Elon Musk’s mother speaks about her son’s relationship with Donald Trump. New trade representative nominated for the incoming government. All developments in the news blog.
Ex-general likely candidate for Trump’s Ukraine special envoy
6:27 p.m.: According to insiders, US President-elect Donald Trump is considering making retired General Keith Kellogg the new special envoy to Ukraine. The 80-year-old Kellogg is competing for the post with the former US ambassador to Berlin, Richard Grenell. Kellogg presented Trump with a plan to end the war, three insiders familiar with the matter told Reuters. Kellogg served as White House National Security Council chief of staff and security adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence during Trump’s term from 2017 to early 2021.
Kellogg’s plan therefore envisages freezing the front lines in their current positions and forcing the governments in Kiev and Moscow to the negotiating table. There is currently no special U.S. envoy for the conflict, but Trump is expected to create such a position. Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Trump’s transition team, does not want to comment on the personnel. She simply says that Trump will announce personnel decisions when they have been made. But one of the insiders says Grenell is still the favorite for the position.
Kellogg drafted his Ukraine plan with Fred Fleitz, who also served as Trump’s National Security Council chief of staff. According to their proposals, the US would only provide Ukraine with more weapons if it enters into peace talks. At the same time, the US would warn Russia that any refusal to negotiate would lead to increased support for Ukraine. NATO membership for Ukraine would be off the table for the time being.
Trump nominates lawyer Jamieson Greer as trade representative
1:06 p.m.: US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated lawyer Jamieson Greer as trade representative. He was once chief of staff to former trade representative Robert Lighthizer. “Jamieson played a key role during my first term in imposing tariffs against China and other countries to combat unfair trade practices,” Trump said.
Lighthizer, who has not yet been nominated for a new position in the Trump administration, is considered the architect of the customs policy that Trump repeatedly emphasized during the election campaign. He is still said to have a major influence on decisions in Trump’s environment. The nomination shows that Trump wants to maintain the course of his foreign trade policy in his first term.
12.20 p.m.: Maye Musk, mother of Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, has spoken out about her son’s relationship with US President-elect Donald Trump. “I’ve seen them together, but only briefly. They seem to be having a lot of fun.” Elon Musk really appreciates Trump and is optimistic about the future of the USA, said Maye Musk.
After Trump’s election victory, it was announced that Elon Musk, together with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, would take over the management of the newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). The aim of the authority is to reduce inefficient government spending. Musk’s mother Maye was apparently also present at the first meetings of the new committee, as she revealed in an interview with the US television channel “Fox Business”.
0.57 a.m.: US Treasury bond prices fell on Tuesday. The futures contract for ten-year papers (T-Note Future) fell by 0.25 percent to 110.25 points. The yield on ten-year federal bonds rose to 4.32 percent.
Inflation expectations on the market increased slightly again. The reason is the announcement by US President-elect Donald Trump that he would impose high import tariffs on all goods from Mexico and Canada as well as additional tariffs on goods from China on his first day in office.
For the USA, punitive tariffs were not without negative consequences, wrote Thomas Gitzel, chief economist at VP Bank: “Imports are becoming more expensive, inflation is rising, which in turn is putting a strain on real household income.” The central bank would also have to rethink its monetary easing policy if inflation increases again.
