High on Donald Trump’s agenda as he heads back to the Oval Office will be the task of filling around 4,000 government roles with political appointees. From the big shots in Cabinet positions like the Secretary of State to more obscure posts on boards and commissions, Trump will be picking people who are willing to get in step with his agenda. Roughly 1,200 of these appointees will need Senate confirmation, but with Republicans likely holding at least a slim majority in the Senate, the confirmation process shouldn’t be an insurmountable roadblock.
Security will also be ramped up as Trump transitions back into presidential duties. While it might seem redundant since, as a former president, he already has Secret Service protection, his detail has been beefed up even more since July due to a series of Secret Service flubs that led to an attempted shooting at one of his rallies. When Trump assumes office again, he’ll have the full presidential security team backing him, just like before, although some of us may be wondering why it took this long for them to get it right.
Then there’s the question of where Trump will set up camp for the transition. Last time around, he spent only a single night at the Blair House, the traditional guest residence for incoming presidents, preferring to base most of his transition out of Trump Tower in New York. It remains to be seen if he’ll repeat this approach, but let’s just say Trump has always had a fondness for his own digs over Washington’s more conventional ones. And speaking of returning to Washington, don’t expect Melania Trump to be in any rush to join him; she’s made it clear she’s not exactly thrilled about moving back into the White House.
As for those items that won’t fall under Trump’s purview until after he’s sworn in, one sore spot stands out: Air Force One’s look. Trump has expressed a desire for a redesign of the classic light-blue color scheme, pushing for a bold, red-striped, dark-blue look similar to his own private jet. President Biden recently ordered new planes with the original color scheme, though, so it’s anyone’s guess if Trump’s ideas will make it to the runway.
In the meantime, Trump will start receiving national security briefings while the electoral process wraps up. Interestingly, during his first run, he opted out of these briefings on the campaign trail to sidestep accusations of leaking information. Whether he sticks to that decision this time remains to be seen, but one thing’s clear: Trump’s return to power will likely see as much defiance of protocol as his first go-round.
