Donald Trump won. Now begins the sprint to take over one of the world’s largest corporations.
Trump’s transition team, working alongside Kamala Harris’, has already spent months covertly developing plans to restructure the federal government. They’ve been shortlisting Cabinet positions, organizing “landing teams” for government agencies, vetting a host of potential political appointees, hashing out ‘Day One’ policy plans, and doing everything else the next leader of the free world need. However, now that the winner has been announced, much of this material is being made public.
With less than 11 weeks till Inauguration Day, here’s what comes next:
— Every four to eight years, the agency largely responsible for managing the government’s extensive real estate holdings serves as a transition resource center for an incoming administration. The General Service Administration, which drew Trump’s ire in 2020, offers office space, technology assistance, and funds to the president and vice president-elect from now until as late as 60 days after the inauguration, depending on their requirements.
- National security briefings begin. The president-elect’s staff will be given a classified overview of national security concerns as soon as possible.
— In mid-November, Trump’s transition team begins dispatching “agency review teams” to at least a dozen of the country’s more than 100 federal agencies. Those teams are entrusted with determining the state of the career workforce and budget, how their current work fits with the next administration’s agenda, and what challenges await them. They collect reports and deliver them to the transition officials ahead of Inauguration Day.
— In late November, transition staff is likely to select the top 50 applicants for Cabinet jobs and many important White House positions, including general counsel and domestic policy adviser. They will also hire and train “sherpas,” or personnel who help nominees navigate the Senate confirmation process. Those Sherpas will begin reaching out to important Senate committees and members of leadership in an effort to confirm numerous nominations by Inauguration Day.
— Early to mid-December: The president-elect is expected to have a slate of executive orders and regulations ready, as well as an early draft of the budget proposal that he will deliver to Congress in early 2025.
– late December. The GSA will begin aiding President Joe Biden’s transition out of office, which could last up to seven months.
— By the end of January, trainings and orientations for new Cabinet members begin, particularly for individuals with little experience with the federal government. They must also choose over 4,000 political appointees for jobs in the executive branch, with about a fifth requiring Senate confirmation.