November 2016

March 22, 2019
Outgoing Administration

To-Dos

Arrange meeting with outgoing president and president-elect within a week of the election

Presidential Transition Guide, Ch. 7, Meeting with president-elect

The outgoing president should hold a meeting with the incoming president shortly after the election. This formal event is an important demonstration of the peaceful nature of America’s democratic tradition and an opportunity for the incoming president to hear directly from his or her predecessor about the challenges and opportunities that the new administration will face. It is also an opportunity for the president-elect to learn about some of the unique aspects of the presidency and to be informed directly about pressing issues. George W. Bush, for example, personally met with President-elect Obama right after the election on Nov. 10 to brief him on several pressing international issues, including the U.S. drone program in Pakistan and the cyberattack the U.S. was conducting against Iran’s nuclear program.

Get signatures on a memorandum of understanding between the new chief of staff and the chair of the president-elect’s transition team to govern agency review teams’ access to federal agencies
Deliver memoranda on “hot” domestic, economic and national security issues and conduct regular briefings
Conduct initial crisis training session with outgoing Cabinet members to prepare for training with the incoming team in January
Direct the White House Military Office and Secret Service to coordinate briefings for the president-elect, incoming national security team and key advisors (through Inauguration)
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