Despite opposition from incumbent Donald Trump, US President-elect Joe Biden is pushing the composition of his government team. Biden’s longtime confidante Ronald Klain is to become Chief of Staff in the White House and thus one of his most important political advisers, as Biden’s transition team announced yesterday evening (local time).
In the evening, Biden also held talks with the heads of state and government of Japan, Australia and South Korea, who congratulated him on his election victory.
Long-term cooperation
Biden and Klain have already worked together in the White House when Biden was Vice President under Barack Obama: Klain, now 59, was Biden’s Chief of Staff between 2009 and 2011. He also worked for the Democrats before. Obama made Klain the coordinator of US government action on the Ebola epidemic in 2014.
The left Senator Bernie Sanders meanwhile positioned himself for the Labor Department. The 79-year-old had run like Biden for the presidential candidacy of the Democrats.
While Trump still refuses to admit his electoral defeat, Biden has announced that he will „get down to work“ – his transition team is taking shape. Trump’s blocking stance should make the start bumpy: Biden’s team is initially cut off from millions of dollars and important information.
