News Every Day | 04 January 2025, 16:27

'He’ll have to deliver': GOP strategist says Trump has small window to show he can govern

Now that President-elect Donald Trump has won reelection, America's problems will be his to solve in less than three weeks when he's sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. Now, one Republican strategist is warning that Trump's incoming administration will have an uphill battle to follow through on his campaign promises.

Politico reported Saturday that the recent wave of terror attacks and cybersecurity breaches from foreign actors underscore the problems that await Trump after his January 20th inauguration ceremony. In addition to the deadly attack on New Orleans' Bourbon street that killed 14 people (and injured dozens more) in the early morning hours of New Years' Day and the Cybertruck detonation in Las Vegas that injured seven, a Chinese cyberattack compromised the U.S. Treasury Department.

Ryan Williams — a Republican strategist who previously worked for Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) — told Politico that Trump's big promises on the campaign stump will now be added pressure for him to prove his ability to lead, given recent events.

"This is something Trump made a major point of during the campaign: People don’t feel safe and don’t feel the current Democratic administration or local administrations in cities and states are really doing enough about it," Williams said. "It’s a point he can continue to make until he becomes president. Then he’s got a period of time to show people he’s changing direction and fixing the problems. And then he’ll have to deliver solutions."

Following the New Orleans attack, the president-elect falsely claimed that the act was a consequences of the Biden administration's immigration policy. This led to Fox News having to fact-check Trump, given that the perpetrator was a native-born U.S. citizen and military veteran who lived in Texas. The suspected Cybertruck bomber was also a longtime military veteran who reportedly "loved Trump," according to his uncle.

Trump has yet to announce a pick to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which will likely prove to be a high-stakes job for its eventual director given the Chinese "Salt Typhoon" hack that breached major telecommunications companies and targeted the cellphones of both Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), who will be the Trump White House's National Security Advisor, called for "higher costs and consequences" for the Salt Typhoon hackers, and suggested a counterattack against Beijing. And Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, said he's been in close contact with CISA regarding the cyberattack.

“China’s state-sponsored hackers remain an urgent threat to our homeland security,” Green told Politico. “This intrusion into the Treasury Department through a third-party vendor is a clear message from Beijing about its unwavering commitment to undermining our sovereignty, as well as a vital reminder of the importance of collective defense to protect our government networks.”

Click here to read Politico's article in its entirety.