WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):



2:40 p.m.



President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is pushing back against Democrats' calls for all Cabinet nominees to release their tax returns.



In a memo for supporters obtained by The Associated Press, transition officials say the calls are "a PR stunt with zero precedent designed to arm opposition researchers."



Senate Democrats on Thursday said they will push for all committees to require Cabinet and other high-level nominees to provide their tax returns ahead of their confirmation hearings. According to the Democrats, only three committees now have the authority to require tax returns.



The memo says Trump's nominees are "patriotic Americans, many of whom are selflessly leaving behind their private business careers to serve their country."



Trump has so far refused to release his own tax returns, breaking from recent precedent.



___



1:59 p.m.



President-elect Donald Trump supports completion of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline in the Midwest, a policy that a spokesman says is not related to Trump's investments in a partnership building the $3.8 billion pipeline.



Spokesman Bryan Lanza says in a memo to supporters Trump's backing for the pipeline near a North Dakota Indian reservation "has nothing to do with his personal investments" and is based on policy.



The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo.



Trump's federal disclosure forms show he owned a small amount of stock in Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the pipeline builder, and at least $100,000 in Phillips 66, which owns one-quarter of the pipeline.



Spokeswoman Hope Hicks said it is her understanding that Trump recently sold his Energy Transfer stock but provided no details.



___



10:12 a.m.



Pennsylvania congressman Lou Barletta says he's talking to President-elect Donald Trump about the job of secretary of the Labor Department.



The three-term Republican lawmaker and hard-liner on immigration said Friday in an interview he'll talk to his family about the job over the weekend. Barletta insists, though, that the job hasn't been offered.



The congressman is on the Trump transition team, and he said Friday that the president-elect will make more Cabinet decisions next week.



__



7:45 a.m.



A top aide to President-elect Donald Trump says law enforcement officials in his administration might continue investigations into Hillary Clinton's private email, even though Trump has signaled he prefers not to pursue the matter.



Kellyanne Conway was Trump's campaign manager. Conway said Friday Trump still prefers not to pursue a case against Clinton. But she says law enforcement officials and Congress "may take a look at that."



Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America, Conway said the Justice Department, Congress and the FBI could still review Clinton-related inquiries.



She spoke in response to "lock her up" chants that greeted Trump during a rally Thursday. During the campaign, Trump said he would have his attorney general appoint a special prosecutor to review the Clinton inquiries.



___



7:01 a.m.



Lithuania's president is urging president-elect Donald Trump to uphold the United States' security commitment to Europe amid lingering doubts about his intentions toward NATO allies.



President Dalia Grybauskaite said Friday the U.S. remains "the guarantor of peace after the Second World War in Europe. We expect that this mission, and this understanding, will stay."



Trump suggested during the campaign that only allies paying their fair share might deserve protection from the U.S. Grybauskaite says Lithuania is on track to meet NATO's target for military spending by 2018.



She spoke in eastern Lithuania as NATO nations were winding up a major military exercise, part of the alliance's effort to reassure member countries close to Russia's borders.



___



3:41 a.m.



The pugnacious, brawling Donald Trump voters got to know during the presidential campaign is back.



The president-elect returned to his campaign roots Thursday in his first major public appearance since Election Day, holding court in front of thousands of adoring fans — and even making the surprise announcement that he will be offering the post of Defense Secretary to retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis.



The raucous rally in Ohio had all the hallmarks of a reunion tour: Trump took a veiled swipe at fellow Republicans. He remembered his general election foe by joking, "We had fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" He boasted about size of his victory and repeatedly bashed the media. Protesters briefly interrupted the proceedings. And the crowd chanted "Build the Wall" and "Lock Her Up."</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):



2:49 p.m.



Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has telephoned President-elect Donald Trump and had a brief but "very engaging, animated conversation" in which both leaders invited each other to visit his country.



In a video released by Duterte's close aide, Bong Go, the Philippine leader is seen smiling while talking to Trump late Friday and saying: "We will maintain ... and enhance the bilateral ties between our two countries."



Duterte shuffled and looked at some notes during the conversation, which Go said lasted for more than seven minutes. The presidential palace earlier announced that Duterte will make a "congratulatory call" to Trump from his hometown in southern Davao city.



___



2:40 p.m.



President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is pushing back against Democrats' calls for all Cabinet nominees to release their tax returns.



In a memo for supporters obtained by The Associated Press, transition officials say the calls are "a PR stunt with zero precedent designed to arm opposition researchers."



Senate Democrats on Thursday said they will push for all committees to require Cabinet and other high-level nominees to provide their tax returns ahead of their confirmation hearings. According to the Democrats, only three committees now have the authority to require tax returns.



The memo says Trump's nominees are "patriotic Americans, many of whom are selflessly leaving behind their private business careers to serve their country."



Trump has so far refused to release his own tax returns, breaking from recent precedent.



___



1:59 p.m.



President-elect Donald Trump supports completion of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline in the Midwest, a policy that a spokesman says is not related to Trump's investments in a partnership building the $3.8 billion pipeline.



Spokesman Bryan Lanza says in a memo to supporters Trump's backing for the pipeline near a North Dakota Indian reservation "has nothing to do with his personal investments" and is based on policy.



The Associated Press obtained a copy of the memo.



Trump's federal disclosure forms show he owned a small amount of stock in Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners, the pipeline builder, and at least $100,000 in Phillips 66, which owns one-quarter of the pipeline.



Spokeswoman Hope Hicks said it is her understanding that Trump recently sold his Energy Transfer stock but provided no details.



___



10:12 a.m.



Pennsylvania congressman Lou Barletta says he's talking to President-elect Donald Trump about the job of secretary of the Labor Department.



The three-term Republican lawmaker and hard-liner on immigration said Friday in an interview he'll talk to his family about the job over the weekend. Barletta insists, though, that the job hasn't been offered.



The congressman is on the Trump transition team, and he said Friday that the president-elect will make more Cabinet decisions next week.



__



7:45 a.m.



A top aide to President-elect Donald Trump says law enforcement officials in his administration might continue investigations into Hillary Clinton's private email, even though Trump has signaled he prefers not to pursue the matter.



Kellyanne Conway was Trump's campaign manager. Conway said Friday Trump still prefers not to pursue a case against Clinton. But she says law enforcement officials and Congress "may take a look at that."



Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America, Conway said the Justice Department, Congress and the FBI could still review Clinton-related inquiries.



She spoke in response to "lock her up" chants that greeted Trump during a rally Thursday. During the campaign, Trump said he would have his attorney general appoint a special prosecutor to review the Clinton inquiries.



___



7:01 a.m.



Lithuania's president is urging president-elect Donald Trump to uphold the United States' security commitment to Europe amid lingering doubts about his intentions toward NATO allies.



President Dalia Grybauskaite said Friday the U.S. remains "the guarantor of peace after the Second World War in Europe. We expect that this mission, and this understanding, will stay."



Trump suggested during the campaign that only allies paying their fair share might deserve protection from the U.S. Grybauskaite says Lithuania is on track to meet NATO's target for military spending by 2018.



She spoke in eastern Lithuania as NATO nations were winding up a major military exercise, part of the alliance's effort to reassure member countries close to Russia's borders.



___



3:41 a.m.



The pugnacious, brawling Donald Trump voters got to know during the presidential campaign is back.



The president-elect returned to his campaign roots Thursday in his first major public appearance since Election Day, holding court in front of thousands of adoring fans — and even making the surprise announcement that he will be offering the post of Defense Secretary to retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis.



The raucous rally in Ohio had all the hallmarks of a reunion tour: Trump took a veiled swipe at fellow Republicans. He remembered his general election foe by joking, "We had fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" He boasted about size of his victory and repeatedly bashed the media. Protesters briefly interrupted the proceedings. And the crowd chanted "Build the Wall" and "Lock Her Up."</s>CINCINNATI (AP) — The pugnacious, brawling Donald Trump voters got to know during the presidential campaign is back.

The president-elect returned to his campaign roots Thursday in his first major public appearance since Election Day, holding court in front of thousands of adoring fans — and even announcing a Cabinet pick from the stage.

Trump’s first stop on this “Thank you” tour to salute his supporters was in Ohio and, ever the showman, he made the surprise announcement that he will be offering the post of defense secretary to retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis. Trump said he was supposed to unveil that Monday, so he jokingly warned the Cincinnati crowd to “not tell anyone.”

The raucous rallies during the Trump campaign road show often had the feel of a rock concert, and Thursday night in Cincinnati had all the hallmarks of a reunion tour: Trump took a veiled swipe at fellow Republicans. He remembered his general election foe by joking, “We had fun fighting Hillary, didn’t we?” He boasted about the size of his victory and repeatedly bashed the media. Protesters briefly interrupted the proceedings. And the crowd chanted “Build the Wall” and “Lock Her Up.”

The president-elect had eased up on those campaign promises recently, suggesting the U.S.-Mexico border wall could be part-fence and indicating no willingness to pursue criminal charges against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

Perhaps befitting an encore presentation, the downtown arena that Trump packed in October — drawing a crowd that was one of the loudest of the campaign — was only about half-full Thursday night. But the thousands who were there cheered Trump as he vowed to restore America to greatness, saying, “Now is not the time to downsize our dreams.”

Trump did nothing to downplay expectations before he takes office, declaring that “America will start winning again, big league.” Much like he did during the stretch run of the campaign, he read from teleprompters, but he was bombastic as ever, spending more than a dozen minutes bragging about his victory before outlining his economic plan.

He boasted about his wins in Midwest states that normally vote Democratic, declaring he didn’t just “break the blue wall, we shattered it.” He veered off-script to make fun of a protester, saying she was being ejected from the arena so “she could go back to Mommy.” He repeated his recent threat that, despite constitutional protections, “if people burn the American flag, there should be consequences.”

And he stunned his own aides when he announced the Mattis pick from the stage. Mattis, nicknamed “Mad Dog,” is considered one of the foremost strategic thinkers of his generation, but to gain confirmation as Pentagon chief, he would need Congress to waive a requirement that a defense secretary be a civilian for at least seven years before taking up the post.

Mattis retired as chief of the U.S. Central Command in 2013 after serving more than four decades in the Marine Corps. There is no sense of strong opposition to his nomination in Congress.

Trump supporters were thrilled that he had hit the road again.

“That he wants to do this, to take time out of his schedule to fly out here and personally thank the people … shows what kind of man he is,” said Josh Kanowitz, 43. “He’s one of us.”

But while Kanowitz largely praised Trump’s initial moves as president-elect, he visibly recoiled at the suggestion that he might pick Mitt Romney as secretary of state, saying the 2012 Republican presidential nominee was “someone we should leave behind as we move forward.”

Others at the rally also expressed some hesitancy at Trump’s picks, with a few suggesting that choosing former Goldman Sachs partner Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary was not exactly fulfilling Trump’s campaign promise to “Drain the Swamp” and eliminate corruption and elitism from Washington.

The rally in Cincinnati was the second stop on a victory lap through the Midwest on Thursday, coming hours after Trump saluted workers, owners and himself at a Carrier plant in Indiana. There he declared that a deal to keep a local plant open instead of moving operations to Mexico was only the first of many business victories to come.

Some questions remain about the extent of the victory at Carrier, which announced this week that it will keep an Indianapolis plant open. In February, the heating and air conditioning company said it would shut the plant and send jobs to Mexico, and video of angry workers being informed about the decision soon went viral.

“Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences. It’s not going to happen. It’s simply not going to happen,” Trump said to workers at the Indianapolis plant.

Officials said this week that Carrier had agreed to keep some 800 union jobs at the plant. Seth Martin, a spokesman for Carrier, said Indiana offered the air conditioning and furnace manufacturer $7 million in tax incentives after negotiations with Trump’s team to keep some jobs in the state.

Associated Press writers Julie Pace in Washington, Lisa Cornwell from Cincinnati and Brian Slodysko from Indianapolis contributed reporting.</s>President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday that he will nominate U.S. Marine retired Gen. James Mattis, who oversaw U.S. war efforts in the Middle East, to be his defense secretary.

“We are going to appoint ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as our secretary of defense,” Trump told a large crowd in Cincinnati, Ohio, referring by nickname to the tough-talking general who headed the U.S. Central Command, giving him authority over troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“He’s our best. They say he’s the closest thing to (World War II-era) Gen. George Patton that we have,” Trump said, apparently divulging his pick days ahead of schedule as his transition team had already said there would be no more Cabinet announcements this week.

“Okay. So I gave up a little secret. My people over there are probably saying, ‘You weren’t supposed to do that, Mr Trump,'” the president-elect quipped.

Mattis, who is 66, commanded a Marine battalion during the First Gulf War and a Marine division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In 2010, the tough-talking native of Washington state was named to head the U.S. Central Command.

That gave him authority over troops in Iraq, where he helped develop a counterinsurgency approach before overseeing the U.S. withdrawal, and Afghanistan, where he implemented a troop surge. It also gave him responsibility for an area including Syria, Yemen and Iran.

Previously, he led the U.S. Joint Forces Command and a NATO command charged with preparing the alliance’s forces to meet future challenges.

A colorful commander, he earned the nickname “Mad Dog” with his battle-hardened swagger and the sort of blunt language marines are famous for. He has been quoted as saying, “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.”

But to serve as defense secretary, Mattis would need Senate confirmation — and a waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving in that post for seven years after leaving active duty.

The law is intended to ensure the bedrock notion of civilian control of the nation’s military.

For the first event on his post-election “thank you” tour, Trump on Thursday drew a crowd of several thousand people to a Cincinnati arena — but perhaps one that lacked the fervor seen at his campaign rallies.

The US Bank Arena in the Ohio city has a capacity of more than 17,000, but on Thursday night before the Republican billionaire was due to take the stage with running mate Mike Pence, about half the seats were empty.

On Oct. 13, a few weeks before Election Day, enthusiastic Trump supporters packed the arena — 21,000 of them, according to the president-elect himself at the time.

“It’s cold outside,” said Tim Smolinski, a 63-year-old semi-retired aerospace engineer, who had no trouble finding a good seat along with his wife.

Other attendees said huge traffic jams and sealed-off roads near the venue — home to the minor league Cincinnati Cyclones ice hockey team — could explain why the arena was not full.

Throughout the presidential campaign, which ended with Trump’s Nov. 8 victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, the Manhattan property mogul drew huge enthusiastic crowds.

But on Thursday, there was no wait at the security checkpoint to enter — and also no lines at the concession stands.

Those present nevertheless were thrilled that the 70-year-old Trump has undertaken what is essentially a victory tour — an unusual step for a newly elected president — in the key swing states that handed him the presidency.

“I think it’s just exciting that he even wants to spend the time to acknowledge the people that brought him to the place that he is,” said 71-year-old Terry Babic, 71, who said he is retired but still does radio broadcasting.

Babic said he and his wife drove five hours from Cleveland just to attend.

The Trump supporters in attendance said that so far, the president-elect had met their expectations during the transition period before he succeeds Barack Obama on Jan. 20, despite media reports of tensions and hiccups in the process.

“Sure, some of his tweets could be worded better,” said William Kelly, an 18-year-old student at the University of Cincinnati who voted for the first time last month.

“I think some of the stuff he says might be straightforward and off the cuff and sure, not what you want to hear, but it’s what we need to hear because it’s true.”

Kelly, wearing a Trump hat, cited the deal reached to keep 1,000 jobs at an air conditioner plant in Indiana from being shifted to Mexico as proof that the president-elect was a man of action.

At the official souvenir stand, red “Make America Great Again” hats were no longer available. They have been replaced with different red hats that say “USA” and “Trump 45” on the back — as he will be the 45th U.S. president.</s>CINCINNATI — The pugnacious, brawling Donald Trump voters got to know during the presidential campaign is back.

The president-elect returned to his campaign roots Thursday in his first major public appearance since Election Day, holding court in front of thousands of adoring fans — and even announcing a Cabinet pick from the stage.

Trump's first stop on this "Thank you" tour to salute his supporters was in Ohio and, ever the showman, he made the surprise announcement that he will be offering the post of defense secretary to retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis. Trump said he was supposed to unveil that Monday, so he jokingly warned the Cincinnati crowd to "not tell anyone."

The raucous rallies during the Trump campaign road show often had the feel of a rock concert, and Thursday night in Cincinnati had all the hallmarks of a reunion tour: Trump took a veiled swipe at fellow Republicans. He remembered his general election foe by joking, "We had fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" He boasted about the size of his victory and repeatedly bashed the media. Protesters briefly interrupted the proceedings. And the crowd chanted "Build the Wall" and "Lock Her Up."

The president-elect had eased up on those campaign promises recently, suggesting the U.S.-Mexico border wall could be part-fence and indicating no willingness to pursue criminal charges against Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

Perhaps befitting an encore presentation, the downtown arena that Trump packed in October — drawing a crowd that was one of the loudest of the campaign — was only about half-full Thursday night. But the thousands who were there cheered Trump as he vowed to restore America to greatness, saying, "Now is not the time to downsize our dreams."

Trump did nothing to downplay expectations before he takes office, declaring that "America will start winning again, big league." Much like he did during the stretch run of the campaign, he read from teleprompters, but he was bombastic as ever, spending more than a dozen minutes bragging about his victory before outlining his economic plan.

He boasted about his wins in Midwest states that normally vote Democratic, declaring he didn't just "break the blue wall, we shattered it." He veered off-script to make fun of a protester, saying she was being ejected from the arena so "she could go back to Mommy." He repeated his recent threat that, despite constitutional protections, "if people burn the American flag, there should be consequences."

And he stunned his own aides when he announced the Mattis pick from the stage. Mattis, nicknamed "Mad Dog," is considered one of the foremost strategic thinkers of his generation, but to gain confirmation as Pentagon chief, he would need Congress to waive a requirement that a defense secretary be a civilian for at least seven years before taking up the post.

Mattis retired as chief of the U.S. Central Command in 2013 after serving more than four decades in the Marine Corps. There is no sense of strong opposition to his nomination in Congress.

Trump supporters were thrilled that he had hit the road again.

"That he wants to do this, to take time out of his schedule to fly out here and personally thank the people ... shows what kind of man he is," said Josh Kanowitz, 43. "He's one of us."

But while Kanowitz largely praised Trump's initial moves as president-elect, he visibly recoiled at the suggestion that he might pick Mitt Romney as secretary of state, saying the 2012 Republican presidential nominee was "someone we should leave behind as we move forward."

Others at the rally also expressed some hesitancy at Trump's picks, with a few suggesting that choosing former Goldman Sachs partner Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary was not exactly fulfilling Trump's campaign promise to "Drain the Swamp" and eliminate corruption and elitism from Washington.

The rally in Cincinnati was the second stop on a victory lap through the Midwest on Thursday, coming hours after Trump saluted workers, owners and himself at a Carrier plant in Indiana. There he declared that a deal to keep a local plant open instead of moving operations to Mexico was only the first of many business victories to come.

Some questions remain about the extent of the victory at Carrier, which announced this week that it will keep an Indianapolis plant open. In February, the heating and air conditioning company said it would shut the plant and send jobs to Mexico, and video of angry workers being informed about the decision soon went viral.

"Companies are not going to leave the United States anymore without consequences. It's not going to happen. It's simply not going to happen," Trump said to workers at the Indianapolis plant.

Officials said this week that Carrier had agreed to keep some 800 union jobs at the plant. Seth Martin, a spokesman for Carrier, said Indiana offered the air conditioning and furnace manufacturer $7 million in tax incentives after negotiations with Trump's team to keep some jobs in the state.

Associated Press writers Julie Pace in Washington, Lisa Cornwell from Cincinnati and Brian Slodysko from Indianapolis contributed reporting.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — The latest on President-elect Donald Trump (all times EST):

Pennsylvania congressman Lou Barletta says he's talking to President-elect Donald Trump about the job of secretary of the Labor Department.

The three-term Republican lawmaker and hard-liner on immigration said Friday in an interview he'll talk to his family about the job over the weekend. Barletta insists, though, that the job hasn't been offered.

The congressman is on the Trump transition team, and he said Friday that the president-elect will make more Cabinet decisions next week.

A top aide to President-elect Donald Trump says law enforcement officials in his administration might continue investigations into Hillary Clinton's private email, even though Trump has signaled he prefers not to pursue the matter.

Kellyanne Conway was Trump's campaign manager. Conway said Friday Trump still prefers not to pursue a case against Clinton. But she says law enforcement officials and Congress "may take a look at that."

Speaking on ABC's Good Morning America, Conway said the Justice Department, Congress and the FBI could still review Clinton-related inquiries.

She spoke in response to "lock her up" chants that greeted Trump during a rally Thursday. During the campaign, Trump said he would have his attorney general appoint a special prosecutor to review the Clinton inquiries.

Lithuania's president is urging president-elect Donald Trump to uphold the United States' security commitment to Europe amid lingering doubts about his intentions toward NATO allies.

President Dalia Grybauskaite said Friday the U.S. remains "the guarantor of peace after the Second World War in Europe. We expect that this mission, and this understanding, will stay."

Trump suggested during the campaign that only allies paying their fair share might deserve protection from the U.S. Grybauskaite says Lithuania is on track to meet NATO's target for military spending by 2018.

She spoke in eastern Lithuania as NATO nations were winding up a major military exercise, part of the alliance's effort to reassure member countries close to Russia's borders.

The pugnacious, brawling Donald Trump voters got to know during the presidential campaign is back.

The president-elect returned to his campaign roots Thursday in his first major public appearance since Election Day, holding court in front of thousands of adoring fans — and even making the surprise announcement that he will be offering the post of Defense Secretary to retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis.

The raucous rally in Ohio had all the hallmarks of a reunion tour: Trump took a veiled swipe at fellow Republicans. He remembered his general election foe by joking, "We had fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" He boasted about size of his victory and repeatedly bashed the media. Protesters briefly interrupted the proceedings. And the crowd chanted "Build the Wall" and "Lock Her Up."</s>CLOSE James Mattis is a retired four-star Marine general who played several leading roles in the military for over 40 years. USA TODAY NETWORK

Retired Marine general James Mattis (Photo: Alex Brandon, AP)

CLOSE President-elect Trump revealed the 'secret' that he appointed retired Gen. James Mattis as Defense secretary during his 'Thank You Tour' in Cincinnati. USA TODAY NETWORK

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has selected James Mattis, a legendary, tough-talking retired Marine Corps general who favors a robust military and criticized the Obama administration's approach to war, to lead the Defense Department.

Trump joked about the announcement at a rally Thursday night in Cincinnati.

"We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our Secretary of Defense," Trump said. "But we're not announcing it 'til Monday, so don't tell anybody."

Mattis retired in 2013 after leading the military’s Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and Africa. He will require a waiver from Congress to become Defense secretary because the law prohibits veterans who have been retired for fewer than seven years from taking the job. That is expected to be a formality, given support for him from many in Congress, including Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz., the influential chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

Mattis made headlines at a series of prominent commands with blunt talk that appealed to troops and left no doubt about his approach to war. After leading troops in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, he told an audience in San Diego in 2005 that he relished fighting.

"Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot," Mattis said. "It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up there with you. I like brawling. You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

Those remarks earned him a rebuke from his superiors but didn’t stop his ascent to the military’s most prestigious and taxing posts. Known as the “Warrior Monk,” Mattis also cultivates a bookish reputation.

Mattis is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, and has continued to speak out about military policy in retirement. In 2014, he criticized the Obama administration’s plan to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2016, a stand that it has abandoned in favor of leaving about 10,000 troops there to train local forces and fight terrorists.

Deadlines for withdraw, Mattis said then, simply embolden American enemies.

“We want to crush the enemy’s hope to win through violence,” Mattis said. “Yet we have now given the enemy hope that if they hang on until our announced withdrawal date they can perhaps come back.”

Mattis’ views may mesh with Trump’s calls to beef up the military and more aggressively prosecute the war against Islamic State terrorists.

As Defense secretary, Mattis will inherit the ongoing air war in Iraq and Syria, as well as the thousands of U.S. troops on the ground there who training local forces and elite commandos who are targeting leaders of the terrorist organization, also known as ISIL. The war against Taliban insurgents and al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Afghanistan will grind on as well.

He’ll be responsible for more than 1 million active-duty troops and a budget of more than $600 billion annually.

Also on his plate: the increasingly aggressive Russian military, which has seized Crimea from Ukraine and regularly harasses U.S. ships and warplanes operating in international waters and airspace in Europe; and China’s mounting ambitions in the South China Sea where it has built artificial islands and fortified them with landing strips and troops.

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in New York Thursday, and met with Michael Flynn, Trump's choice to be national security adviser. Gates' top priority at the Pentagon, while the wars raged in Iraq and Afghanistan, was the fielding of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles to protect troops from roadside bombs.

In 2005, Mattis was the top officer at the Marine Corps command that allowed a request to field the urgently needed combat trucks to languish. A 2008 Pentagon inspector general report singled out his Marine Corps Combat Development Command for failing to act on an urgent plea for MRAPs to replace vulnerable Humvees.

It wasn't until 2007, after Gates read about the trucks' superior protection in a story in USA TODAY, that he forced the Pentagon bureaucracy to buy them to replace Humvees. The Pentagon and Gates credit MRAPs with saving the lives of thousands of troops.

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2grmKIY</s>CINCINNATI: US President-elect Donald Trump said he has picked the tough-talking retired general James Mattis to be his defense secretary as he soaked up adulation at a buoyant Ohio rally that recalled this year’s rough-and-tumble campaign.

The splash of hard news came during a sea of soaring — and then blunt — rhetoric from the 70-year-old Republican billionaire, who was speaking at his first post-election event following days of meetings about forming his cabinet.

“We are going to appoint ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as our secretary of defense,” Trump told cheering supporters in Cincinnati, referring by nickname to the four-star Marine general who headed the US Central Command, with authority over troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“He’s our best. They say he’s the closest thing to (World War II) general George Patton that we have,” Trump said, apparently divulging his pick days ahead of schedule as his transition team had already said there would be no more cabinet announcements this week.

Mattis will require both Senate confirmation and a special waiver of a law that bans uniformed military officers from serving as secretary of defense for seven years after leaving active duty.

At least one Democrat, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, already signaled she will oppose the waiver.

“Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy,” the senator tweeted from New York.

Trump’s surrounding himself with military figures — he has picked retired general Michael Flynn to be his national security advisor and is considering retired general David Petraeus for secretary of state — has unnerved some observers who point to America’s long tradition of civilian government.

At the start of his address, Trump launched lofty appeals to unite what he called a “very divided nation” and reject “bigotry and prejudice in all of its forms.”

Americans will “come together — we have no choice, we have to,” he added.

On the economy, “Americans will be the captains of their own destiny once again,” he promised.

He even vowed to try to work with Democrats to end gridlock in Congress.

But the Manhattan property mogul, who defeated Hillary Clinton last month to win the White House, dramatically returned to the abrasive tone that marked his controversial and ultimately victorious campaign.

He savaged the nation’s “extremely dishonest” press, slammed illegal immigration and the country’s refugee program, mocked his critics and vowed to “drain the swamp” in establishment-heavy Washington.

It became a loose, swerving speech that kicked off what his team has branded a “thank you tour” — a victory lap of sorts that will take him to several political battlegrounds including Ohio, perhaps the nation’s ultimate swing state.

“I love you Ohio!” the populist political novice said to a loud cheer from a crowd that filled roughly half the US Bank Arena, which has a capacity of around 17,000. Trump lamented the roadblocks surrounding the venue, which he said had depressed attendance.

The tone was decidedly more boastful than his afternoon appearance in neighboring Indiana, where he visited a company and claimed credit for saving American jobs.

The president-elect, who made guaranteeing jobs for blue-collar US workers a key campaign plank, strode triumphantly through an Indiana factory that makes Carrier air conditioners, trumpeting a deal to keep 1,100 manufacturing positions from moving to Mexico.

He then starkly warned other US firms that they will face “consequences” if they relocate abroad.

“The era of economic surrender is over,” Trump assured. “We’re going to fight for every last American job. It is time to remove the rust from the rust belt and usher in a new industrial revolution.”

During the race, the Republican billionaire threatened to slap tariffs on firms that decamped for places like Mexico or Asia, where labor and other costs are cheaper.

“Buy American and hire American,” he said in Ohio. “That will be our new mantra.”

Carrier has announced it will preserve more than 1,000 jobs and continue to manufacture gas furnaces in Indianapolis, thanks to $7 million in state incentives negotiated with the help of Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Indiana’s governor.

Several hundred jobs will still move to Mexico.

The deal is an unorthodox industry intervention, and Trump signaled he could carry it out again when in office.

“What happened today in Indiana, we’re going to do that all over the country,” he said in Cincinnati.

The White House avoided criticizing Trump’s effort, saying saving jobs is laudable, but expressed skepticism about the strategy of keeping jobs in America one company at a time.

“Mr Trump would have to make 804 more announcements just like that to equal the standard of jobs in the manufacturing sector that were created in this country under President Obama’s watch,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

Trump appeared in his element in Cincinnati, said Beth Desch, a recently unemployed 59-year-old at the rally.

“Very upbeat, very optimistic, very happy to be where he is,” she said.

Trump basked in the glow of a campaign-style event, looking back fondly at how he “trounced” his rivals in the most brutal campaign in modern times.

“We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didn’t we?” Trump quipped as his supporters cheered. AFP</s>Video: Donald Trump wants James 'Mad Dog' Mattis for Secretary of Defense

At a 'thank you' victory rally in Cincinnati Thursday evening, President-elect Donald Trump announced he would "appoint" former Marine Corps General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense.</s>Washington: President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he will nominate retired Gen. James Mattis to be his defence secretary, making the announcement during a post-election victory rally in Cincinnati.

Mattis, 66, is a Marine Corps general who retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the U.S. Central Command.

His selection raises questions about increased military influence in a job designed to insure civilian control of the armed forces. The concerns revolve around whether a recently retired service member would rely more on military solutions to international problems, rather than a broader, more diplomatic approach.

For Mattis to be confirmed, Congress would first have to approve legislation bypassing a law that bars retired military officers from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty.

Mattis has a reputation as a battle-hardened, tough-talking Marine who was entrusted with some of the most challenging commands in the U.S. military. In a tweet Sunday, Trump referred to Mattis by his nickname "Mad Dog" and described him as "A true General's General!"

Mattis would be only the second retired general to serve as defense secretary, the first being George C. Marshall in 1950-51 during the Korean War. Marshall was a much different figure, having previously served as U.S. secretary of state and playing a key role in creating closer ties with western Europe after World War II.

The only previous time an exception was made to the law barring someone from becoming defense secretary within seven years of leaving active duty was for Marshall.

Although his record in combat and his credentials as a senior commander are widely admired, Mattis has little experience in the diplomatic aspects of the job of a secretary of defense.

Richard Fontaine, president of the Center for a New American Security, described Mattis as a defense intellectual and as a military leader who distinguished himself in combat.

"He knows the Middle East, South Asia, NATO and other areas and has evinced both a nuanced approach to the wars we're in and an appreciation for the importance of allies," Fontaine said in an email exchange. "If he were to get the nomination, I suspect that he could attract a number of very talented people to work with him."

But Mattis hasn't been immune to controversy. He was criticized for remarking in 2005 that he enjoyed shooting people. He also drew more recent scrutiny for his involvement with the embattled biotech company Theranos, where he serves on the board.

Born in Pullman, Washington, Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969, later earning a history degree from Central Washington University. He was commissioned as an officer in 1972. As a lieutenant colonel, Mattis led an assault battalion into Kuwait during the first U.S. war with Iraq in 1991.

As head of the Central Command from 2010 until his retirement in 2013, he was in charge of both the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Mattis commanded the Marines who launched an early amphibious assault into Afghanistan and established a U.S. foothold in the Taliban heartland.

As the first wave of Marines moved toward Kandahar, Mattis declared that, "The Marines have landed, and now we own a piece of Afghanistan."

Two years later, he helped lead the invasion into Iraq in 2003 as the two-star commander of the 1st Marine Division.

In 2005, he raised eyebrows when he told a San Diego forum that it was "fun to shoot some people."

According to a recording of Mattis' remarks, he said, "Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling."

He added, "You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil," Mattis continued. "You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."

Mattis was counselled to choose his words more carefully.

A year later, Mattis came under scrutiny during one of the more high-profile criminal investigations of the Iraq war, the shooting deaths of 24 Iraqis by Marines.

The Iraqis, who included unarmed women and children, were killed by Marines in the town of Haditha after one of their comrades was killed by a roadside bomb. Eight Marines were charged in connection with the killings - four enlisted men were charged with unpremeditated murder and four officers who weren't there at the time were accused of failures in investigating and reporting the deaths.

As commander of the accused Marines' parent unit, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Mattis ultimately dismissed charges against most of the Marines.

As a top Marine general, Mattis pushed for the military to adopt blood-testing technology developed by Theranos.

As reported by The Washington Post , Mattis first met the Theranos founder, Elizabeth A. Holmes, in 2011. A year later, according to emails obtained by The Post, Holmes used her connection to Mattis to pressure him to intervene after a Pentagon official raised concerns that the company was distributing its technology without approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

The emails show within hours after Holmes asked Mattis for help, he forward her email to other military officials asking them "how do we overcome this new obstacle."

Mattis joined Theranos' board the same year he retired. The company, which raised hundreds of millions of dollars on the promise of breakthrough blood-testing technology, was forced to invalidate two years of patients' test results after the reliability of its proprietary blood testing machinery was questioned by internal and government whistleblowers and investigative reporting by The Wall Street Journal.
President-elect Donald Trump names retired United States Marine Corps general James Mattis as United States Secretary of Defense.