This is the second time in which a president has served two non-consecutive terms, the first being Grover Cleveland with the elections of 1884 and 1892.
Developments
Trump became the party's presumptive nominee on March 12, 2024, and formally accepted the nomination at the Republican National Convention in July later that year. The Trump campaign announced the formation of the transition team on August 16, with Linda McMahon, Trump's former head of the Small Business Administration, and Howard Lutnick, the billionaire CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and BGC Group, officially named as co-chairs. Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance, along with his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, were designated as honorary co-chairs.[2] The effort beginning at this time was considered unusually late, as historically, most transition efforts start in the late spring.[3]
Trump disavowed any connection to Project 2025, also known as the 2025 Presidential Transition Project, a 900-page governance proposal published in April 2023 by the Heritage Foundation. The document was authored by some 140 Trump associates. Heritage president Kevin Roberts said Trump was "making a political tactical decision there" by distancing himself from Project 2025.[4][5][6]
On August 27, attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard were also selected as honorary co-chairs, both of which being former Democrats who had recently endorsed Trump.[7] Kennedy had originally mounted an independent presidential bid before withdrawing from the race to endorse Trump.[8]
In October, the New York Times noted how Trump had refused to sign standard agreements around ethics and disclosure in order to begin key aspects of the transition process. The internal ethics pledges signed by Trump staff so far have been more lenient than standard pledges signed by Harris' transition team and the Trump team does not have to disclose its donors to the transition effort until it does.[9]
In October, Politico reported on how potential conflicts of interest surrounding co-chair Howard Lutnick had created tension within the transition team and criticism of the transition effort.[10]
During the early morning of November 6, Trump was projected to win the 2024 presidential election. During her concession speech, Vice President Kamala Harris committed to a peaceful transition of power,[11] and President Joe Biden appeared at a press event at the Rose Garden on November 7 where he named "the steps he was taking" in coordinating a White House transition.[12]
Potential appointees
In an August 2024 interview with Reuters, Trump expressed interest in appointing businessman Elon Musk to an administration position, potentially to his Cabinet, referring to Musk as "a brilliant guy." Musk, who is the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, as well as the chairman of X, has expressed views aligned with Trump and financially supported his campaign through a super PAC named America PAC. Musk had expressed interest in serving on a "government efficiency commission" if Trump were to be elected to another term.[13] However, days later, Trump walked back expectations of Musk joining his Cabinet, believing him to be too preoccupied with his business career to serve effectively.[14]
During Trump's selection of a running mate prior to the convention, North Dakota governor Doug Burgum and U.S. senator Marco Rubio were reported to be among the finalists for consideration.[15] When Trump eventually selected Vance as his vice presidential candidate, he made a phone call to Burgum in which he appeared to offer him a Cabinet position.[16] Since then, Burgum and Rubio have been considered as top contenders for Trump's secretary of state, with U.S. senator Bill Hagerty, who served as Trump's ambassador to Japan, also reported to be in consideration.[17] Burgum announced a diplomatic visit to Israel in September, in what was seen as an effort to campaign for the secretary position.[18] Former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has also revealed he has held talks with Trump for a potential cabinet position.[19]
Appointees
Susie Wiles was appointed as the White House Chief of Staff on November 7, 2024, and will officially begin her duties following Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2025. She will be the first woman to hold this position.[20] Wiles had previously worked as a campaign manager for Trump's presidential campaigns in 2016, 2020, and 2024.[21]
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