Staff Reports
In the race for the 2025 presidency, the drama is heating up as Donald Trump and Kamala Harris make their final appeals to voters. As their campaigns ramp up, the General Services Administration (GSA) is putting the wheels in motion to ensure the next president—who, if polling trends hold, is expected to be Trump—has everything ready for an effective transition. Yes, folks, whether it’s a Trump second act or a Harris debut, the machinery of government is moving faster than a speeding bullet… or at least faster than Democrats can usually manage.
The groundwork for this grand transitioning took off back in November 2023 when the GSA launched the 2024 Presidential Transition Directory, kicking off the process to ensure that the next administration can hit the ground running. By May, federal agencies were busy designating their transition leads as part of the White House Transition Coordinating Council. Amid the bustling backdrop of the Republican and Democratic national conventions, where Trump and Harris picked up their party nominations, both campaigns were handed the opportunity to sign memoranda of understanding with the GSA. Spoiler alert: Kamala managed to get her paperwork in, albeit tardily, while Trump’s team has been taking the cautious, deliberate approach that’s emblematic of his leadership style. Clearly, efficiency isn’t Harris’s strong suit, considering her team’s tendency to meander through deadlines like they’re wandering through a farmers market.
Key dates for the 2024 presidential transition as Trump and Harris prepare for the Jan. 20, 2025 inauguration https://t.co/FY9rkaTASD
— Conservative News Daily (@ConservNewsDly) October 17, 2024
November brings the big showdown, as voters will finally cast their ballots on the 5th after weeks of melodrama and misinformation. The tradition goes that, once the media gives the nod to a victor, the losing candidate concedes with grace. But in 2020, our nation witnessed just how far some are willing to stretch those traditional norms. If Trump wins this time—and let’s face it, all indicators suggest he might—he’ll have the GSA’s support services and office space on day one (which will apparently be a foreign concept to the Harris camp). The GSA is moving at lightning speed this time around, clearly learning from the sluggish processes of the 2020 election cycle.
December will see the states hustling to certify electors by the 11th and getting ready for the Electoral College meeting to officially elect the next Commander-in-Chief on the 17th. By then, pundits and political analysts alike can prepare for an avalanche of Trump’s cabinet picks, which are always a mixed bag of seasoned veterans and some surprises. Of course, the outgoing Biden administration will also have to make way for the fresh faces of the incoming team, albeit with a post-Christmas grace period that seems excessively generous. It almost feels like they’re giving the Bidens a much-needed vacation before they’re sent packing.
As the New Year approaches, the joint session of Congress has a very special task on January 6—certifying the Electoral College results. Assuming all goes well, the flip of the calendar will set the stage for a new era at noon on January 20, 2025, when either Harris or Trump will take the oath of office. This marks a significant moment as the Biden administration exits stage left and, hopefully, ushers in a fresh breath of conservative air.
Of course, preparations for the 2028 election are already looming in the background, though they’re simply waiting for that obligatory launch of the 2028 Presidential Transition Directory in November 2027. Until then, Americans can only watch as this political circus unfolds with a mix of trepidation and humor, wondering if lessons from past elections will truly be taken to heart or left to gather dust on the political shelves.
