Trump, Harris on the Trail But Transition Teams Are Hard at Work

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(Bloomberg) — The teams of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are quietly preparing their governments-in-waiting, even as the candidates remain focused on actually winning the presidency in the final days of an incredibly close election on Tuesday.

Not surprisingly, their methods are as different as their campaigns.

Harris’ lean transition team has already set up shop in federal government offices, is working with the U.S. General Services Administration, and is building its infrastructure on a taxpayer-funded budget, meaning the team has agreed to limits of $5,000 for individual private donations. It is led by the same official, former Ambassador Yohannes Abraham, who managed Joe Biden’s transition after the 2020 election.

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Trump has shied away from any government funding or office space so far, so his civil servant allies and the Biden administration don’t trust them. This frees him from accepting unlimited private donations. Howard Lutnick, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, is managing personnel while Linda McMahon, former head of the Small Business Administration in the Trump administration, is overseeing policy development.

Trump’s team aims to reduce chaos

Trump’s transition team is much more organized than it was in 2016, according to three people familiar with it. A Trump adviser says the team is trying to prepare because no one wants a repeat of the chaotic first days of the White House in 2017.

McMahon and her staff are drafting a series of executive orders Trump could issue on immigration, trade, energy and other areas, as well as strategizing on how to pass another sweeping tax bill next year, according to three people familiar with the efforts. Lutnick has been meeting with members of Congress, donors, business executives, conservative leaders and former Trump administration officials to compile job titles and begin vetting them.

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The America First Policy Institute, led by Brooke Rollins, a former top Trump aide, has worked for four years drafting policy proposals that Trump could quickly deploy if he wins, including plans for agencies to implement in the first 100 days, according to a person involved in the effort.

Former US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his allies are also making plans for tariffs involving China and the European Union, among other trade issues.

To be clear, Trump and Harris’ attention is elsewhere. The former president told his allies and advisers that he considered it bad luck to talk about what might happen if he won. At the same time, Team Harris has been on a whirlwind presidential campaign since she officially replaced Biden on the ticket in August.

Transition teams typically have to fill about 4,000 positions across the White House and federal agencies.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Racing for jobs

Former Trump administration officials have been vying for jobs since the Republican National Convention, with Trump allies setting up shop in Milwaukee bars and restaurants near the convention center, dividing up jobs in a Trump 2.0 world.

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Lutnick’s lists now include thousands of names, with notes on who recommended them. Trump’s family members, including his sons Don Jr. and Eric, provided names, as did his colleague J.D. Vance. People associated with the Heritage Foundation or anyone involved in the foundation’s disavowed 2025 project need not apply, people familiar with the effort said.

Even the best laid plans don’t always work out in Trump world. In 2016, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and his close aides spent months carefully compiling lists of people and policies, only to see Steve Bannon toss the folders in the trash shortly after Trump won.

The team essentially started from scratch, with loyalists interviewing assigned people, doling out jobs based on perceived loyalty, or if someone looked like the role. Privately, Trump’s 2024 transition recognizes that the same pattern may be repeated.

Trump allies say they are trying to fill the government with as many private sector employees as possible, but they are surrounding business executives with former White House aides who can teach them about government, according to two people familiar with the transition.

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The important jobs are the Treasury and State secretaries and are usually the first choices to give markets and foreign allies a sense of stability. The Treasury Department’s list includes Lutnick himself, billionaire donor and hedge fund donor John Paulson, Lighthizer, former Soros money manager Scott Besent, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, a former Carlyle Group executive.

Harris’ team begins scanning

Harris’ transition team is focused on creating a vetting process so it can quickly assemble names for Cabinet positions and develop plans to implement her policy promises.

All policy proposals are still being worked out from the campaign by a handful of longtime aides like Ike Irby who has worked for Harris since she was in the Senate. Assisting in the transition efforts are Josh Hsu, a former adviser to the vice president, and Dana Remus, a former Biden White House adviser who is serving as an adviser.

“There is no transition without a successful campaign and that is the top priority right now,” said Adam Hodge, a Harris transition spokesman. “The transition process is focused on creating the necessary infrastructure to be ready for the post-election period.”

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