Donald Trump on Monday made perhaps the most important hire of his presidential campaign to date, choosing Chris Christie to lead his transition team if he wins the White House in November.
The announcement might seem early for a man who has been the GOP’s presumptive nominee for less than a week. But it answers the call of good-government advocates who—as I wrote last month—are urging all campaigns to begin thinking about and planning for a presidential transition months in advance. “Governor Christie is an extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled Transition Team, one that will be prepared to take over the White House when we win in November,” Trump said in a statement. His campaign added that the New Jersey governor would be “overseeing an extensive team of professionals preparing to take over the White House, and all that entails.”
The choice of Christie is not a surprise given that he has been one of Trump’s most enthusiastic and high-profile surrogates since endorsing after he ended his own presidential campaign earlier this year. Yet his selection also raises a couple of key questions: Will Christie continue to be an active member of Trump’s campaign as he begins to plan his transition? And could Trump still also pick him as his vice presidential nominee?