Election 2024 updates: Trump begins selecting cabinet positions

Donald Trump announced he had selected his campaign manager, Susie Wiles, as his White House chief of staff, the president-elect said a statement Thursday.

President-elect Trump has announced his chief of staff.

"Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns," Trump said.

"Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again," he added. "It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female Chief of Staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud."

President Joe Biden does not plan to pardon his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted on federal gun charges, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated during a press briefing on Thursday.

Hunter Biden is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

President Joe Biden said "you can't love your country only when you win" in his first speech since Vice President Kamala Harris' loss to former President Donald Trump in the presidential race.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he would decline if offered to be Trump's chief of staff during an interview earlier this week on Guy Benson's Fox News radio show.

McCarthy said he "wouldn't say yes" to the role, but suggested Susie Wiles, Trump's campaign manager, would be a "great" fit for the role.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a fierce critic of former President Donald Trump, on Thursday called for lawmakers to convene a special session later this year to safeguard the state's progressive policies on climate change, reproductive rights and immigration ahead of another Trump presidency.

The move - a day after the former president resoundingly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race - effectively reignited California's resistance campaign against conservative policies that state Democratic leaders started during the first Trump administration.

"The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack - and we won't sit idle," Newsom, who reportedly has ambitions on the national stage, said in a statement. "California has faced this challenge before, and we know how to respond. We are prepared to fight in the courts, and we will do everything necessary to ensure Californians have the support and resources they need to thrive."

MORE | Gov. Gavin Newsom calls special session to protect liberal policies from Trump presidency

Gov. Gavin Newsom and advocacy groups in California are preparing to do battle with President-elect Donald Trump.