Will the Trump Transition Be Successful?
The successful transition period for a new President is vital for setting a solid foundation for the future Presidency. The transition period starts at the end of the general election in November, and it ends on January 20th, the day of the inauguration. During this time, newfound President-elect Donald Trump will designate his brand new government leadership, which includes redoing the Cabinet and agency heads. Putting together a transition team is a huge task, with Trump needing to fill about 4,000 government positions with qualified and trustworthy people. Essentially, the entire White House is going to be turned upside down, with Trump making major changes to swing the political ideology of the White House after a stable and productive past eight years under Barack Obama.
So far, like the election, the transition has been chaotic. Described by a CNN source, the dynamic within the Trump camp has been a “knife fight,” as the advisors are having trouble agreeing on things. Currently, the transition team is being lead by Vice President Mike Pence, who acquired the position after New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was reportedly let go. At the same time, newly appointed Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Chief Strategist Stephen Bannon, and businessman and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are all in a power struggle for control within the team. Mike Flynn Jr. has also allegedly been forced out of the Transition team. Flynn Jr. is the son of General Michael Flynn, the current national security advisor to Trump. He was allegedly responsible for pushing the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory on Twitter, resulting in a gunman walking into Comet Ping Pong Pizzeria with an assault rifle, though he denied that he spread fake information via Twitter. Even small controversies like this is have been distracting and chaotic for the Transition Team, during an already turbulent time.
The President-elect has turned this transition significantly more public than previous transitions by other presidents. He has been tweeting out his thoughts about his next choices for his cabinet, as well as making interviews he has with potential cabinet members public, each interview followed by a media spectacle as they leave the tower.
The execution of a good transition is essential, and a success will help ease tensions within the White House, as well as ease the minds of the people in America after such a messy and divided election. Trump only has about seven weeks left to put together his cabinet that has to be functional for the next four years.
So far, Trump has announced the following nominees to his cabinet:
Mike Pence – Vice President
Steven Mnuchin – Secretary of the Treasury
Jeff Sessions – Attorney General
Ben Carson – Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
James Mattis – Secretary of Defense
Wilbur Ross – Secretary of Commerce
Tom Price – Secretary of Human and Health Services
Elaine Chao – Secretary of Transportation
Betsy DeVos – Secretary of Education
John Kelly – Secretary of Homeland Security
This is as far as the transition has developed so far. The next seven weeks until the inauguration will be crucial for Trump and the Presidency, and organizing the White House. There are several very important positions left to fill, and as citizens of the America, we must hope that the rest of the transition goes as smoothly as possible.