U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday chose Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman and an outspoken critic of the Biden administration's foreign policy, to become his director of national intelligence.

The meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hung over Gabbard, Trump’s choice for director of national intelligence, as she ran for president in 2020.

Donald Trump was expected to pick an outsider to lead the U.S. intelligence community. He exceeded expectations by choosing Tulsi Gabbard. The former Democratic member of Congress from Hawaii has many critics and no formal intelligence experience.

Governors Safeguarding Democracy was announced as a "nonpartisan alliance of governors that works together to uphold and fortify American democracy."

Donald Trump and his Republican Party have an ambitious agenda and control of US Congress. Trump has said he will "make heads spin" as he moves full-speed ahead after his inauguration on 20 January. His team has said to expect a flurry of executive orders - directives from the US president - out of the Oval Office in the first week.

President-elect Donald Trump will meet with House Republicans on Wednesday as the party awaits the prospect of scoring a trifecta in Washington with control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.