Albert R. Hunt, Columnist

Trump's Guide to Team Building Is His Instinct

An outsider president-elect has few connections to Republicans from past administrations.

November 9, 2016 at 7:38 AM UTC

Albert R. Hunt is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He was the executive editor of Bloomberg News, before which he was a reporter, bureau chief and executive Washington editor at the Wall Street Journal.

Inside track.
Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images

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Most new Republican administrations are filled with experienced hands from a previous government -- a few governors and members of Congress, a prominent corporate chief executive or two. That's not likely with Donald Trump; look instead for fellow deal-makers, political pals and fervent early supporters.

More than any modern president, Trump doesn't come from the party establishment and owes it nothing. Some conservative think tanks will rush to fill the void, but with limited interest in policy, Trump is likely to continue to rely on instinct.