United States presidential transition facts for kids
In the United States, a presidential transition is the time when a new president-elect gets ready to take over the government from the current president. This planning can start even before the election. The official transition begins when the General Services Administration (GSA) announces who the "apparent winner" is. This announcement releases money from Congress to help with the transition. The process continues until Inauguration Day, when the president-elect takes the oath of office. At this point, the new president officially gains all the powers and responsibilities of the presidency.
The 20th Amendment to the Constitution, added in 1933, changed the start date for the president and vice president from March 4 to January 20. This made the transition period shorter. After an election, a president who is leaving office is often called a "lame-duck president". A transition can also happen quickly if a president dies, resigns, or is removed from office.
The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 helps make sure the transfer of power is smooth and peaceful. Under this law, major political parties' presidential candidates get secret national security briefings once they are officially nominated. They also receive services and offices from the General Services Administration, including office space, equipment, and money for certain expenses. After the presidential election, a book called the Plum Book is published. It lists over 9,000 government jobs that the new president needs to review and fill. Even though the official transition starts when a new president is clearly elected, votes are still counted until all are in. Then, state officials confirm the final vote counts before the Electoral College meets in mid-December to cast their votes.
A transition usually involves a special team that plans before the election. This team considers who will work for the new president and helps the incoming administration learn how the government works. They also develop plans for what the new president wants to achieve.
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How Presidential Transitions Began
The idea of a "presidential transition" as we know it today didn't become common until around 1948. Before that, these changes were much simpler. They often happened without much planning or help from the president who was leaving office. Legally, a president-elect didn't even have to come to the capital until Inauguration Day. There wasn't much need for detailed talks with the outgoing administration.
It wasn't until the 1950s that people started paying more attention to how presidential transitions worked. President Harry S. Truman helped set up the modern way of doing things. He offered to give secret briefings to Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower. After Eisenhower won the 1952 election, Truman invited him to the White House. Truman also told government agencies to help with the transition. Eight years later, John F. Kennedy did a lot of planning for his transition, even though he didn't meet with Eisenhower until December 6, 1960, a few weeks after the election.
Laws for Smooth Transitions
The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 created the rules for a smooth and peaceful transfer of power. This law has been updated many times over the years. Some of the updates include the Presidential Transitions Effectiveness Act of 1998, the Presidential Transition Act of 2000, and the Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010. More recent updates include the Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015, the Presidential Transition Act of 2019, and the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022.
The Pre-Election Presidential Transition Act of 2010 requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to give potential presidential transition teams office space, facilities, money for staff, and access to government services. For example, in 2012, Mitt Romney's transition team was going to receive $8.9 million from the government. This law also requires the GSA to tell major party candidates about these services within three business days of their nomination. This act was passed partly because of national security worries after the 9/11 attacks.
The Presidential Transition Act of 2019 requires the current president to set up "transition councils" by June of an election year. These councils help prepare for a possible change in power.
How the Transition Process Works
The transition process starts when leading presidential candidates create a transition team. This team begins making early plans for building a new administration if they win the election. This can happen whenever the candidate chooses. For example, in 2008, Barack Obama's team started planning several months before Election Day. His team, called the "Obama-Biden Transition Project," studied past transitions and how government agencies work. They also figured out which important jobs needed to be filled first. In 2012, before Mitt Romney became the Republican candidate, his team also started planning for a possible transition. Romney's team made detailed plans for the transfer of power, including a list of laws they wanted to pass in the first 200 days.
During the 2016 election, Donald Trump started putting his transition team together in May, after he became the likely Republican candidate. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, started her team later, in August. Key activities before the election include setting goals, organizing the transition team, and deciding who is responsible for what. It also involves building relationships with Congress, the outgoing administration, the GSA, and other government agencies. This helps with sharing information and starting the background checks for new staff.
The GSA administrator officially decides who the "apparent winner" of a presidential election is. If it's not the current president, the winner can then access government agencies and transition money. To release these government funds, the GSA Administrator must send an "ascertainment" letter. This letter officially starts the transition. Without it, the winning candidate's team cannot get government funding, secure office space, equipment, or access to agencies.
There are no strict rules for how the GSA decides the president-elect. Usually, the GSA chief makes the decision after major news organizations have announced the winner. It can also happen after the losing candidate has given up. Once the GSA administrator makes the declaration, about $9.9 million in transition funds become available. This money covers salaries, support, and computer systems. It also allows transition officials to get government email addresses and office space. The team can then start working with the Office of Government Ethics on financial forms for new nominees.
The actual transition phase begins right after the presidential election, unless there are disputes about the votes. This happens when a current president is not re-elected or is finishing their second term. For example, after the 2016 election, on November 9, 2016, President Barack Obama announced that he had spoken with Donald Trump. He invited Trump to the White House to make sure there was a "successful transition." Obama said he told his staff to follow the example of George W. Bush's administration in 2008, which he called "professional and gracious." This phase lasts about 72 to 78 days, ending on Inauguration Day. During this time, the transition team must manage many new staff members and prepare to take over government duties. Important tasks include staffing the office of the president-elect, sending teams to review agencies, and planning the new president's goals and schedule. They also identify key people needed to carry out the new president's plans.
New Leaders and Staff
It is common for Cabinet secretaries and other high-level political appointees to offer their resignation on Inauguration Day (January 20) when a new president takes office. Their deputies are also expected to resign, but they are often asked to stay on temporarily until the new secretary is confirmed by the Senate.
Famous Transitions in History
Presidential transitions have happened since 1797, when George Washington handed power to John Adams. Most transitions have been smooth, but some have been difficult.
Buchanan to Lincoln
During the 1860–61 transition from James Buchanan to Abraham Lincoln (November 6, 1860, to March 4, 1861), seven states left the United States in February. Buchanan believed states could not leave, but also that the government could not stop them by force. Buchanan peacefully transferred power to Lincoln on March 4, 1861. The American Civil War began just a month later, on April 12, 1861.
Grant to Hayes
In the 1876 election to replace Ulysses S. Grant, there were arguments over 20 electoral votes in four states. This was enough to decide the election for either Rutherford B. Hayes or Samuel J. Tilden. There were also many claims of election cheating. It was unclear who would become president on Inauguration Day. This serious problem was solved only two days before the inauguration. This happened through the Compromise of 1877, which ended the Reconstruction era by removing federal troops from the South.
Hoover to Roosevelt
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The 1932–33 transition (November 8, 1932, to March 4, 1933) from Herbert Hoover to Franklin D. Roosevelt happened during the Great Depression.
After the election, Roosevelt did not agree to Hoover's requests for a meeting to work together on the crisis. Roosevelt felt it would limit his choices. During this time, the U.S. economy suffered as thousands of banks failed. The relationship between Hoover and Roosevelt was very difficult.
Clinton to Bush
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The 2000–01 transition from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush was shorter than usual. This was because of the Florida recount crisis. The election was not decided until the Supreme Court made its ruling in Bush v. Gore, which made Bush the president-elect.
Because of the vote recount and legal battles between Bush and Al Gore, the election was undecided until December 12, 2000. This made Bush's official transition the shortest in U.S. history, lasting only 39 days.
Bush to Obama
The 2008–09 transition from Bush to Barack Obama was very smooth. Bush agreed to Obama's request to ask Congress to release $350 billion of bank bailout funds. At the start of his inauguration speech, Obama thanked Bush for his service and for being so helpful during the transition. The White House website was updated exactly at 12:01 pm on January 20, 2009. This was seen as a new tradition for the internet age. Also, the new Obama administration received the government's computer systems without any electronic records from the previous administration. Emails, photos, and even phone numbers were removed at the exact moment of the transfer.
However, by April 2012, the Bush administration had transferred electronic records for the presidential offices to the National Archives and Records Administration. These records included over 80 terabytes of data, more than 200 million emails, and 4 million photos.
Obama to Trump
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On the evening of November 8, 2016, the day of the presidential election, President Barack Obama spoke with the likely winner, Donald Trump. He formally invited Trump to the White House on November 10 to ensure a "successful transition."
Early on November 9, news outlets announced that Trump had won enough votes to become president. Hillary Clinton then conceded the election to him. Also on November 9, GSA administrator Denise Turner Roth sent the "ascertainment letter." This officially named Trump president-elect. His transition team then received office space and government funding for staff. Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence were also offered the daily secret President's Daily Brief, with the first one on November 15. The Trump transition website also launched on November 9.
Trump's transition team was led by Mike Pence. It also had six vice-chairs: Chris Christie, Ben Carson, Newt Gingrich, Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani, and Jeff Sessions.
Trump to Biden
In the 2020 presidential election, incumbent president Donald Trump claimed victory early on Election Day, November 3. He asked for all vote counting to stop. The president also claimed there was widespread fraud and started many lawsuits to stop counting votes and prevent results from being confirmed. Officials called the 2020 election the most secure in history. Officials from all fifty states denied claims of fraud.
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Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was generally recognized as the president-elect on November 7, 2020. However, the GSA administrator, Emily W. Murphy, who was appointed by Trump, at first refused to send the "ascertainment" letter. She said the election result was still being disputed. This delay meant Biden's team did not get full funds, secure office space, or access to agencies. (After the 2016 election, the GSA administrator sent the letter the very next day, November 9, 2016.) Biden was also denied daily secret national security briefings. The State Department also did not allow his team to access communications from foreign leaders. This forced Biden's team to use other unofficial ways to communicate.
On November 23, Murphy finally sent the letter, naming Biden as the "apparent winner." This made funds available for his transition, even though Trump still had not conceded. After pro-Trump protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, Trump stated that his "focus now turns to a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power." However, he continued to make false claims about widespread fraud. President Trump did not attend Biden's inauguration. This made him the first president not to attend the inauguration of his elected successor since Andrew Johnson in 1869. Vice President Mike Pence did attend Biden's inauguration.
Biden to Trump
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In the early morning of November 6, 2024, major news outlets announced that Trump would win the 2024 presidential election. Vice President Kamala Harris promised a peaceful transfer of power during her speech that evening. The next day, President Biden announced he was taking steps to help with the transition.
Trump and Biden met in the Oval Office on November 13 for about two hours. Both called for a "smooth transition." Trump also thanked Biden for his efforts. This meeting brought back the tradition of peaceful transitions, which had been interrupted in the previous presidential transition.
List of Presidential Transitions
See Also
- Contingent election, a special process used in U.S. presidential elections if no candidate wins enough votes in the Electoral College.
- Former Presidents Act
- Political transition team
