Statecraft

The Trump Administration Is Already Under Construction

Donald Trump has operated at the periphery of political power for decades—writing big checks as a campaign donor, meeting foreign leaders as a wealthy businessman, and cutting deals with the U.S. government on real-estate projects.

But as soon as the next few days, he’ll get a glimpse of government life he’s never had before: a classified intelligence briefing.

The Democratic and Republicans candidates—both for president and vice president—are eligible to begin receiving briefings once they have been formally nominated by their parties. The end of the nominating conventions serves both as a kickoff of the general-election campaign and as a turning point in the government-wide effort to ensure a smooth transition to the next president. Beginning this week, the Trump and Clinton campaigns also have access to federally-funded office space in Washington provided by the General Services Administration.