Donald Trump in Transition Is a Danger to Us All | Opinion

You’ve probably heard about Project 2025, the extreme agenda for former President Donald Trump’s second term. But what you may not know, because Trump is going to unprecedented lengths to keep it secret, is that the groundwork for the MAGA takeover of the entire government is already underway.
Funded by rightwing billionaires, Trump is running the most secretive presidential transition since the process was formalized through the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. He could be hiding plans even more extreme than Project 2025, all with zero transparency or accountability. What’s not a secret is that a chaotic transition would threaten America’s security and set the stage for a disastrous presidency.
Transitions are supposed to turn campaign promises into government action. I learned how important this work is as co-director of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential transition (yes, we followed the law and ran a serious transition for the three months leading up to the election). Campaigns typically receive federal funds and office space so they can run an orderly process and coordinate with the outgoing administration. Experts vet potential appointees and write papers that tee up choices the new president will make to craft and implement policy. This work doesn’t get much public attention while candidates are barnstorming the swing states, but it will have a big impact on people’s lives and freedoms.
Opponents of President Donald J. Trump and President Vladimir Putin wear masks and chains after the inauguration ceremony Jan. 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Opponents of President Donald J. Trump and President Vladimir Putin wear masks and chains after the inauguration ceremony Jan. 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
Trump’s previous transitions have been turbulent. In 2016, Trump first told former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who was overseeing his transition, that his work was so good they could