US president-elect Donald Trump and his team have rejected claims of turmoil and infighting as he attempts to set up his teams for the White House, national security and the economy.
A week after his shock election victory, Mr Trump said the endeavour to pick his top team is proceeding “so smoothly”.
Mr Trump dished out his rebuttal on Twitter after spending yet another day ensconced in his New York skyscraper out of the public gaze. Aides and allies vouched for the transition efforts on his behalf, suggesting some commotion was to be expected.
Former house speaker Newt Gingrich said as he left Mr Trump’s transition headquarters in Washington: “The beginning of any transition like this has turmoil because it’s just the nature of the process.”
He said the picture of Mr Trump’s administration would become clearer over the next two or three weeks.
Others close to the transition process described advisers “fighting for power”. Mr Trump has long stoked internal rivalries among his staff – both in his businesses and his campaign – and has created ambiguity in his transition about who has authority to make key decisions.
Eric Trump, the president-elect’s son, raised expectations of imminent progress by telling reporters in the morning that appointments were “likely” to come during the day. Later, other Trump aides suggested a slower pace.
“We’re not going to rush to put names forward until we’re absolutely sure,” Trump spokesman Jason Miller said hours later.
“We’re going to make sure that they’re people we’re confident will pass confirmation and we think can implement the president-elect’s vision.”
Mr Trump’s team noted that President Barack Obama waited until a few weeks after the 2008 election to announce many of his Cabinet appointments.
And former Michigan representative Pete Hoekstra, who has informally advised members of Mr Trump’s national security team, blamed his detractors for the reports of drama.
“When you’re doing a transition that is trying to push the kind of change that Mr Trump wants to be doing, it’s going to be even harder,” Mr Hoekstra, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman, said.
The incoming Republican administration also got a boost of support from outgoing Vice President Joe Biden, who met with his successor, Mike Pence, continuing the Obama administration’s show of public support for the transition.
“No administration is ready on Day One,” Mr Biden said following the meeting at the Naval Observatory, which serves as the vice presidential residence. He expressed confidence that by Mr Trump’s January 20 inauguration, “everything will be in good hands”.
Mr Trump’s team is essentially starting from scratch as some of the preliminary transition was conducted by New Jersey governor Chris Christie during the campaign. After winning the election, Mr Trump demoted Mr Christie and put Mr Pence in charge.
The result has been a series of new additions to the transition team and several departures, mainly among those aligned with Mr Christie. Kevin O’Connor, a former senior Justice Department official, has joined that group.
Mr Trump appears to be weighing an eclectic mix of individuals for top Cabinet posts, including longtime loyalists, former rivals and even a Democrat.
A senior transition official said Mr Trump’s team met Eva Moskowitz, a former New York councillor and charter school founder who is being considered for education secretary.
Others who passed through the marble lobby of Trump Tower included Tom Price, a potential pick for Health and Human Services, and Ray Washburne, a Dallas businessman and top Republican fundraiser in the mix for Commerce secretary. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft also entered the gilded elevators for meetings.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who arrived on Wednesday afternoon, has been angling for secretary of state, though his consulting work for foreign governments has emerged as a potential roadblock. Mr Trump is also said to be seriously considering John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, for the top diplomatic job.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who tangled ferociously with Mr Trump during the Republican primary but ultimately endorsed the businessman, could get a top job such as attorney general.
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