United States Presidential Transition

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The last change of government so far: Barack Obama and Donald Trump in conversation on November 10, 2016

The presidential transition of the United States of America (English. United States presidential transition ) is organized in a multi-month political process change of government in the United States . It is the transfer of the official duties and executive rights of an incumbent but resigning president to the elected successor ( president-elect ) in the period between election and inauguration .

The Presidential Transitions Act of 1963 , which was amended several times, was essential for the formalization of the presidency change.

history

In the history of the United States , presidential handovers until Harry Truman's presidency (1945–1953) consisted mostly of a symbolic and ceremonial act of inauguration itself. Some of the changes of government took place without further incident, while other changes of government were chaotic, such as the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln (1861 ).

After the US presidential election in 1952 , it was the outgoing Truman himself who invited his successor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, to the White House after the election victory and instructed the federal authorities to work for the new Eisenhower administration before it took office. From 1960 to 1961, John F. Kennedy organized the change of power independently after his election victory; this comprised extensive planning of the takeover, which also concerned the further domestic and foreign policy procedure. Like many US presidents before, he did not meet his predecessor until the very day of his inauguration.

After the 2000 presidential election in the United States, it was not clear for a long time whether Al Gore or George W. Bush had won. It was therefore not until the court ruling on December 12, 2000 that the transition from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush could begin. The 9/11 Commission , which dealt with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, came to the conclusion that the delayed start of the transition from Clinton to Bush was partly due to the fact that the terrorist attacks could not be prevented.

In the 2020 US presidential election , Donald Trump did not recognize Joe Biden's election victory for a long time and therefore delayed the procedure for an orderly handover of official business until three weeks after election day.

Presidential Transition Act

With the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 Pub.L. 88-277, clear rules for the transfer of power were introduced for the first time in order to ensure good governance during the transition . This basis has been changed several times by the Presidential Transitions Effectiveness Act of 1998 Pub.L. 100-398 ("Effective Presidency Transitions Act of 1998"), the Presidential Transition Act of 2000 Pub.L. 106-293 (" Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2000") and by the Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015 (" Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015") Pub.L. 114-136 .

This law instructs the General Services Administration to use approximately $ 5 million in funding to implement the measures set out in the law, including providing administrative assistance to government agencies with government changes, supporting the transition teams established by the presidents, and training the new one Government personnel in their posts.

Process of change of government

Preparations begin even before the actual election during the presidential election campaigns. Plans for the takeover of government include the establishment of a cabinet

  • putting together an organizational team for the period between election and inauguration,
  • the distribution of responsibilities and the creation of a schedule for the transitional and actual term of office,
  • recruiting additional staff for the positions that become vacant in the White House.

In addition, networks and relationships with members of the Congress are expanded and maintained, contacts are made with the outgoing government team, connections are established with the General Services Administration , the Office of Government Ethics , the FBI and the Office of Personnel Management in order, for example, to receive security clearances for new staff in good time.

The actual transition of government begins immediately after the election day of the presidential election. In the case of a second term of office, i.e. the successful re-election of an incumbent president - even if there are personnel changes in the government - no transfer of presidency will be carried out on the basis of the transitional law. In fact, there is no change of government.

During the 72 to 78 day transition, the outgoing President and the newly elected President meet regularly for consultations and discussions on political issues.

Sensitive security data is passed on to the successor, who is made familiar with the administrative requirements of the administration.

The end of the transition process and the actual beginning of a US presidency is connected with the inauguration and the oath of office contained therein . On the same day, the outgoing President leaves the White House and the newly elected President moves in.

List of United States Presidential Transitions

Legend
Political party F1 F2 link
Rep Rep.
Dem Dem.
union union
Whig Whig
DmRp DmRp
Fed Fed
outgoing president
(party)
elected president
(party)
Transition started with Transition ended with
George Washington
( Independent )
John Adams
( Federalist Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1796 Inauguration of John Adams
March 4, 1797
John Adams
( Federalist Party )
Thomas Jefferson
( Democratic Republican Party )
Presidential Election in the United States 1800
February 17, 1801
Inauguration of Thomas Jefferson
March 4, 1801
Thomas Jefferson
( Democratic Republican Party )
James Madison
( Democratic Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1808 Inauguration of James Madison
March 4, 1809
James Madison
( Democratic Republican Party )
James Monroe
( Democratic Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1816 Inauguration of James Monroe
March 4, 1817
James Monroe
( Democratic Republican Party )
John Quincy Adams
( Democratic Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1824 , 1825
February 9, 1825
Inauguration of John Quincy Adams
March 4, 1825
John Quincy Adams
( Democratic Republican Party )
Andrew Jackson
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1828 Inauguration of Andrew Jackson
March 4, 1829
Andrew Jackson
( Democratic Party )
Martin Van Buren
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1836 Inauguration of Martin Van Buren
March 4, 1837
Martin Van Buren
( Democratic Party )
William Henry Harrison
( Whig Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1840 Inauguration of William Henry Harrison
March 4, 1841
William Henry Harrison
( Whig Party )
John Tyler
( Whig Party )
Death of William Henry Harrison
April 4, 1841
Inauguration of John Tyler
April 6, 1841
John Tyler
( non-party )
James K. Polk
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1844 Inauguration of James K. Polk
March 4, 1845
James K. Polk
( Democratic Party )
Zachary Taylor
( Whig Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1848 Inauguration of Zachary Taylor
March 5, 1849
Zachary Taylor
( Whig Party )
Millard Fillmore
( Whig Party )
Death of Zachary Taylor
July 9, 1850
Inauguration of Millard Fillmore
July 10, 1850
Millard Fillmore
( Whig Party )
Franklin Pierce
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1852 Inauguration of Franklin Pierce
March 4, 1853
Franklin Pierce
( Democratic Party )
James Buchanan
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1856 Inauguration of James Buchanan
March 4, 1857
James Buchanan
( Democratic Party )
Abraham Lincoln
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States, 1860 Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln
March 4, 1861
Abraham Lincoln
( National Union Party )
Andrew Johnson
( National Union Party )
Death of Abraham Lincoln
April 15, 1865
Inauguration of Andrew Johnson
April 15, 1865
Andrew Johnson
( Democratic Party )
Ulysses S. Grant
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1868 Inauguration of Ulysses S. Grant
March 4, 1869
Ulysses S. Grant
( Republican Party )
Rutherford B. Hayes
( Republican Party )
Electoral Commission after the controversial presidential election of 1876
March 2, 1877
Inauguration of Rutherford B. Hayes
March 3, 1877
Rutherford B. Hayes
( Republican Party )
James A. Garfield
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1880 Inauguration of James A. Garfield
March 4, 1881
James A. Garfield
( Republican Party )
Chester A. Arthur
( Republican Party )
Death of James A. Garfield
September 19, 1881
Inauguration of Chester A. Arthur
September 20, 1881
Chester A. Arthur
( Republican Party )
Grover Cleveland
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1884 Inauguration of Grover Cleveland
March 4, 1885
Grover Cleveland
( Democratic Party )
Benjamin Harrison
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1888 Inauguration of Benjamin Harrison
March 4, 1889
Benjamin Harrison
( Republican Party )
Grover Cleveland
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1892 Inauguration of Grover Cleveland
March 4, 1893
Grover Cleveland
( Democratic Party )
William McKinley
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States 1896 Inauguration of William McKinley
March 4, 1897
William McKinley
( Republican Party )
Theodore Roosevelt
( Republican Party )
Death of William McKinley
September 14, 1901
Inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt
September 14, 1901
Theodore Roosevelt
( Republican Party )
William Howard Taft
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States, 1908 Inauguration of William Howard Taft
March 4, 1909
William Howard Taft
( Republican Party )
Woodrow Wilson
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States in 1912 Inauguration of Woodrow Wilson
March 4, 1913
Woodrow Wilson
( Democratic Party )
Warren G. Harding
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States in 1920 Inauguration of Warren G. Harding
March 4, 1921
Warren G. Harding
( Republican Party )
Calvin Coolidge
( Republican Party )
Warren G. Harding
dies August 2, 1923
Inauguration of Calvin Coolidge
August 3, 1923
Calvin Coolidge
( Republican Party )
Herbert Hoover
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States, 1928 Inauguration of Herbert Hoover
March 4, 1929
Herbert Hoover
( Republican Party )
Franklin D. Roosevelt
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States, 1932 Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt
March 4, 1933
Franklin D. Roosevelt
( Democratic Party )
Harry S. Truman
( Democratic Party )
Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt
April 12, 1945
Inauguration of Harry S. Truman
April 12, 1945
Harry S. Truman
( Democratic Party )
Dwight D. Eisenhower
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States in 1952 Inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower
January 20, 1953
Dwight D. Eisenhower
( Republican Party )
John F. Kennedy
( Democratic Party )
1960 United States presidential election Inauguration of John F. Kennedy
January 20, 1961
John F. Kennedy
( Democratic Party )
Lyndon B. Johnson
( Democratic Party )
Death of John F. Kennedy
November 22, 1963
Inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson
November 22, 1963
Lyndon B. Johnson
( Democratic Party )
Richard Nixon
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States in 1968 Inauguration of Richard Nixon
January 20, 1969
Richard Nixon
( Republican Party )
Gerald Ford
( Republican Party )
Richard Nixon resigned
August 8, 1974
Inauguration of Gerald Ford
August 9, 1974
Gerald Ford
( Republican Party )
Jimmy Carter
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States in 1976 Inauguration of Jimmy Carter
January 20, 1977
Jimmy Carter
( Democratic Party )
Ronald Reagan
( Republican Party )
Presidential election in the United States in 1980 Inauguration of Ronald Reagan
January 20, 1981
Ronald Reagan
( Republican Party )
George HW Bush
( Republican Party )
1988 United States presidential election Inauguration of George HW Bush
January 20, 1989
George HW Bush
( Republican Party )
Bill Clinton
( Democratic Party )
Presidential election in the United States in 1992 Inauguration of Bill Clinton
January 20, 1993
Bill Clinton
( Democratic Party )
George W. Bush
( Republican Party )
2000 United States presidential election

Decision of the Supreme Court
December 12, 2000

Inauguration of George W. Bush
January 20, 2001
George W. Bush
( Republican Party )
Barack Obama
( Democratic Party )
2008 presidential election in the United States Inauguration of Barack Obama
January 20, 2009
Barack Obama
( Democratic Party )
Donald Trump
( Republican Party )
2016 United States presidential election Inauguration of Donald Trump
January 20, 2017
Donald Trump
( Republican Party )
Joe Biden
( Democratic Party )
2020 United States presidential election Inauguration of Joe Biden
January 20, 2021

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Presidential Transition Act of 1963. In: General Services Administration , March 7, 1964.
  2. ^ Notable presidential transitions. In: Chicago Tribune , December 2, 2008.
  3. Ready to Govern: Improving the Presidential Transition. ( Memento from January 10, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) In: Partnership for Public Service , January 2010, p. 1.
  4. ^ Former Bush chief of staff cites 9/11 Commission, warns about slow transition
  5. Tal Kopan: What is a transition? Presidential turnover explained. In: CNN.com , November 3, 2016.
  6. a b L. Elaine Halchin: Presidential Transitions: Issues Involving Outgoing and Incoming Administrations. In: Congressional Research Service , November 16, 2016.
  7. a b Presidential Transition Guide. In: Center For Presidential Transition , January 2016.
  8. Hannah Parry: White House staff reveal preparations for inauguration moving day. In: Daily Mail Online , January 2, 2017.