By Donald Trump might be locked in a tight race for the White House, but the former president wants to hit the ground running if he wins. On Friday he announced the formation of his presidential transition team, positioning major party donors and close family members to spearhead policy and personnel efforts in preparation for a potential return to the Oval Office.
The Trump transition team, a crucial element of any serious presidential campaign, will be co-chaired by two of Trump’s top supporters: Linda McMahon, who previously served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration, and Howard Lutnick, chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, a major financial services firm. These appointments reflect the duo’s significant fundraising contributions to Trump’s 2024 campaign, with Lutnick having recently hosted a high-profile fundraiser in the Hamptons.
Also joining the team are Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Trump’s running mate, and his two eldest sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who will serve as honorary chairmen. Their inclusion signals a continuation of the former president’s reliance on his inner circle and trusted allies to shape his political and policy strategies, according to The Washington Examiner.
In a statement announcing the team, Trump outlined his vision for the upcoming campaign. “The 2024 GOP Platform to Make America Great Again is a forward-looking agenda that will deliver safety, prosperity, and freedom for the American people,” Trump said. “My administration will deliver on these bold promises. We will restore strength, competence, and common sense to the Oval Office. I have absolute confidence the Trump-Vance Administration will be ready to govern effectively on Day One.”
The move to assemble a transition team well before Election Day is a standard practice for presidential candidates, enabling them to organize and prepare for the responsibilities of governing should they win the election. Trump’s decision to put McMahon and Lutnick at the helm is likely rooted in their demonstrated loyalty and substantial fundraising efforts for the 2024 bout with Biden and then Harris.
Donald Trump Jr.’s role in the transition team is particularly noteworthy, given his outspoken desire to influence the selection of key appointees in a potential second Trump administration. During a speech at the Republican National Convention last month, Trump Jr. voiced his ambitions, stating that he wants “veto power” over candidates he deems untrustworthy.
“I want to block the liars,” Trump Jr. told the crowd. “I want to block the guys that are, you know, pretending they’re with you. I just want to block the bad actors. I just want to be a block. That’s it.”
Trump’s transition team formation comes a little later in the game than usual. Famously superstitious, Trump had previously postponed the transition planning process, seeing any talk of transition preparations as a potential distraction from winning the election, wrote The New York Times.
[Read More: Secret Service Scandal Gets Weirder and Weirder]
