Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, is looming large. As the White House prepares to send President Joe Biden on his way and welcome President-elect Donald Trump, the country lives through a limbo as the lame duck leader and incoming commander-in-chief prepare for the near future. But this transition period is far from laid back. What is 47 doing to prepare for his second term?
Trump Busy During Transition
On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Trump will go to the White House to meet with Biden to prepare for a peaceful transition of power. While nothing official has been released, the Russia-Ukraine war will surely be a main topic. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told CBS News’ Face the Nation, “President Biden will have the opportunity over the next 70 days to make the case to the Congress and to the incoming administration that the United States should not walk away from Ukraine, that walking away from Ukraine means more instability in Europe.”
Trump has condemned sending more funds to Ukraine and said that, had he been in office, this war would have never happened. Recently, he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, advising him not to escalate the conflict, a source told Reuters. Trump has also spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Presidential Appointments
One of the biggest tasks for Trump during the transition is filling jobs and making appointments. He’ll be busy since there are around 4,000 positions to fill and about 1,200 of those will require Senate confirmation. Although, with the Republicans controlling the Senate, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
Trump has already filled one important position by appointing Susie Wiles as his chief of staff. Referred to as “the ice maiden,” the 67-year-old ran his re-election campaign and became the first woman to hold that position. Wiles “just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history,” Trump said in a statement. She “is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected.” He added, “It is a well deserved honor to have Susie as the first-ever female chief of staff in United States history. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”
Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan will be taking the job of “border czar,” the task Vice President Kamala Harris was given. He told Fox & Friends, “I’ve been on this network for years complaining about what this administration did to this border. I’ve been yelling and screaming about it and what they need to do to fix it. So when the president asked me, ‘Would you come back and fix it?’ Of course. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t. I’m honored the president asked me to come back and help solve this national security crisis, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is Trump’s choice for UN ambassador. The New Yorker is the fourth-ranking House Republican and has been a strong supporter of the president-elect. “I am honored to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as U.S. Ambassador to the United States,” Trump said in a statement. “Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter.”
Whom will the president-elect pick for the other positions? Despite what some thought, it looks like Trump will not be asking his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or UN Ambassador Nikki Haley to join his team. Pompeo considered a run for the 2024 presidential election but didn’t go through with it. Haley, however, did run against Trump.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president first as a Democrat, then as an Independent. Later, he decided to endorse Trump, making his famous family angry. Now, it looks like he will be serving the new administration to “help make America healthy again,” as the former president explained. Kennedy has vowed to end adding fluoride to tap water, a suggestion that has sparked controversy.
Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, is in good standing to become part of the Department of Government Efficiency which will be “tasked with conducting a complete financial and performance audit on the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms,” according to Newsweek. Musk has said he’d like to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget and “start from scratch” to achieve “long-term prosperity.”
Musk would have some help if John Paulson is appointed Treasury secretary. Paulson is a billionaire investor who vowed to cut green projects passed by the current administration under the Inflation Reduction Act. “All of these tax subsidies for solar, for wind, inefficient, uneconomic energy sources,” he told The Wall Street Journal. “Eliminate that. That brings down spending.” He also told the outlet he plans to institute “strategic tariffs” on Chinese companies.
The former US ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, is a contender for secretary of state or national security advisor. In March, on a podcast episode of Self Centered, he said, “If you want to avoid war, you better have a son of a b–ch as the secretary of state.” He added that America needs a “tough” chief diplomat “who goes in to these tables and says: ‘Guys, if we don’t solve this here, if we don’t represent peace and figure out a tough way, I’ve got to take this file, go back to the United States and transfer it to the secretary of defense, who doesn’t negotiate. He’s going to bomb you.’”
Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat, is being considered for a national security position. “Tulsi Gabbard, different places, former colleague other side of the aisle, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a role for her somewhere in the diplomatic sphere if she had that opportunity,” Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) told The Hill. She served in the House of Representatives for eight years and was a Democratic presidential candidate in 2020.
What Does Day 1 Look Like?
When Trump steps into the Oval Office, his priorities will be, as he has said, “I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”
At a rally in New York last month, Trump promised, “On Day 1, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out. I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail, then kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible.”
At a rally in North Carolina, the president-elect declared, “We’re being invaded by Mexico,” and, talking about Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s new president, “I’m going to inform her on Day 1 or sooner that if they don’t stop this onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into our country, I’m going to immediately impose a 25% tariff on everything they send into the United States of America.”
Another first-day agenda item is pardoning some of the Capitol rioters. Calling them “unbelievable patriots,” he promised to help them “the first day we get into office.”
When it comes to education, Trump told rally-goers in Wisconsin, “on Day 1” he would “sign a new executive order” to cut federal funding for any school “pushing critical race theory, transgender insanity and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content onto the lives of our children.”
“Within two seconds” of taking the Oval Office, Trump said he would fire Jack Smith, the special counsel who has plagued him with federal indictments.
Trump’s ambitious agenda is taking shape. With a packed list of priorities and bold promises, he is wasting no time in getting on with business.