CHRIS CRUCIAL: 14 questions for Donald Trump 🤔

PLUS: The Democratic youth movement

In 47 days Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. I will be here bringing you everything you need to know between now and then — and over his four years in office.

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1. Donald Trump Meets The Press

Donald Trump is set to sit down for an interview Friday with “Meet The Press” host Kristen Welker, the first time he has taken questions from a journalist since he was elected president a month ago.

While the full conversation won’t air until Sunday, NBC is expected to release clips shortly after the interview is taped.

In advance of that interview, I decided to come up with some — ok, 14 — questions that I would like to see asked of Trump. They’re below. Got one? Throw it in the comments section. (Two notes: My list is not comprehensive. And these questions are in no particular order.)

• “Was the 2024 election conducted fairly? If so, what evidence leads you to that conclusion? And what changed between the 2020 election, which you repeatedly called ‘fraudulent,’ and this one?”

• “You and your fellow Republicans have criticized President Joe Biden for pardoning his son, Hunter. Would you pledge not to pardon any of your children during your next term in office?”

• “In the immediate aftermath of Joe Biden’s pardon of his son, you asked on social media ‘Does the pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages?’ What did you mean by that? And, just for clarification, do you believe everyone arrested on January 6, 2021 is a "‘hostage’?”

• “Several of your initial picks for top Cabinet jobs — Matt Gaetz, Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have all been credibly accused of sexual misbehavior with women. Does that bother you? If not, why not?”

• “During the debate with Kamala Harris, you said that you had ‘concepts of a plan’ to replace the Affordable Care Act. Is replacing the ACA a top priority of your administration? And what specifics can you tell me about your replacement plan?”

• “You have threatened to impose onerous tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China — our three biggest trading partners — unless they end undocumented immigrants and illegal drugs like fentanyl coming into the U.S.. Does that mean the tariffs will go into place on January 20 unless all illegal drugs and undocumented immigrants stop entering through our borders? If not, what measure will you use to decide if Canada, Mexico and China have complied to your satisfaction?”

• “In 2016, you said that you would be able to get rid of the national debt, which at the time was $19 trillion, “over a period of eight years.” But during your four years in office, the debt grew by more than $7 trillion. It is now at more than $36 trillion. And economists say extending your 2017 tax cuts will only add to it. How, specifically, do you plan to reduce the debt? Or don’t you plan to do so?”

• “During the campaign, you said you would end the war between Russia and Ukraine in a single day. Have you talked to the president of either country since you’ve been elected? And, if so, what were those conversations like? Did you share with them a plan to end the conflict on day one? If so, what was their reaction?”

• “Describe your relationship with Elon Musk. And do you worry about having one of the richest men in the world — with dozens of interests before the federal government — in your inner circle?”

• “You have nominated Kash Patel to be the next FBI Director. But Chris Wray’s term in the job doesn’t end until 2027. Will you fire Wray? And, if so, why specifically?”

• “In the campaign you said you would not, as president, sign a national abortion ban. Is that still your position?”

• “You spoke regularly about the ‘enemy within’ during the 2024 race — and suggested they posed a greater threat to America than any foreign adversary. Who is ‘the enemy within’ exactly and what actual threat do you believe they pose?”

• “Can you rule out the Department of Justice pursuing any criminal charges against some of your most vocal critics including former Republicans Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger? If not, why not?”

• “You have often ‘joked’ about staying in office after 2028. Can you pledge, right now, that under no circumstances will you stay as president beyond January 20, 2029?”

2. The Democratic youth movement

Jaime Raskin, left, and Jerry Nadler

It appears that two years of defending an octogenarian president has worn Democrats out when it comes to age, seniority and waiting your turn.

On Wednesday, New York Rep. Jerry Nadler announced that he would relinquish his role as the top Democrat on the powerful House Judiciary Committee, a move that came just days after Maryland Rep. Jaime Raskin announced he would challenge Nadler for the job.

“As our country faces the return of Donald Trump, and the renewed threats to our democracy and our way of life that he represents, I am very confident that Jamie would ably lead the Judiciary Committee as we confront this growing danger,” Nadler wrote in a letter to his colleagues.

Nadler’s move came just 48 hours after Raskin made his bid for the top job official. While Raskin didn’t expressly highlight the need for Democrats to install younger politicians in key roles, the contrast was apparent. Raskin, at 61, is 16 years Nadler’s junior.

Nadler’s decision to step aside is due to the increasingly obvious reality that he would have lost a vote to Rankin for the gig. As the New York Times noted:

Furious over being challenged, Mr. Nadler had initially fought to hold the position he has held since 2017. But on Wednesday, he conceded that he did not have a path to victory and endorsed Mr. Raskin to replace him in a letter to colleagues.

Nadler’s move comes just days after Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva backed out of a potentially contentious fight with California Rep. Jared Huffman for the role as top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee — another contest that turned on a generational choice. Grijalva is 76 years old and has been gone from Congress frequently of late as he seeks treatment for cancer. Huffman is 60.

With Nadler and Grijalva having bowed out, the last major age fight appears to be for the ranking Democratic spot on the House Agriculture Committee. Right now, Georgia Rep. David Scott, who is 79, is in line for the job.

But Scott missed the two weeks Congress was in session in November due to a back issue and he faces two challengers from within the Democratic caucus: Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig and California Rep. Jim Costa. Craig is 52; Costa is 72.

Scott shows no signs of following Nadler’s path. “It’s all in God’s hands,” Scott told the Atlanta Journal Constitution earlier this week.

3. Me + TK 🎧

I spent the morning with an old orange man. No, not Donald Trump. Tony Kornheiser. You can listen below.

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

“The window is tight but he can get through it.” — Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin expressing optimism(ish) about Pete Hegseth’s chances of being confirmed as Secretary of Defense

ONE GOOD CHART

Before the election, the Washington Post identified 43 races that would decide the House majority. With California’s 13th district now called — the Democrat won — we know who won every one of these key contests. Here’s their chart:

SONG OF THE DAY

Amid all of these “best of 2024” lists, I came across new music from Sharon Van Etten, who made two of my favorite albums of the last 5 years: “Remind Me Tomorrow” in 2019 and “We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong” in 2022. A new self-titled album from Van Etten is due next year. In the meantime, she’s released “Southern Life (What It Must Be Like).”

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