To the Moon: Trump’s Record-setting Pace of Personnel Announcements 

Politicians love to promise the moon, but when it comes time to deliver, they sometimes fail to launch. In at least one area of President-elect Donald Trump’s promises, however, the data shows he is operating at warp speed regarding personnel announcements. 

Just over one month since the presidential election, Trump has announced 101 appointments. That’s an average of 2.7 appointments per day, more than twice as fast as the average rate achieved by the last three presidential transitions. 

Roughly one-third of the roles announced are presidentially appointed positions—such as the White House chief of staff—for which appointees can take their seats immediately on Inauguration Day.  The other two-thirds of the nominees announced are for jobs which must go through the Senate confirmation process.  

So far, two nominees have withdrawn from consideration: Attorney general candidate Matt Gaetz and Drug Enforcement administrator candidate Chad Chronister. Withdrawals are common, as each of the last four presidents had at least one Cabinet-level nominee withdraw. 

Even with the challenges of the Gaetz nomination, Trump announced his leadership choices for each of the 15 Cabinet-level agencies in record time. He announced his final Cabinet secretary selection—Brooke Rollins for secretary of the Department of Agriculture—on Nov. 23, just 18 days after the election. That’s about five times faster than the average of the last four presidential transitions. 

Number of days after election to announce secretaries for 15 Cabinet-level agencies
Bush*	65
Obama	118
Trump 1	100
Biden	65
Trump 2	18

During his first term, Trump did not finish announcing his Cabinet picks until nearly a month into his administration when he finally tapped Alexander Acosta to be secretary of Labor on Feb. 16, 2017 after his first nominee withdrew.  

So far, Trump’s personnel announcement pace shows no signs of slowing down. Thanks to the recent agreement with the Department of Justice, appointees will undergo background checks for security clearances before the inauguration and for those in Senate-confirmed roles, meet with senators to make their case for confirmation.  

Even with its record-setting pace, the incoming Trump administration will have a tough task ahead as it continues to fill roughly 4,000 presidentially appointed positions across the federal government. No president has ever succeeded in filling all of these positions ahead of the inauguration. President Joe Biden set the current high-water mark in 2021, installing over 1,100 appointees on Day One of his administration.  

To match or beat this record, the Trump transition team must balance a desire for speed with the need for vigorous vetting to avoid surprises, embarrassments and further withdrawals. The most important measure is that capable, experienced leaders are prepared to manage federal agencies well. To achieve that balance, the Trump team should work closely with the FBI, Office of Government Ethics and the agencies to fill these essential roles and ensure a smooth transition. 

Mary Monti is an associate with the Center for Presidential Transition. Ryan Martinage is an intern with the Center for Presidential Transition and provided data support.