In today’s era of modern governance, presidential transitions seems like a herculean task. The shift from a presidential campaign to a presidency requires preparing the president and his advisors for the responsibility of handling current crises; translating campaign policy proposals into actual legislation and agency actions; and identifying countless high-level officials to administer the government. How can an administration possibly be ready to govern just two and a half months after the election, on Inauguration Day?

Tevi Troy is a presidential historian with firsthand experience in the White House, administrative agencies, and presidential transitions. In this episode of Unprecedential, he joins Adam to discuss the nuts and bolts of transitions. They also discuss the history of presidential transitions, with some especially famous examples. The discussion draws from Tevi’s 2013 article in National Affairs, “Measuring the Drapes,” and his recent Washington Post op-ed, “Five myths about presidential transitions.”