Trump Campaign Upends the Science of Presidential Transition
- Experts in Washington worry about Trump's preparations
- New presidents face 4,000 appointments and $4 trillion budget
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk across the South Lawn before departing the White House on May 5, 2016, in Washington.
Photographer: Chip Somodevilla/Getty ImagesDonald Trump’s unorthodox campaign is a challenge for people managing the transition to the next president, a process that has been reduced to a near-science in Washington and that in turn will test a candidate known for his throw-out-the-playbook style.
A law signed in March requires the White House to start preparing for a new president six months before the November election, and at least three outside groups help to smooth the transition. The effect is a veritable blueprint for running the federal government -- but Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has made a point of eschewing the rules for both politics and governance.