President Trump remains silent on revealing the financial backers of his presidential transition, despite his promise to disclose all donors.
** President Trump's administration is keeping transition funding sources under wraps **
Donald Trump's administration has refused to reveal who financed the transition efforts following his 2024 election victory. This is in stark contrast to historical practices, as the administration has delayed disclosing transition donors, despite pledging last year to make the names public.
In contrast to other transition efforts, Trump's most recent transition was outside the provisions of federal law, as it chose not to accept public funds for the endeavor. This decision would have imposed disclosure requirements and donation caps, but the Trump team opted for private funding instead.
Initially, the transition team had mentioned in a November statement that "donors to the transition will be disclosed to the public." However, as of yet, these disclosures have yet to materialize. The White House did not respond to multiple questions from NBC News regarding when the transition team would unveil its donor list. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, served as the spokesperson for the president's transition.
The rules governing presidential transition funding are governed by the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. While the law outlines a range of topics, including pre- and post-election activities, interactions with the outgoing administration, and transition team ethics plans, it also sets forth guardrails for how transitions are funded.
The federal government permits presidents-elect to tap into a substantial fund for transitions, covering office space and staff hiring. Private donations, capped at $5,000 per donor, are also allowed. However, these limits and disclosure requirements only apply if the transition team accepts public funding. If they elect to fund privately, such as the Trump transition did, they are exempt from these stipulations.
The Trump transition's decision to shun public funding raises questions about whether the law needs to be revised to compel disclosure in more cases. Valerie Smith Boyd, former director of the Center for Presidential Transition at the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, expressed this sentiment in February. She argued that the transparency requirements in the law are contingent on accepting government services before the election. As the transition team decides not to accept these services, a new question arises over whether this is the appropriate recipe in the law.
In Trump's earlier transition ahead of his first term, the team agreed to accept public funding and raised an additional $6.5 million and spent almost $4.7 million, according to a report filed with the General Services Administration in February 2017. However, under this approach, only the categories of spending (payroll, travel, and legal expenses) are typically disclosed, with specific itemization of donations left uncovered.
Expert analysis:The Trump administration's move to avoid public funding during the 2024 transition places them beyond the purview of laws on disclosure and donation limits established under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963. This decision yields several consequences:
- Lack of Transparency: While accepting private funding, there's no obligation to disclose donor information publicly, which leads to reduced transparency surrounding funding sources for the transition.
- Increased Influence: The lifting of donation caps on private contributions during a transition can potentially create situations where wealthy donors or special interest groups exert undue influence on transition priorities and appointments.
- Diminished Accountability: Distance from federal oversight mechanisms weakens safeguards against conflicts of interest or corruption during the critical period of presidential transition, inviting enhanced scrutiny from the public and media.
The ongoing debate regarding this practice centers around arguments for administrative flexibility and the need for transparency and public trust in the peaceful transfer of presidential power. Some see forgoing federal funding as an opportunity for greater independence, while critics view it as a threat to accountability and democratic governance.
This decision is emblematic of a broader trend observed in recent administrations: bypassing federal funding and regulatory frameworks, impacting transparency in governance. In other spheres, such as regulatory rollbacks and grant freezes, the administration has stirred debates and court interventions.
The Trump administration, in contrast to historical practices, did not disclose donors for the transition efforts following the 2024 election, as they chose private funding instead of public funds provided by federal law. This decision potentially allows for increased influence of wealthy donors or special interest groups and diminishes accountability during the critical period of presidential transition.
The Trump administration's decision to bypass federal funding during the transition raises questions about whether the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 needs to be revised to compel disclosure in more cases.
While the Trump transition team initially stated they would disclose donor information to the public, these disclosures are yet to materialize. This decision places the Trump administration beyond the purview of laws on disclosure and donation limits under the Presidential Transition Act of 1963.
