U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is moving quickly to consider appointments to key positions in his new White House administration and could name some choices within days.
Trump, fresh off his decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday's presidential election, has been huddling with aides at his oceanside Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida to mull over his options.
Even before the election, transition chiefs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon met with some potential candidates for top-notch jobs, either in the White House or to head the government's Cabinet-level departments and an array of other agencies.
Trump aides also have prepared a long list of possible executive orders and regulation reversals for him to sign on his first day in office on January 20, to end policies that have been adopted by President Joe Biden over the last four years.
Biden, who defeated Trump in the 2020 election and was running for reelection until a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June forced him from the contest, has promised a peaceful transition back to Trump.
Biden has invited the president-elect for a White House visit in the coming days and called him Wednesday to congratulate him. Biden is speaking on the election from the White House Rose Garden on Thursday morning.
Biden on Wednesday praised Harris for her campaign, saying, "She's been a tremendous partner and public servant full of integrity, courage, and character."
"Under extraordinary circumstances, she stepped up and led a historic campaign that embodied what's possible when guided by a strong moral compass and a clear vision for a nation that is more free, more just, and full of more opportunities for all Americans," Biden said.
