Today’s newsletter highlights:
- Democrats brace for another Donald Trump presidency.
- The U.S. Senate prepares for a final vote on the Laken Riley Act.
- President Joe Biden commutes more prison sentences.
At about noon today, the 45th president of the United States also will become the 47th president, completing what has to be the most remarkable political comeback story in U.S. history.
Donald Trump was impeached — and acquitted — twice. He was indicted four separate times. Many of his former top advisers and Cabinet officials turned their backs on him. He will be the first commander in chief with a felony conviction
And yet, when he takes the oath of office today, Trump’s political powers will have never been stronger.
The AJC has had extensive coverage of the transition and what it means for Georgia and beyond. Today, we’ll have more coverage of the inaugural events, including live updates throughout the day starting at 9 a.m. at AJC.com.
There will be much to watch for throughout Trump’s second term. Here are five questions for his first day in office:
1. What will the tone be? Inaugural addresses have typically been a time for presidents to call for Americans to come together after a bruising campaign. But that’s never been Trump’s style. He declared an end to “American carnage” in a dark speech after his 2017 swearing-in ceremony. And he spent most of his campaign last year promising to exact revenge on his enemies, famously declaring “I am your warrior, I am your justice and for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”
2. Will Trump pardon the January 6th rioters? More than 1,500 people have been charged with crimes associated with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. That includes 44 people with Georgia ties. Trump has said he will pardon the rioters on his first day in office, but said there “may be some exceptions.” At his pre-election rally in Washington on Sunday, he said the cheering fans packed into the Capital One Arena would be “very, very happy” with his decision.
Credit: Evan Vucci/AP
Credit: Evan Vucci/AP
3. Who will be in Trump’s inner circle? In his farewell address, President Joe Biden warned that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence.” That was a clear shot at Trump, who has been seeking the counsel of the world’s richest men. Most prominent is Elon Musk, the billionaire leader of Tesla and SpaceX, whom Trump appointed to an advisory body known as the Department of Government Efficiency. An AJC poll last week found 53% of voters disapprove of Musk’s prominent role in Trump’s administration. A handful of Georgians are also poised to get seats at Trump’s table — with former U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler ex-U.S. Rep. Doug Collins both landing Cabinet-level appointments.
4. Will Trump’s inauguration clash with the ideals of Martin Luther King Jr.? The presidential inauguration coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It was largely a celebration the last time this happened in 2013, when President Barack Obama took the oath of office for his second term as the nation’s first Black commander in chief. Bernice King, MLK’s daughter and CEO of the Atlanta-based King Center, told the AJC’s Ernie Suggs: “We must pay attention to what President-elect Trump speaks on that day.”
5. How will the late President Jimmy Carter be remembered? Trump’s inauguration also coincides with a national mourning period for the death of former President Jimmy Carter. Flags in Washington and across the country will continue to fly at half staff for 30 days after Carter’s death last month. But Trump has complained about the flags being a downer during his inauguration. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson has ordered flags at the Capitol temporarily raised for Monday, as have the governors of a handful of states. One way Trump could have honored Carter’s memory was to have followed Carter’s lead by walking a stretch of the inaugural parade, but today’s procession was canceled because of the frigid weather.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
GOOD MORNING! It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A commemorative service is being held this morning at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where King was co-pastor along with his father.
Here are three things to know for today:
- Despite the company’s rocky history with Donald Trump, Atlanta-based Coca-Cola is toasting the soon-to-be president with a custom Diet Coke bottle, the AJC’s Ashley Ahn reports.
- More than half of Georgia voters believe the state should drop the 2020 election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump, the AJC’s Tamar Hallerman reports.
- Lots of Georgians have traveled to Washington today for the presidential inauguration, both to praise Trump and to protest him.
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Credit: Brandon Camp for the AJC
Credit: Brandon Camp for the AJC
DEMOCRATIC DREAD. Democrats pulsed with anxiety over President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda, which includes promises to begin mass deportations, promote oil-drilling and ending workforce diversity programs.
At his Sunday sermon from Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock urged congregants not to despair over Trump’s victory as he noted that Inauguration Day will coincide with Martin Luther King Jr. Day for only the third time in U.S. history.
But he also suggested Democrats will be ready to fight Trump and his policies with vigor, as he agreed with a saying that “you’re better off rich and guilty than poor and innocent.”
“Because if you’re poor and guilty, you cannot vote for a president, but if you’re rich and guilty, you can be president,” Warnock said, a not-so-subtle reference to Trump’s guilty verdict in a hush-money trial. “But don’t lose hope. Don’t lose heart. Stand on your feet.”
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
HOW IT PLAYED. Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address laying out his budget blueprint and policy agenda was supposed to be the big news from the state Capitol last week.
But a state senator getting thrown to the ground and arrested for defying a ban on entering the chamber stole the spotlight.
It posed an interesting question for Georgia news outlets: what’s the lead?
- WSB-TV hardly mentioned Kemp’s speech during its trio of Thursday afternoon newscasts last week, instead devoting significant time to video of state Sen. Colton Moore’s confrontation and arrest.
- 11Alive also went with Moore’s arrest first, before cutting to lengthy reports on Kemp’s tax cut proposal. They flip-flopped the stories during their 6 p.m. newscasts.
- Fox 5 and Atlanta News First alternated placement of their stories. Atlanta News First went with Kemp first during their 4 p.m. newscast, saying the governor “was promising Georgians more money and better safety.”
But it was House Minority Leader Carolyn Hugley who had the last word on top-rated WSB-TV.
“When elephants are fighting, get out of the way,” she said.
As for us, the AJC put Kemp’s speech on the front page, paired with a fantastic photo by Jason Getz of Moore wrestled to the ground. The story about Moore’s arrest ran inside.
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TODAY UNDER THE GOLD DOME:
- The House and Senate are off in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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Credit: Kate Brumback/AP
Credit: Kate Brumback/AP
LISTEN UP. Today on “Politically Georgia‚” the hosts discuss what to expect as President-elect Donald Trump takes office today. Plus, a special interview with Bernice King on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as she reflects on her father’s legacy. This special episode is available right now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Have a question for the show? Give us a call at 770-810-5297.
On Friday’s show, the AJC’s Maya T. Prabhu talked about Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address and state Sen. Colton Moore’s arrest. Then, the hosts previewed President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
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LAKEN RILEY ACT. The legislation named in honor of the Georgia nursing student who was killed by an immigrant living in the country without legal permission is slated for a final vote in the U.S. Senate tonight.
Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff was among the 10 Democrats who voted to advance the bill last week. His counterpart, Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, voted against it. Warnock had previously signed off allowing the measure to move forward, but that was before the bill was amended to expand the list of crimes that immigrants can be detained for if they are arrested.
The original language, which the House has already approved, allowed immigration enforcement agencies to detain and begin deportation procedures for migrants accused of nonviolent crimes like burglary and theft. The amendment added assault on law enforcement officers to the list of eligible offenses.
Warnock has said he wanted to see the final version of the bill before deciding how he would vote. Ossoff said previously he supported the bill as it was originally proposed but has not weighed in on the amended version.
If the bill passes the Senate, it will be sent back to the House to consider the amended version.
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Credit: Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Credit: Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
CLEMENCY ACTION. President Joe Biden on Friday commuted the sentences of another 2,500 people charged with non-violent drug offenses, including 49 people whose cases originated in Georgia, according to AJC data analyst Charles Minshew.
“With this action, I have now issued more individual pardons and commutations than any president in U.S. history,” the president said in a statement accompanying the announcement.
The commutations wiped out the lengthy prison sentences these people were serving, often because of enhanced penalties for certain drugs like crack or mandatory minimum guidelines in federal law.
Biden on Friday also pardoned five people, including a posthumous clemency for civil rights leader Marcus Garvey.
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Credit: Evan Vucci/AP
Credit: Evan Vucci/AP
TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden will leave office and Donald Trump will be sworn in as president.
- Members of the U.S. House and Senate will be among the roughly 2,000 people attending Trump’s inauguration inside the U.S. Capitol rotunda.
- The Senate is expected to take a final vote on the Laken Riley Act.
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Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC
WATCH PARTY. The decision to move President Donald Trump’s swearing in ceremony indoors meant that thousands of people granted tickets to watch the event in person would now have to watch on TV like everyone else.
U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, said his office had roughly 200 tickets to distribute, and demand far exceeded that. He received roughly 5,000 requests, including 1,543 from people who lived inside his southwest Georgia district. He gave priority to Georgians in his district.
About 2,000 people will watch Trump get sworn in from the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. That pared down crowd will mostly consist of past presidents, foreign leaders, members of Congress, Trump’s family and his handpicked list of friends and supporters.
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson, announced plans to show the livestream of the swearing in from his office in an adjacent House building. That will allow those who arrive to pick up their tickets, now merely commemorative keepsakes, to watch somewhere close to the action.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
SHOUTOUTS. Today’s birthday:
- State Rep. Gerald Greene, R-Cuthbert.
Belated birthday:
- State Sen. Matt Brass, R-Newnan (was Sunday).
Kudos to:
- Clark Milner, an alum of the University of Georgia, who will be a special assistant to President-elect Donald Trump and a senior adviser for domestic policy.
Want a birthday shoutout in the Politically Georgia newsletter? There’s a form for that! Click here to submit the shoutouts. It’s not just birthdays. We’re also interested in new jobs, engagements, birth announcements, etc.
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AS ALWAYS, send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.
