Key dates for the 2024 presidential transition

As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris make their closing pitches as to who will occupy the White House on Jan. 20, 2025, preparations are well underway for the administration of the 47th president.

With the General Services Administration at the helm of the preparations, here is what has already been done, as well as the dates for key coming events in the transition of the next president.

The GSA began the process of transitioning to the next presidential administration in November 2023, when the 2024 Presidential Transition Directory was launched.

In May, the White House Transition Coordinating Council was established, with each federal agency designating a lead for the transition council.

Following the conclusion of the Republican and Democratic national conventions, in which Trump and Harris were nominated to lead their parties' respective presidential bids, both campaigns were offered transition resources by the GSA on Aug. 27.

The campaigns had two deadlines, one on Sept. 1 and another on Oct. 1, to sign two separate memoranda of understanding with the GSA.

Harris's transition team has agreed to both memorandums, with one of them coming after the deadline, while Trump's transition team has not agreed to either memorandum , although his campaign said it is still working on agreements with the GSA. Harris and Trump have also been tasked with signing an ethics plan. Harris has signed it, but Trump has not.

Representatives from Harris's and Trump's transition teams met with the White House Transition Coordinating Council on Sept. 17 about various aspects of the transition following the election.

On Nov. 1, the Agency Transition Directors Council must have the transition briefing material finalized for the incoming administration to have at its disposal.

On Nov. 5, voters will cast their ballots in the presidential election. Typically, after a winner has been confirmed by most media organizations, the losing candidate concedes the race, although this was not the case in 2020.

Once a clear winner has been projected, the GSA will give support services and office space to the transition team for the winning candidate from the day after a winner is determined to 60 days after the new president is sworn into office.

In 2020, when Trump refused to concede the race, the GSA did not determine President Joe Biden as the winner until Nov. 23 despite most media organizations projecting Biden as the winner of the election on Nov. 7.

A classified national security summary is also given to the president-elect as soon as one becomes apparent.

The states will certify their electors to the Electoral College by Dec. 11, and those electors will meet on Dec. 17 and elect the 47th president.

The incoming administration will likely begin announcing nominees for appointed positions.

With the transition of a new administration entering office, it also means the current administration will have to transition out of office. For the Biden administration, the GSA will provide support for the outgoing administration from 30 days before the end of the term, Dec. 21, 2024, for up to seven months, according to the Presidential Transition Act.

On Jan. 6, 2025, a joint session of Congress will certify the Electoral College results, affirming the winner of the presidential election.

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On Jan. 20, 2025, Harris or Trump will be sworn in as president at noon on the west front of the U.S. Capitol Building, marking the successful transition from the Biden administration to the Harris or second Trump administration.

Preparations for the presidential transition following the 2028 election have no firm timeline for starting other than the mandated November 2027 deadline to launch the 2028 Presidential Transition Directory.