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The Trump administration’s decision to decline a transition deal complicates its promise of transparency. While the president-elect’s team has stated they will reveal their donors and refuse donations from foreign entities, they are not obligated by law to follow through on these commitments.
Written by Simon J. Levien
President-elect Donald J. Trump’s team has chosen not to sign a transition agreement with the General Services Administration. This decision means that, even though the team has promised to adhere to customary transparency practices during presidential transitions, they are not required by law to fulfill those promises.
When a new president is transitioning into office, there are specific laws and norms in place to allow the current administration to share important information with the incoming officials and to provide funding for the transition process. Despite not accepting the $7.2 million in government funds that the General Services Administration (G.S.A.) offered, President Trump’s transition team has pledged to be open about their donors and to refuse donations from foreign sources. Additionally, they have agreed to a ethics pledge with the White House, although there are concerns that this pledge may not fully adhere to transition regulations.
This week, Mr. Trump’s transition team announced that they have chosen to rely solely on private funding for their transition process in order to save taxpayer money.
The Trump administration has not specified when or if donors’ names and donation amounts will be made public. If the GSA assistance is accepted, donor names must be disclosed within 30 days of the inauguration on January 20th. Previous presidential transitions have restricted individual donations to $5,000, a limit that the Trump team has not agreed to. The GSA would have also provided secure communication lines and office space for internal meetings.
Following a delay in meeting the deadline on October 1st, members of Mr. Trump’s team have recently reached an agreement with the White House to start receiving formal briefings from outgoing administration officials. However, Mr. Trump is still refusing to sign an agreement with the Justice Department that would enable the FBI to conduct security checks on transition staff. Due to this lack of clearances, Biden administration officials are unable to share classified information with a large portion of the transition team.
This week, the team of Mr. Trump released a plan outlining ethics guidelines for their transition staff. While President Biden’s staff agreed to the plan in their agreement with Mr. Trump, there are concerns that the plan may not meet the requirements of the Presidential Transition Act. This act requires that transition plans specify how the president-elect will handle their own conflicts of interest, which Mr. Trump’s plan seems to lack.
Spokespeople for the Trump transition team and the White House have not yet provided a response to requests for comment.
Susie Wiles, who will be serving as Mr. Trump’s chief of staff, announced on Tuesday that the agreement with the White House will enable their chosen cabinet nominees to start important preparations. This includes sending teams to each department and agency to ensure a smooth transition of power.
In 2016, before he was officially inaugurated as president, Mr. Trump signed an agreement with the G.S.A. The transition team had around 120 staff members at that time and had raised $6.5 million in funds. They also received $2.4 million in reimbursements from the federal government.
Ken Bensinger provided information for this report.
Simon J. Levien is a political reporter for The Times who is currently reporting on the 2024 elections. He is also part of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship program, which is designed for journalists who are just starting out in their careers. To learn more about Simon J. Levien, please
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