'The Peaceful Transfer of Power'

Participants in every presidential transition from Gerald Ford through Joseph Biden share histories and best practices

Photo: George W. Bush and Barack Obama, six days after the 2008 election (Eric Draper)

University of Virginia Press

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About the book

Accessible and informative oral histories to help future transitions run better, faster, and more smoothly

The worst transition in history

The Buchanan-Lincoln hand-off was a debacle, salvaged only by Lincoln's famous 'whistle stop' tour before his inauguration

A rare 'friendly' takeover

Transitions can be hostile, but the handover from Reagan to Bush in 1988–89 was an amicable exception

What do we do now?

Being ready to implement new policy initiatives on day one requires disciplined rehearsals during the transition period

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Featured content

Ronald Reagan called the peaceful transfer of power from one U.S. president to the next a miracle, and it is.

David Marchick joins New York Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker, former assistant to President Trump Chris Liddell, and Miller Center Practitioner Senior Fellow Katie Dunn Tenpas to discuss this long-held American tradition.

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Media coverage

How to pass a baton

From the Wall Street Journal's review: "The chief executive sets the tone for a transition, but its execution depends on civil servants committed to the institution of the presidency"

CBS News 'America: Changed Forever' podcast

David Marchick discusses his book with CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues

Reaching for 'the gold standard'

"Now more than ever, America must commit to ensure the transition of presidential power," write David Marchick and Valerie Smith Boyd in their History News Network op-ed

The most delicate and hazardous period

David Marchick discusses how to nail down best practices with Lawfare publisher David Priess

Trump signals a ‘seismic shift,’ shocking the Washington establishment

David Marchick in the New York Times describes early cabinet nominations as "a serious strategy to blow out the government as an institution because of their belief that it's become too big, too powerful, and represents the deep state," commenting that "this is like the 'Star Wars' bar scene of nominees"

Trump's record pace for Cabinet picks

According to calculations prepared by David Marchick for Axios, President-elect Trump either "has the best and most efficient transition ever or is blowing up all norms and making picks on the fly without vetting, research or Senate consultations"

Triumphant Trump meets with Biden and visits Capitol Hill

President-elect Trump was welcomed to the White House by President Joe Biden, a symbolic gesture toward a peaceful transfer of power that Donald Trump did not extend to Biden in 2020

About the editors

David Marchick

David Marchick, dean of the Kogod School of Business at American University, has decades of experience in global finance and public policy. He previously served as director of the Partnership for Public Service's Center for Presidential Transition.

Alexander Tippett

Alexander Tippett conducts research in support of the Partnership for Public Service’s Center for Presidential Transition. He previously worked as a research associate at the Council on Foreign Relations.

A. J. Wilson

A. J. Wilson is a collaborative writer and speechwriter for British and American government officials. His work has been published in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Atlantic.

Miller Center Studies on the Presidency at UVA Press

Edited by Guian A. McKee and Marc J. Selverstone, this series advances scholarship on the American presidency, asking timeless and innovative questions about the institution's role in a constitutional democracy.