"Trump Supporters Ready for Immediate Aggressive Policy Measures on Day 1"
The former president is relying on numerous individuals from his initial administration who held key roles to assist in preparing for swift policy initiatives.
TroibNews 
Donald Trump is reassembling his team, focusing on those who remain in his favor.
The former president is enlisting many of his top aides from his first administration to craft an ambitious policy agenda he intends to pursue immediately upon election. Insiders suggest that this upcoming administration will be better equipped than in 2016 to realize Trump’s priorities quickly after inauguration, particularly regarding key issues like trade and tariffs.
Mauricio J. Claver-Carone, who participated in Trump’s 2016 transition and served in his administration, noted, “The transition team is far more politically coherent this time around,” as those around Trump understand his preferences and working style. As a result, Trump staffers can no longer establish their own centers of influence, and upcoming cabinet members “will realize this time around that they’re serving a president, not the other way around,” he added.
A Republican lobbyist conversing with the transition team, who chose to remain anonymous, stated, “The transition this year is an extension of the key players in the Trump orbit. As a result, the likelihood of a disruptive reset is much less likely this time than it was in 2016.” In 2016, Trump demoted former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie from leading the transition shortly after the election, which created a power vacuum that slowed transition planning for several weeks.
The current transition is officially headed by Linda McMahon, the former Trump Small Business Administration chief, managing policy efforts, alongside billionaire financier Howard Lutnick, who is in charge of personnel vetting. Lutnick, who is one of the few on the team without prior experience in Trump’s White House, has emerged as the public representative of the operation, attracting scrutiny due to potential conflicts of interest and his confrontational appearances on cable news.
Policy preparations are notably low-profile, following the backlash aimed at the conservative Heritage Foundation for its Project 2025 plan for a second Trump term. Despite this, sources familiar with Trump transition planning have indicated that a range of former Trump administration officials are actively involved behind the scenes.
Notable contributors include:
- U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is developing trade and economic strategies, alongside Jamieson Greer, Lighthizer's former chief of staff.
- Federal Reserve Board member Kevin Warsh, who is also contributing to economic plans.
- Special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, who is preparing for a Trump-led State Department.
- Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who is shaping national security policy and personnel planning.
- Office of Management and Budget general counsel Mark Paoletta, who is working on a policy framework for the Justice Department.
- Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is expected to participate in the transition efforts, as confirmed by two sources familiar with his intentions.
Throughout the transition, Trump officials are discreetly managing their activities, cautious of media criticism and collaboration with the Biden administration while also being careful not to alarm their leader. A former senior administration official elaborated, “Trump, who is known for being superstitious, doesn’t like planning until things are concrete,” and doesn’t want to come off as “presumptuous.”
Another official with insight into the discussions noted that transition personnel are conscious of the pitfalls from the 2016 transition, striving to prevent similar chaos. “They’re being more confidential about it. ... They don’t want distractions and personnel stories popping up.”
The Trump transition team declined to comment on the situation.
However, a source involved in policy planning confirmed that Lighthizer is developing economic strategies for the Treasury Department, the National Economic Council, and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, with support from former Trump speechwriter Vince Haley, who is also affiliated with the Trump campaign. These individuals are gearing up to present a robust trade agenda for the initial 100 days, likely involving some executive actions concerning tariffs, with ongoing discussions regarding specifics.
Lighthizer has recently consulted with Trump about economic planning, according to the source. Another individual familiar with transition efforts indicated that Lighthizer is a leading candidate for top economic policy roles.
“There’s one policy area that’s going to be defining for the second Trump administration, and that’s tariffs,” said the individual with direct insight into policy strategies. “And there’s a very small group of people working on that and it’s the most important part of the policy planning for the second administration.”
This strategic effort falls within McMahon's broader supervision. Those acquainted with the transition’s policy initiatives described a loose network of Trump advisors and loyalists preparing “action plans” for the first 100 days—sometimes under the direction of campaign or transition officials and other times independently.
Many contributors to the transition are linked with the America First Policy Institute, a think tank formed after Trump’s 2020 loss that has attracted Trump loyalists. AFPI has been devising its proposals for the next administration for years, with Lighthizer leading its Center for American Trade and Bernhardt chairing the Center for American Freedom.
Doug Hoelscher, who spearheaded AFPI’s “America First Transition Project,” has also been officially involved in the transition, as confirmed by an insider. Additionally, Rob Law, an AFPI employee and former chief of policy at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is assisting with personnel vetting for the Department of Homeland Security.
Advisors external to AFPI and Trump’s first term are also playing significant roles in energy policy discussions—North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and oil tycoon Harold Hamm, as indicated by a knowledgeable source.
The policy preparations are proceeding independently from the transition’s central task—vetting candidates for thousands of federal positions Trump will need to appoint if he secures victory, a responsibility supervised by Lutnick.
“The personnel effort is the overwhelming focus of the transition,” stated another source familiar with the operations, indicating that efforts began several weeks ago and interviews for potential appointees are underway.
Another insider described the transition as highly compartmentalized, with limited visibility for participants beyond their designated roles. Only a small group close to Lutnick has insight into the selection process for candidates, despite some individuals collecting names and suggestions.
The personnel strategy distinguishes between recruiting individuals for agency-specific “landing teams,” responsible for facilitating cooperation with federal agencies in the run-up to inauguration, and the more permanent staff members and Cabinet officials who will oversee agencies after January 20. Overlap between some “landing teams” and permanent hires is possible, as noted by three individuals familiar with the planning, who emphasized that decisions regarding Cabinet officials or the larger administration structure are yet to be finalized.
Currently, Trump’s landing teams might lack access to the agencies they are aligned with due to the transition team’s refusal to sign agreements with the Biden administration concerning the use of federal resources and information-sharing, marking a departure from modern standards. This decision allows Trump’s transition team to gather unlimited funds without disclosing donors while avoiding oversight from federal officials, whom Trump and his advisors distrust. If he wins the election and continues to hesitate, he could face strict restrictions on the information available to him and his team.
Lutnick recently indicated a willingness to consider signing the agreements in the near future.
Some Trump transition members believe there are alternative methods to navigate around federal transition regulations. Trump’s advisors have circulated a memo—first reported by The New York Times—advising him to reject background checks for top aides, which are traditionally executed by the F.B.I., an agency regarded with suspicion by Trump’s circle. They argue that after taking office, Trump could unilaterally grant security clearances to his appointees.
Ben Lefebvre and Sam Sutton contributed to this report.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
The former president is enlisting many of his top aides from his first administration to craft an ambitious policy agenda he intends to pursue immediately upon election. Insiders suggest that this upcoming administration will be better equipped than in 2016 to realize Trump’s priorities quickly after inauguration, particularly regarding key issues like trade and tariffs.
Mauricio J. Claver-Carone, who participated in Trump’s 2016 transition and served in his administration, noted, “The transition team is far more politically coherent this time around,” as those around Trump understand his preferences and working style. As a result, Trump staffers can no longer establish their own centers of influence, and upcoming cabinet members “will realize this time around that they’re serving a president, not the other way around,” he added.
A Republican lobbyist conversing with the transition team, who chose to remain anonymous, stated, “The transition this year is an extension of the key players in the Trump orbit. As a result, the likelihood of a disruptive reset is much less likely this time than it was in 2016.” In 2016, Trump demoted former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie from leading the transition shortly after the election, which created a power vacuum that slowed transition planning for several weeks.
The current transition is officially headed by Linda McMahon, the former Trump Small Business Administration chief, managing policy efforts, alongside billionaire financier Howard Lutnick, who is in charge of personnel vetting. Lutnick, who is one of the few on the team without prior experience in Trump’s White House, has emerged as the public representative of the operation, attracting scrutiny due to potential conflicts of interest and his confrontational appearances on cable news.
Policy preparations are notably low-profile, following the backlash aimed at the conservative Heritage Foundation for its Project 2025 plan for a second Trump term. Despite this, sources familiar with Trump transition planning have indicated that a range of former Trump administration officials are actively involved behind the scenes.
Notable contributors include:
- U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is developing trade and economic strategies, alongside Jamieson Greer, Lighthizer's former chief of staff.
- Federal Reserve Board member Kevin Warsh, who is also contributing to economic plans.
- Special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, who is preparing for a Trump-led State Department.
- Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who is shaping national security policy and personnel planning.
- Office of Management and Budget general counsel Mark Paoletta, who is working on a policy framework for the Justice Department.
- Interior Secretary David Bernhardt is expected to participate in the transition efforts, as confirmed by two sources familiar with his intentions.
Throughout the transition, Trump officials are discreetly managing their activities, cautious of media criticism and collaboration with the Biden administration while also being careful not to alarm their leader. A former senior administration official elaborated, “Trump, who is known for being superstitious, doesn’t like planning until things are concrete,” and doesn’t want to come off as “presumptuous.”
Another official with insight into the discussions noted that transition personnel are conscious of the pitfalls from the 2016 transition, striving to prevent similar chaos. “They’re being more confidential about it. ... They don’t want distractions and personnel stories popping up.”
The Trump transition team declined to comment on the situation.
However, a source involved in policy planning confirmed that Lighthizer is developing economic strategies for the Treasury Department, the National Economic Council, and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, with support from former Trump speechwriter Vince Haley, who is also affiliated with the Trump campaign. These individuals are gearing up to present a robust trade agenda for the initial 100 days, likely involving some executive actions concerning tariffs, with ongoing discussions regarding specifics.
Lighthizer has recently consulted with Trump about economic planning, according to the source. Another individual familiar with transition efforts indicated that Lighthizer is a leading candidate for top economic policy roles.
“There’s one policy area that’s going to be defining for the second Trump administration, and that’s tariffs,” said the individual with direct insight into policy strategies. “And there’s a very small group of people working on that and it’s the most important part of the policy planning for the second administration.”
This strategic effort falls within McMahon's broader supervision. Those acquainted with the transition’s policy initiatives described a loose network of Trump advisors and loyalists preparing “action plans” for the first 100 days—sometimes under the direction of campaign or transition officials and other times independently.
Many contributors to the transition are linked with the America First Policy Institute, a think tank formed after Trump’s 2020 loss that has attracted Trump loyalists. AFPI has been devising its proposals for the next administration for years, with Lighthizer leading its Center for American Trade and Bernhardt chairing the Center for American Freedom.
Doug Hoelscher, who spearheaded AFPI’s “America First Transition Project,” has also been officially involved in the transition, as confirmed by an insider. Additionally, Rob Law, an AFPI employee and former chief of policy at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is assisting with personnel vetting for the Department of Homeland Security.
Advisors external to AFPI and Trump’s first term are also playing significant roles in energy policy discussions—North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and oil tycoon Harold Hamm, as indicated by a knowledgeable source.
The policy preparations are proceeding independently from the transition’s central task—vetting candidates for thousands of federal positions Trump will need to appoint if he secures victory, a responsibility supervised by Lutnick.
“The personnel effort is the overwhelming focus of the transition,” stated another source familiar with the operations, indicating that efforts began several weeks ago and interviews for potential appointees are underway.
Another insider described the transition as highly compartmentalized, with limited visibility for participants beyond their designated roles. Only a small group close to Lutnick has insight into the selection process for candidates, despite some individuals collecting names and suggestions.
The personnel strategy distinguishes between recruiting individuals for agency-specific “landing teams,” responsible for facilitating cooperation with federal agencies in the run-up to inauguration, and the more permanent staff members and Cabinet officials who will oversee agencies after January 20. Overlap between some “landing teams” and permanent hires is possible, as noted by three individuals familiar with the planning, who emphasized that decisions regarding Cabinet officials or the larger administration structure are yet to be finalized.
Currently, Trump’s landing teams might lack access to the agencies they are aligned with due to the transition team’s refusal to sign agreements with the Biden administration concerning the use of federal resources and information-sharing, marking a departure from modern standards. This decision allows Trump’s transition team to gather unlimited funds without disclosing donors while avoiding oversight from federal officials, whom Trump and his advisors distrust. If he wins the election and continues to hesitate, he could face strict restrictions on the information available to him and his team.
Lutnick recently indicated a willingness to consider signing the agreements in the near future.
Some Trump transition members believe there are alternative methods to navigate around federal transition regulations. Trump’s advisors have circulated a memo—first reported by The New York Times—advising him to reject background checks for top aides, which are traditionally executed by the F.B.I., an agency regarded with suspicion by Trump’s circle. They argue that after taking office, Trump could unilaterally grant security clearances to his appointees.
Ben Lefebvre and Sam Sutton contributed to this report.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
