President-elect Donald Trump touted his nominations of Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and others in a speech at Mar-a-Lago Thursday night.

“People like you, Bobby,” Trump said of his recent pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Don’t get too popular,” he quipped.

“I think you're going to do some unbelievable things,” he told Kennedy, who was in attendance at the Palm Beach, Fla., gala. “Nobody's going to be able to do it like you.”

Trump also praised his director of national intelligence nominee, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard.

“I've always admired her, and I've admired her because she was loaded up with common sense. And it's all about common sense,” the president-elect said.

Trump, 78, also recognized Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom he tasked earlier this week to lead the “Department of Government Efficiency” – a program to reduce waste and fraud in the federal government.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will nominate Doug Burgum to be secretary of the Department of the Interior. 

“He's going to head the Department of Interior and he's going to be fantastic,” Trump said of the North Dakota governor.

Trump, 78, indicated that he will make a “formal announcement” regarding Burgum on Friday.

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) indicated Thursday that he’s open to putting the upper chamber in recess to allow President-elect Donald Trump to fill some of his more controversial administration picks. 

“Well, it’s an option,” Thune said of recess appointments, during an interview with Fox News “Special Report” host Bret Baier. 

The South Dakota Republican explained, however, that some of his colleagues could refuse to vote in favor of recessing.

“You have to have all Republicans vote to recess as well,” Thune said. “So, the same Republicans that you mentioned, they might have a problem voting for somebody under regular order probably also have a problem voting to put the Senate into recess. You have to have concurrence from the House. There’s a process.”

If the Senate is in recess, the president has the constitutional authority to make temporary appointments -- bypassing Senate confirmation hearings -- that would last until the next Senate recess.

The procedure is seldom used.

Thune, who was elected Senate majority leader on Wednesday, was also asked about the House Ethics Committee investigation of Matt Gaetz – and whether he believes the panel’s report on allegations that Trump’s attorney general pick engaged in sexual misconduct will factor into his Senate confirmation hearings. 

“My guess is, at some point, it gets out there,” Thune said of the ethics committee report. “And I’m not sure exactly what that process is at the moment.”

“None of this is gonna be easy,” the senator responded when asked about the potential for “fireworks” in getting Trump’s appointments approved. 

“But again, President Trump had a huge mandate from the American people, not only the popular vote, the electoral vote. They were historic. And the people in this country want change. He wants to bring that about. And I always believe that you defer to a president when it comes to the people they want in their cabinet,” Thune added. 

Former congressman Doug Collins said he intends to “streamline and cut regulations” at the Department of Veterans Affairs after being tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the federal agency. 

“Honored to accept [Trump’s] nomination as Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Our heroes deserve the best care and support,” Collins wrote on X. 

“We'll fight tirelessly to streamline and cut regulations in the VA, root out corruption, and ensure every veteran receives the benefits they've earned,” he added. “Together, we'll make the VA work for those who fought for us.” 

“Time to deliver for our veterans and give them the world class care they deserve.” 

A Navy veteran and Air Force Reserve chaplain, Collins, 58, represented rural northern Georgia for eight years before retiring from Congress following an unsuccessful 2020 campaign for the US Senate.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pledged to rid federal agencies of “corporate capture” in his first public comments since being nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.  

“Thank you [Trump] for your leadership and courage. I'm committed to advancing your vision to Make America Healthy Again,” the former Democratic and independent presidential candidate wrote on X.

“We have a generational opportunity to bring together the greatest minds in science, medicine, industry, and government to put an end to the chronic disease epidemic,” Kennedy continued.

“I look forward to working with the more than 80,000 employees at HHS to free the agencies from the smothering cloud of corporate capture so they can pursue their mission to make Americans once again the healthiest people on Earth,” he added.

Kennedy, an environmental lawyer who has come under scrutiny over his vaccine skepticism, pledged to “clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science” as head of the HHS. 

“I will provide Americans with transparency and access to all the data so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families,” he said. “My commitment to the American people is to be an honest public servant. Let’s go!” 

President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday selected John Sauer –  the lawyer who successfully argued before the Supreme Court that the 45th president enjoys absolute immunity from prosecution for “official acts” — to serve as solicitor general. 

“John is a deeply accomplished, masterful appellate attorney, who clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia in the United States Supreme Court, served as Solicitor General of Missouri for six years, and has extensive experience practicing before the U.S. Supreme Court and other Appellate Courts,” Trump said in a statement. 

“Most recently, John was the lead counsel representing me in the Supreme court in Trump v. United States, winning a Historic Victory on Presidential Immunity, which was key to defeating the unConstitutional campaign of Lawfare against me and the entire MAGA movement,” he added. 

Solicitor generals supervise and conduct government litigation in the US Supreme Court.

President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that Todd Blanche will serve as the Justice Department’s deputy attorney general in his incoming administration.

“Todd is an excellent attorney who will be a crucial leader in the Justice Department, fixing what has been a broken System of Justice for far too long,” Trump said in a statement. 

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor in the southern district of New York, was Trump’s lawyer during his Manhattan “hush money” trial, in which the 45th president was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. 

Trump, 78, also announced that Emil Bove – another one of his attorneys – will serve as principal associate deputy attorney general at the DOJ, and as acting deputy attorney general while Blanche goes through the Senate confirmation process. 

“Emil is a tough and strong attorney, who will be a crucial part of the Justice Department, rooting out corruption and crime,” the president-elect said.

President-elect Donald Trump revealed plans Thursday to replace the prosecutor targeting Mayor Adams, announcing he will tap his former Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton as the attorney for the Southern District of New York.

That post is currently held by Damian Williams, who has gone after Adams and a number of other high-profile targets such as former Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ).

"Jay is a highly respected business leader, counsel, and public servant," Trump posted on Truth Social. "Jay is going to be a strong Fighter for the Truth as we, Make America Great Again."

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) cheered the announcement that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would get nominated to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services chief, bucking the chorus of Democrats grumbling over the decision.

Polis vowed to help partner with the Kennedy scion to "make America healthy again" and warned that he would face "strong special interest opposition."

"I’m excited by the news that the President-Elect will appoint @RobertKennedyJr to @HHSGov. He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA," Polis wrote on X.

"I hope he leans into personal choice on vaccines rather than bans (which I think are terrible, just like mandates) but what I’m most optimistic about is taking on big pharma and the corporate ag oligopoly to improve our health."

Both Kennedy and Polis, a somewhat libertarian-style Democrat, had been fiercely critical of COVID-19 suppression policies.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) tore into Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) over her going back and forth on whether President Biden should have suspended his 2024 bid sooner.

"People like Pelosi, she really tried to — what’s the word I’m looking for? — she embraced this 'she’s the godmother, she’s the enforcer.' And now she’s blaming Biden. Well, you can’t have it both ways," Fetterman said in an interview with Politico.

"I think it’s really ironic that you have a woman at age 84 and she is still hanging on. Why not give a younger generation an opportunity to occupy that seat?" he added.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Jamie Dimon reacted to Donald Trump's Thursday announcement that the JPMorgan Chase CEO "will not be invited" to take a role in the president-elect's new administration, by clarifying that he was not seeking one.

"First of all, I wish the president well, and thank you, it’s a very nice note. But I just want to tell the president also, I haven’t had a boss in 25 years and I’m not about ready to start," the banking titan told Bloomberg.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) brushed aside reporters' avalanche of questions Thursday about firebrand former Rep. Matt Gaetz getting picked for US attorney general — by literally pointing to a picture of transgender Biden administration officials.

"Did you ask Democratic senators about this?” Johnson was quoted asking reporters, waiving around a photo of Rachel Levine, an assistant health and human services secretary, standing next to Sam Brinton, the former deputy assistant secretary for the office of nuclear energy.

Brinton was fired in 2022 after being charged with stealing people's luggage from airports.