Presidential Transition Archives

2020 Election Recap: Most Tumultuous Election of Our Time

With the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Jan. 20, 2021, the 2020 election season officially comes to an end, marking the end of one of the most tumultuous, most defining elections of our lifetimes. A record-breaking 158 million Americans voted in this election, and 74 million of them voted for the Donald Trump-Mike Pence ticket, and 81 million voted for the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket. It was the first time in history any ticket surpassed 70 million votes.

‘Democracy Has Prevailed’: Joe Biden Officially Sworn In

Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Kamala Harris were officially sworn in Wednesday as the 46th President and 49th Vice President of the United States respectively. The historic inauguration took place in a country slashed apart by a deadly pandemic, division, and polarization after the tumultuous Donald Trump presidency, which tested American democracy in unprecedented ways. But ultimately, one thing was clear, in the words of Joe Biden: “Democracy has prevailed.”

A New Day In America: Biden Prepares to Be Sworn In as 46th POTUS

At precisely noon EST on Wednesday, Donald Trump and Mike Pence will cease to be president and vice president of the United States respectively. At the same time, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be sworn in as the 46th President and 49th Vice President of the United States. The swearing-in of Biden and Harris will flip open a new page in American history and will also simultaneously mark the end of the Trump era.

Possible Policy Changes In the Biden Presidency

With the Democratic Party controlling the House, Senate, and presidency for the first time since 2008, a wave of big changes in Washington could soon be upon us. President-elect Joe Biden has made pledges to reverse or remove some policies implemented by the Donald Trump administration, as well as pass aggressive COVID-19 relief and stimulus. Here are some of the major possible policy changes under a Democratic government.

A Look at Biden’s Final Cabinet Picks

With President-elect Joe Biden taking office in just five days, he has confirmed his final nominees to serve in his Cabinet and other cabinet-level positions. Biden has picked a very diverse cabinet, with almost all races having some representation in his Cabinet. Among the 15 Cabinet-level department secretaries, five are female and seven are nonwhite.

Biden Picks First-Ever Native American to Lead Interior

President-Elect Joe Biden has chosen Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico to lead the Department of the Interior (DOI), making her the first-ever Native American cabinet secretary and to lead the department which is most intertwined with Indian affairs (the Bureau of Indian Affairs, BIA, is under the DOI, after all). She is the third House representative to be chosen and this selection has some major implications on the Democrats’ House majority.

Pete Buttigieg To Become Transportation Secretary

On Tuesday, President-Elect Joe Biden officially announced that Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a leading frontrunner in the 2020 Democratic primaries, to become the next Secretary of Transportation, taking over the job currently held by Elaine Chao. The nomination is a significant one for America, for Biden’s cabinet, and for Buttigieg personally.

Transition to Biden Presidency Formally Begins

Almost three weeks after Election Day, the Trump administration has finally formally approved to begin the transition progress to the incoming Biden-Harris administration. The announcement comes after Emily Murphy, the Trump-appointed head of the General Services Administration which leads transition, designated Joe Biden as the “apparent winner” of the 2020 election.