US president-elect Donald Trump stepped up his takeover planning with new rules governing the involvement of lobbyists in his new administration, a flurry of meetings with potential cabinet members and even a key White House role for his son-in-law.
Under Mr Trump’s plans to “drain the swamp” of Washington politics, his team said that they would only appoint lobbyists if they agreed to a five-year ban on becoming a lobbyist after leaving government and a lifetime ban on working for foreign governments.
The measures, described as “true forward-thinking change” by Republican national committee chief strategist Sean Spicer, were announced after days of upheaval and infighting within the Trump camp.
The New York Times reported that Jared Kushner (35), Mr Trump's son-in-law and a close adviser to the businessman during his campaign, was exploring whether he could join his father-in-law as a close confidant in his White House.
Mr Kushner, husband of Mr Trump's daughter Ivanka, consulted lawyers to see whether he would circumvent anti-nepotism rules by foregoing a government salary and placing his various business interests, including his investment, his properties and his newspaper, the New York Observer, in a blind trust.
Trump Tower
Mr Trump’s Trump Tower headquarters in Manhattan on Thursday was a hub of activity with a strong media presence in the skyscraper’s golden lobby watching for any appearances that might offer pointers to his cabinet appointees.
Fuelling speculation that the next president may be trying to build a “team of rivals”, it was reported that former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, one of Mr Trump’s harshest critics, will meet him at the weekend to discuss the new administration and a possible cabinet role .
Among those meeting the soon-to-be 45th US president were South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, a one-time strong supporter of Trump presidential rival Marco Rubio, and Texas congressman Jeb Hensarling, chairman of the House financial services committee whose name has been linked to the role of US treasury secretary in the Trump administration.
Another high-profile visitor to Mr Trump was US secretary of state during the Nixon administration, Henry Kissinger, to discuss China, Russia, Iran, the European Union and other issues.
They spoke ahead of Mr Trump’s meeting with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, the first world leader to meet the president-elect in person and the 32nd leader that he has spoken with since the election.
Mr Abe is said to be concerned about Mr Trump’s campaign rhetoric when he raised doubts about the commitment of Japan’s most important ally to protecting its interests in Asia against a more volatile North Korea and aggressive China. The businessman suggested during the campaign that he might withdraw the 50,000 American troops stationed in Japan unless the US received more financial support from Tokyo.
At the US Capitol, House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi raised her party’s concerns during a meeting with vice president-elect Mike Pence over Mr Trump’s appointment of Steve Bannon, head of the “alt-right” Breitbart News, a website embraced by white supremacists, as his chief strategist.
After one of his Capitol Hill meetings, House Republicans tweeted a photograph of Mr Pence taking a selfie with them next to the word “unified” as they were in a celebratory mood after the party’s big election wins last week. US media criticised the party’s lack of diversity with only white faces in the photograph.
Hillary Clinton
Still appearing to be coming to terms with her shock defeat, Hillary Clinton made her first public appearance since conceding to Mr Trump last week. In a speech at a charity gala for the Children’s Defence Fund, she made an emotional appeal to her supporters to “never give up” and to “stay engaged” in politics.
“I will admit coming here tonight wasn’t the easiest thing for me,” she said. “There have been a few times this past week when all I wanted to do is just to curl up with a good book, or our dogs, and never leave the house again.”
Ms Clinton acknowledged that many supporters were “deeply disappointed” by the election result. “I am too, more than I can ever express,” she said. “I know this isn’t easy. I know that over the past week, a lot people have asked themselves whether America was the country we thought it was.”
