “differences” that he could work past.

This switch-up proved damning for Rogers, as voters soured on him after multiple shameless attempts to cozy up to Trump. The worst of them came when Rogers defended the former president after he said that “the whole country would end up like Detroit” if Harris won the presidency.

Instead of rebuking Trump, Rogers backed him up, saying that, “If you live on the streets of Detroit, you know crime is not better.” Slotkin seized on this moment of betrayal, stating, “Do you see how scared he is of Donald Trump to even split with him on defending the biggest city in your state? It’s sad.” 

Slotkin’s victory allows Democrats to breathe a sigh of relief in Michigan.

Donald Trump’s MAGA fan base has been celebrating since his reelection was confirmed Wednesday, with the trolls out in full force.

Several posters on right-wing social media platforms are jubilant, Wired reports, with many speaking openly of taking revenge against liberals and other enemies of Trump.  One such post read, “There has to be as many traitors executed as he has days in office. Build the gallows, restore the REPUBLIC.”

Other posts include references to using military tribunals and executions, as well as armed raids, with one post saying, “New DOJ must utilize armed raids on Democrat Deep State Homes! Drag their asses out into the street, just like they did to our people!!” Another viral meme had the caption, “RELEASE THE PROJECT 2025 HANDMAIDS TALE RAPE SQUADS.”

“Groyper” founder and influencer Nick Fuentes, a proud white nationalist who infamously had dinner with Trump in 2022, openly mocked women and supporters of reproductive rights on Tuesday night.

Other racists and white nationalists also openly expressed their glee. Christopher Pohlhaus, the leader of neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe, who infamously helped fuel false stories about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, posted, “Thanks Trump.” 

“Cheaper gas will make it easier to spread White Power across the whole country,” he added. 

It seems that far from losing his racist base from years past, as some reports had indicated, Trump actually still has them in his corner. Perhaps it was his Nazi-esque rally in Madison Square Garden days before the election that brought them back. Right-wing influencer and Turning Point USA “ambassador” Evan Kilgore made a trolling post on X early Wednesday morning that seems to sum it all up. 

Project 2025 has begun. And Donald Trump’s allies are now openly celebrating it.

“Now that the election is over I think we can finally say that yeah actually Project 2025 is the agenda,” wrote conservative commentator Matt Walsh on Wednesday morning, adding “Lol” for good measure.

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who was recently released from prison, responded on his live War Room podcast with one word: “Fabulous.”

Later during the livestream, Bannon could be seen holding a hard copy of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 “Mandate For Leadership” up to the camera in celebration. On election night, Bannon had vowed to eliminate Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, MSNBC, and the Justice Department in an unhinged rant.

“Now, you’re going to pay the price,” he said Tuesday night.

During the campaign, Trump tried to distance himself from Project 2025, even claiming that he “NEVER READ IT, NEVER SAW IT,” despite his many ties to the sprawling list of co-authors.

Meanwhile, the key author of Project 2025 celebrated Trump’s victory in a statement Tuesday night.

“President Trump has achieved a historic and hard-fought victory: overcoming four sham indictments, surviving two assassination attempts, and overcoming an unprecedented mid-race candidate swap to become the first president since Grover Cleveland to win two nonconsecutive terms,” wrote Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts.

Tammy Baldwin has emerged victorious from the most hard-fought campaign of her political career.

The Democratic incumbent defeated Republican challenger and former businessman Eric Hovde to retake her Senate seat. The Associated Press called the race for Baldwin early Wednesday morning, with the Democrat eking out a win by a margin of just 0.7 percent, and 99 percent of votes reported.

This is a sorely needed win for Democrats. Republicans hold a 10-seat majority in the chamber, with six races remaining to be called. Donald Trump has already won the presidency, so every seat Democrats win in Congress matters.

Baldwin and Hovde clashed over a number of voting issues, including immigration, the Middle East, Ukraine, and particularly abortion. Hovde falsely accused Baldwin of being pro-choice “up to the point of delivery, where a healthy baby can be born alive and be terminated.” He also constantly drew attention to the fact that Baldwin is gay, referring to “Tammy Baldwin and her girlfriend” multiple times. One ad Hovde’s campaign ran stated that “while [Tammy Baldwin] sleeps in her girlfriend’s million-dollar condo in New York City, Wisconsin families are getting hammered by high inflation and handouts for illegal immigrants. Tammy and her girlfriend are living large while Wisconsin families foot the bill.”

This line of attack certainly hurt Hovde more than it helped. He was also hampered by very fair accusations of carpetbagging from Baldwin, as the Republican ran in Wisconsin but owns a bank in Utah and a lavish mansion in Orange County, California.

The victory allows Wisconsin Democrats to exhale, and turn their attention to the months ahead.

Individuals charged for rioting through the halls of the Capitol Building on January 6 are turning to Donald Trump’s reelection as fair rationale to throw their cases out the window.

January 6 defendant Christopher Carnell tried—and failed—Wednesday to push back status hearings scheduled for later this week that relate to his case, arguing that Trump’s win would “significantly impact” the details of his case. He cited the MAGA leader’s repeated promises to pardon his supporters who disrupted the certification of the 2020 presidential election results.

“Carnell, who was an 18 year old nonviolent entrant into the Capitol on January 6, is expecting to be relieved of the criminal prosecution that he is currently facing when the new administration takes office,” the motion reads, adding that Carnell is “awaiting further information from the Office of the President-elect regarding the timing and expected scope of clemency actions relevant to his case.”

The motion was struck down within minutes of its filing by D.C. District Judge Beryl Howell, but Carnell could prove to be just the tip of the iceberg for January 6 defendants trying to sneak their way out of facing consequences for raiding the nation’s legislature. Independent journalists have already observed that a “pardon-palooza” could offer Trump a loyal, homegrown paramilitary ready to do his bidding. It could also potentially win Republicans more seats (or at the very least, favor) in the House of Representatives, as incumbent Texas Democrat Henry Cuellar’s criminal trial looms on the horizon.

Even Trump himself is looking to undo his chains via the power of the Oval Office. The legally embattled Republican’s ascension back to the highest levels of government will grant him the power to effectively erase his federal criminal charges by firing special counsel Jack Smith, who is currently prosecuting Trump’s January 6 case and his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. (Trump ally Mike Davis has already threatened Smith to “lawyer up.”)

Trump will also likely toss his election interference case in Georgia, or at the very least delay it until he exits office in 2029. And being convicted on 34 counts related to his hush-money trial might not touch Trump, either. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 26, but it’s unclear how the incoming forty-seventh president will be forced into a state courtroom in the middle of a presidential transition, noted Politico.