Date of Last Revision
2023-05-03 02:41:36
Major
Political Science
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Date of Expected Graduation
Fall 2017
Abstract
When studying presidencies and the success or failure of a presidential administration in the United States, it is essential to study the presidential transition. By studying this process, a better understanding of why certain events occurred or how exactly different accomplishments were achieved can be explained. Generally, outgoing administrations, regardless of party, are interested in aiding in the peaceful and professional transition of power onto their successor. This transfer of power is a vulnerable time for the United States government so it is of great interest of any political party to make sure that the incoming administration is ready for anything on day one. My focus of research is on how the presidential transition process impacts the effectiveness of the president. The hypothesis I am testing is that President Trump had an ineffective transition that, as a result, led to an ineffective initial presidency. By conducting a qualitative analysis of President Donald Trump’s presidential transition and initial term of his presidency, evidence is provided as to the scarcity of staff and its effect on the lack of communication within the administration in addition to the power center and chain of command that is dysfunctional and has been largely nonexistent for part of the first year. This, in addition to other factors, has led to an ineffective initial Trump Administration. However, lessons can be learned from the missteps made and the Administration can begin to take steps in the right direction to become a productive and efficient White House for the remainder of President Trump’s term.
Research Sponsor
Dr. David Cohen
First Reader
Dr. Daniel Coffey
Second Reader
Dr. Ron Gelleny
Recommended Citation
Wellman, Erica, "The Trump Transition" (2017). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 588.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/588