Even as >protests continue to swirl across the U.S., the President-elect, Donald Trump , has embarked on the first and arguably most important project of transitioning to a new government: >picking the White House team that will carry out his policy agenda . The exercise acquires added significance given the earthquake-like impact of his election victory on a variety of constituencies, including different segments of the American people, and the U.S. Congress. In an ideal world, the team that he picks to run the White House would have to be capable of helping him balance the deep anxieties of liberal America with the irresistible demand from his conservative backers and independent supporters that he deliver on the promises made during the campaign. His task is more straightforward with regard to Capitol Hill as both the Senate and the House of Representatives are now controlled by the Republican Party. However, Mr. Trump’s messy rise through the primaries divided the party’s leadership over their acceptance of him as their nominee, and thus this relationship is also in need of healing.
Mr. Trump’s initial stab at West Wing appointments is off to a start that could be characterised as astute yet polarising. In picking Reince Priebus as his Chief of Staff, Mr. Trump has signalled to House Speaker Paul Ryan his desire to put the nastiness of the campaign behind them. Mr. Priebus and Mr. Ryan are Wisconsin politicians who go back two decades. As the longstanding head of the Republican National Committee, Mr. Priebus walked a tightrope over the fraying ties between Mr. Trump and party heavyweights during the darkest days of the campaign. Having thus proved his organisational acumen and loyalty to Mr. Trump, it is fitting that Mr. Priebus will soon be tasked with negotiating with Congress, executive branch agencies, and external political groups to implement Mr. Trump’s agenda. The other high-profile choice will be harder to swallow for many: Steve Bannon, the CEO of the Trump campaign and the former CEO of the “alt-right” media house Breitbart News, as his Chief Strategist and Senior Counsellor. Under Mr. Bannon, Breitbart was accused of being racist, anti-Semitic, misogynist and prone to conspiracy theorising. Yet Mr. Trump has indicated Mr. Bannon and Mr. Priebus will be “equal partners to transform the federal government”, a possible hint of a plan to create a multipolar power structure within the White House. Mr. Bannon’s appointment, a likely nod to the far-right constituencies that were so strongly with him, has been balanced by a more practical-minded and mainstream-focussed Mr. Priebus. Other key appointments will provide a clue to which way this balance may tilt.
