Former president and GOP nominee Donald Trump has, at long last, declared who will lead his transition team should he win his competitive bid for re-election.
The announcement comes less than three months before the highly anticipated election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, making it a delayed decision as most hopeful administrations have shared their transition leadership earlier in the year.
The team will be spearheaded by two major campaign donors. Linda McMahon was the Small Business Administration leader during Trump’s first term in office and Howard Lutnick serves as the head of Cantor Fitzgerald, a financial firm. These two have been selected as co-chairs, the Trump campaign has announced.
As for honorary chair members, the GOP nominee has named Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance—his vice-presidential running mate—and his eldest sons, Donald and Eric, to assume these roles.
The role of the transition team is a practical one, designed to help provide a smooth transition into office, hence the preparation before Election Day. The two top donors who are named to be leaders on this team have a recent history of notable support of the candidate. Earlier this month, Lutnick hosted a Hampton fundraiser for the campaign.
McMahon, for her part, has also spearheaded the America First Policy Institute over the past few years, which is a think tank backing Trump. His son Donald has not kept hidden the fact that he would like to assist his father in developing his second administration. At the Republican National Convention (RNC) hosted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, last month, Trump Jr. specified that he hopes to have “veto power” to shut down candidates whom he does not trust.
In a statement, Trump said that his administration “will restore” American principles like “strength, competence, and common sense” to Washington. He added that he has “absolute confidence” that his team “will be ready,” come the first day in office, to “govern effectively.”
Trump also emphasized the groundwork for the 2024 Republican campaign—also known as his motto, Make America Great Again—as being a “forward-looking agenda” designed to promote “freedom,” “prosperity,” and “safety” to “the American people.”
