Russian lawmaker jailed for infiltrating conservative groups positive about Trump
A Russian lawmaker who was once jailed in the U.S. for infiltrating politically powerful American organizations to push Moscow’s agenda, told NBC News that she thinks Trump might “do what he promises” when it comes to ending the war in Ukraine.
Maria Butina said in an interview Tuesday that she thought his administration was more likely to focus on the conflict in the Middle East “because that’s the major for the United States.”
However, she said Trump had said he would immediately end the war “and stop financing Ukraine.”
“He has been saying many words for a long time, though I think actually he might this time do what he promises,” she said.
Butina, a former aide to a top Russian official, was arrested and charged with infiltrating politically powerful U.S. organizations to push Moscow’s agenda in July 2018. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the law governing foreign agents operating in the U.S. in the December of that year and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
After returning to Russia, she was elected to the country’s parliament, or Duma, in September 2021.
Butina said that she hoped the new administration would help to thaw relations between Washington and Moscow because “let’s be honest, the countries now are at the cold stage of the Cold War, I mean the U.S. and Russia.”
“It’s not nice,” she added. “It makes everybody worried here in Russia, everybody worried there in the United States. Nobody wants a big nuclear conflict.”
Harris concedes 2024 presidential election with emotional speech
Harris gave an emotional and hopeful concession speech yesterday at her alma mater, Howard University, that moved her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and some supporters to tears. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports for "TODAY."
Trump to spend today talking to world leaders, meeting with transition team
Yesterday was a quiet day at Mar-a-Lago mostly spent speaking to world leaders and thinking about the future, a senior Trump campaign official said.
"They were genuinely happy to talk to him and know that he was coming back and he won this big election, and he said things like he had learned lessons," the official said.
Today, he’ll be returning more calls from world leaders — there are a lot.
Also on the agenda today: his first meeting with the transition team, now fully turning his sights to that work.
The campaign official said there have been some growing pains on the transition team which are likely to continue as the work now kicks into high gear. Of transition team co-chairs Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnik — “it’s not a natural marriage," the official said.
He also seems very intent on making good personnel decisions. “He knows that was his Achilles' heel before," the official said.
Trump receives more greetings from across the globe
Trump continued to receive congratulations from across the globe as world leaders pledged to work with the president-elect — all while bracing for potential world-changing policies out of Washington.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz acknowledged that many elements of U.S.-Europe ties could be different under Trump, but emphasized that Germany will be committed to the transatlantic relationship and noted that the European Union had already taken on more responsibility for security and energy, which are common interests with the United States. He also noted that the U.S. and Europe benefit from their transatlantic partnership, adding in English, “We’re better off together."
Referring to Ukraine's defensive war against Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said Trump’s “peace through strength” approach is what “Russia and autocrats understand.” He added, “Congratulations to the American people, and thank you for your support.”
Russia's Foreign Affairs Ministry responded to Trump's win by claiming in a statement that Democrats had unleashed "a powerful propaganda campaign" against him and praised Trump for emphasizing "issues of economics and illegal migration that really concern voters, in opposition to the globalist course of the White House."
The statement continued: "We have no illusions about the elected US President, who is well known in Russia, and the new composition of Congress, where the Republicans, according to preliminary data, are gaining the upper hand. The ruling political elite in the United States, regardless of party affiliation, adheres to anti-Russian attitudes and a line to 'contain Moscow.'"
Russia has been identified by U.S. national security officials as running what are among most sophisticated election disinformation efforts.
Beijing declined to discuss Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese-made products. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, said: “We will continue to approach and manage U.S.-China relations based on the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t contain his glee over Trump’s win, saying in statement: “Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback! Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America. This is a huge victory!”
Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told NBC News in a WhatsApp statement that “the election of Trump as the 47th president of the USA is a private matter for the Americans, but Palestinians look forward to an immediate cessation of the aggression against our people, especially in Gaza.”
House battle takes center stage as Trump’s party pursues full control of Washington
Republicans have reclaimed control of the White House and the Senate. Now all eyes are turning to the House of Representatives, which Democrats see as their last line of defense to stop Trump and his agenda.
The fight for the majority comes with enormous stakes.
Will Trump wield a Republican trifecta that’s expected to support his agenda and his demands? Or will he face a House run by Democrats who would serve as a check on his legislative agenda and wield subpoena power to investigate his administration?
With many competitive races still not called, NBC News has not yet projected which party will control the House in 2025. But given Trump’s decisive victory over Harris, House Republicans are feeling bullish about their chances of preserving their slim majority.
Republicans take Senate: What it means for Trump
When Trump returns to the White House, he’ll be supported by a Republican-controlled Senate. While control of the House remains up for grabs, if Republicans take majority there too, it will have massive implications in Washington. NBC’s Ryan Nobles reports for "TODAY."
How Trump won — and how Harris lost — the 2024 election
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Democrats were counting on fed-up women to elect America’s first female president. Instead, dissatisfied men helped return Trump to power.
The president-elect’s two eldest sons helped him pick a running mate who once decried “childless cat ladies,” while his youngest son, Barron, encouraged his father’s pivot to podcasts in an effort to reach other young men, a typically reliably Democratic voting bloc that split evenly this year.
“I think the gender gap is going to be the story of the next 20 years. Truly,” Democratic strategist Caitlin Legacki said. “There are a lot of men who feel like they’re being left behind, that society doesn’t have a place for them. And if we don’t want a civil war breaking out along gender lines, we’ve got to figure that out. That is the biggest widening gap in American society.”
The entire country shifted right, like other Western democracies in the inflationary post-Covid era. And with the electorate in a foul mood, Harris struggled to separate herself from a deeply unpopular incumbent who waited too long to step aside and whose aides had undermined her for years.
Trump, meanwhile, made strides in his promise to assemble a multiracial working-class coalition, winning 45% of Latinos and 55% of Latino men — records for a Republican presidential candidate — while making gains in blue states and pushing his margins among non-college-educated and middle-income voters to new heights, according to NBC News exit polls.
Late-night hosts react to Trump winning presidential election
Late-night hosts Desi Lydic, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and others share their take on Trump’s election victory.
Biden to address the nation today
What Trump’s victory could mean for the future of abortion rights
Trump’s victory in an election in which abortion rights were a heavy focus raises major questions about what might come next for abortion access in the U.S.
During the final stages of his campaign, Trump said he thought states should determine their own abortion policies. But his position on the issue has varied widely — in a March interview, he signaled support for a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks’ gestation and, as president, he supported a House bill that would have banned abortion nationwide after 20 weeks. During his 2016 campaign, Trump pledged to appoint Supreme Court justices who could help overturn Roe v. Wade. As president, he accomplished that goal and has at times boasted about it.