Donald Trump concludes an eventful week in Las Vegas

(Las Vegas) Donald Trump holds a rally in a Las Vegas casino on Saturday, at the end of a breathtaking week during which he began to leave his mark on American politics and society from the start of his new presidential term.

He narrowly snatched a crucial success in setting up his administration with the confirmation Friday evening by the Senate of his Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. A choice contested even in his camp, three Republican senators having voted against, forcing Vice-President JD Vance to come in person to provide his decisive vote.

“When you win the championship, you don’t care about the score,” commented the latter on Saturday, spinning the sporting metaphor during the swearing-in of the new Secretary of Defense, of whom he said he was “proud”.

For his part, Donald Trump further tightened his grip on the levers of executive power by dismissing a dozen officials responsible for controlling government action on Friday evening without notice, a “purge” denounced by Democratic senators.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, for his part, deplored that elected officials had not been consulted or even informed of this decision.

“There may be a good reason why the inspectors general were fired,” he said. “I would like to have more explanations from President Trump. Regardless, the 30-day notice required by law was not provided to Congress,” he added.

These inspectors general, independent officials, have the mission of detecting and preventing fraud, waste and abuse on the part of civil servants. In particular, they must carry out audits on contracts, finances and even staff performance.

After visits Friday to disaster areas in North Carolina, ravaged by a hurricane in October, and California, faced with devastating fires, for his first presidential trip since his return to the White House, Donald Trump’s stop Saturday in Las Vegas, Nevada, will have more of a celebratory feel.

Having become the first Republican presidential candidate to win this state in 20 years, he is expected to present his proposal to exempt tips from federal taxes, particularly popular in a city focused on the hotel industry.

Menaces

In North Carolina as in California, he sharply criticized the action of FEMA, the federal agency for fighting natural disasters, calling for it to be “fundamentally reformed” or even abolished altogether.

The Senate approved on Saturday the appointment of its Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, who will notably be responsible for implementing its program of mass expulsions of illegal immigrants, but also the supervisory authority of FEMA.

During her mid-January hearing before senators, Kristi Noem pledged to exclude any “political bias on the way in which disaster aid will be provided.”

A commitment which seems questionable after the threats, repeated again on Friday by Donald Trump, of a suspension of aid to California if this Democratic state does not comply with certain demands, in particular electoral reforms wanted by the conservative camp .

The Republican president also took a series of measures on Friday against the right to abortion and sent a message of support to the tens of thousands of people who marched in Washington against voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion).

And, in application of a decree taken on Monday, the first day of its new mandate, according to which the American administration recognizes “only two sexes, male and female”, defined at birth, the United States no longer issues passports. containing the gender “X” for people who identify as non-binary.