Jun 23, 2019 - Politics & Policy

The consequences of the Trump presidential transition

Trump started his presidency on the back foot when it came to personnel. Now, he has confirmed fewer senior administration officials at this stage of his presidency than any of the previous four presidents, according to analysis provided to Axios by the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.

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Note: Data exclude non-civilian and judiciary positions; Data: Partnership for Public Service; Chart: Chris Canipe/Axios
  • Trump has withdrawn twice as many nominees as President Obama at the same point in time in his administration, 65:31, according to the Partnership for Public Service's data.
  • Trump has withdrawn one nominee for every 11 confirmations, the worst ratio of any other president from George H.W. Bush to Obama, according to the data.

Between the lines: The withdrawal numbers we cite above are only the formal withdrawals. This understates the problem, as Trump tends to announce people for senior jobs and then withdraws them before he formally nominates them. (Recent examples: Herman Cain, Stephen Moore, Patrick Shanahan.)

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