Transferring from one administration to an other. Good morning, and welcome to talking transitions. We all woke up to shocking news this morning so before we get started, let me give our best wishes for a speedy recovery for President Trump, the first lady, and all the officials who work closely with the president. 3, month out from november americans have started voting in the most president ial election in a generation. President elect joe biden or reelect President Donald Trump will face a double digit unemployment situation, growing pandemic, a reckoning on racial inequality. These problems is the federal government and the federal government needs to be effective. Why it is critical for effectiveness on effectiveness. A smooth transition this year is not enough. Bestyear will be the transition ever in american history. Should President Biden win, the challenges are daunting. In normal times, a new president a 78 day. Bank to form a government, select more than pout 4000 political employed teeth appointees, managed a 5 and lay out an ambitious policy agenda. Thats normal times. But today is not normal. In addition to the normal challenges i just mentioned, the to get 13will have Million People back to work, vaccines, 330 million and bring our country back together again. Win, theesident trump transition will also be incredibly challenging. Our data from the last twoterm presidencieterm showed halfs of officials leave within the First Six Months of inauguration. It comes on top of more than 133 senior positions that are currently vacant without an incumbent or without a nominee, so a huge challenge for a reelected President Trump will be attracting competent and qualified people to serve. Preparation, as we have learned on our podcast, is essential in year four and your five. Inthere is a change administration, the outgoing presidency will have a solemn responsibility under law to facilitate a smooth transition much as president bush did for incoming president barack obama. Transitions are always hard. They are chaotic. This cycle and if the election is not decided november 3, there will be even less time. Getting ready for day one will become more difficult, because every day will matter. Thats why this event, talking transitions, comes at such an important time. We are pleased to be hosting nonpartisanent, a event in association with the president ial libraries for the past four president s. The george and barbara bush foundation, the george w. Bush president ial center, the obama foundation, and also the uvas center, the leading Research Center in the country on the american presidency. Thank you all for your incredible support and collaboration. Our work at the partnership for Public Service has never been more important. Have workedles, we to make transitions better, smoother, and faster because the success of a presidency is directly correlated with the success of their transition, and throughout this cycle, we work with three important actors, the Trump White House, career officials throughout the government preparing for either eventuality as well as the biden team. We have thousands of people watching this event. Must prepare for either eventuality. A reelected President Trump or a new President Biden. We realize how delicate your work is every day and we support you and salute you. I want to thank a few people before handing it over. Steyer has been an advocate for transition planning before anyone focused on it. A worldclass advisory board, one ive benefited from sage advice, counsel, and support. My longtime friend, president clintons first chief of staff, josh bolten, president bushs chief of staff, who i call the godfather of smooth transitions, governor mike leavitt who led the romney transition effort. Mikeee did not win, but created a new Gold Standard and one of the few people i know who has been equally successful in business, government, and with philanthropy. Let me also think the amazing teams at the partnership, at the libraries, and at the Miller Center who pulled this event together. Click that, let me turn it over to penny crisler. Penny thank you very much for that gracious welcome. Let me begin by wishing the president and first lady a speedy recovery. Been ayou have tremendous leader of this vital project and we are so grateful you have dedicated your time and your energy to this important effort for the benefit of our nation. We are also so very grateful to your dedicated team at the center for their long hours. The timing of todays conversation could not come at a more critical point for our nation. Given the diverse audience we have today reflects the interests people have in a president ial transition, even if the process is not well understood. We have people from capitol hill, private industry, Good Government organizations, transition subject matter experts, political appointees, those who served on campaigns and Transition Teams, and the media. We also welcome the many federal career professional staff joining us this morning. Institutional, knowledge, and willingness to support administrations from both parties during a president ial transition and over the life of each administration is to be commended and we are sincerely very grateful for your Public Service. As a person who came from business into Government Service and who was given the honor of a lifetime serving in president obamas cabinet, i was blown away by the incredible talent, expertise, and innovative spirit of the career professionals not only in the department of congress, but across the entire government. Honestly, some of the most capable people i have ever worked with were the career professionals in the National Institute of standards and technology, the National Oceanic and atmospheric administration, the bureau of industry and , theity, the Census BureauNational Weather service, and so many more important offices within our government. Day out, they do this significantly important work on behalf of all of us, and frankly, they get too little credit or respect for it, so i want to thank them all. In terms of our event today, the caliber of our speakers is a testament to the nonpartisan convening power of the partnership for Public Service and their vital work to make our federal government work better and it demonstrates the impact of the centers ability to provide support, expertise, and resources to a wide variety of groups that are transition stakeholders, including federal agencies, political appointees, and president ial changes in teams Transition Teams. Brings unparalleled capacity to support president ial transition planning and execution. Their work is deeper and broader than any other, the three main stakeholders. The administration, federal officials responsible for planning, and the biden Transmission TeamTransition Team. I am proud to serve as cochair of this effort along with matt, josh, and mike love it. Leavitt. As david said, todays program is a oneofakind event that draws together a highly respected group of senior officials from every administration, from bush 41 to scholars,sidential and respected journalists. It demonstrates one of the most important parts of our democracy, our commitment to the peaceful transition of power. Purpose of this event is to inform the public about how president ial candidates Transition Teams and the federal government are critical to the success. By design, we do not have representatives from the Current Administration given our desire for each discussion to remain bepartisan and to the practical and nonpolitical. In our first panel, market brennan, face the nation moderator and Senior Foreign Affairs correspondent at cbs news will moderate a conversation with josh bolten, andy card, Denis Mcdonough and matt mccarty. Four art standing former white house for outstanding former white house chief of staff. They will talk about their experiences preparing to take office, leave office, and what to expect in 20202021. Melody barnes, former director of the domestic policy council, will then lead a disc ussion about transitions and crises, and why this transition period could be the most important and consequential since 1932. Let me say one thing about john. He has more senior transition experience than probably any other living person and it could have been on the first panel in fact, we asked him to be on the panel with chiefs of staff but on reflection, me and john thought given his experience in the 2008 transition, for he led the obama transition during a financial crisis and two wars, he would be hugely value added on the second panel entitled transitions in crisis. And that may be, perhaps, the most relevant topic for today. Panel, amy walter, National Editor of the cook political report, will talk with valerielic servants, jarrett, karen hughes, and margaret spellings, about the complexities involved in the shift from campaigning for the presidency to governing when elected in either a first or second term. Thank you soce, much for joining us today and for your many excellent questions. We hope to get them as best we can through the mornings program. You could also be part of todays conversation on twitter ask Public Service talking the hashtag ngtransitions. Thank you very much. For all of the nonpartisan work publicto explain to the how the institutions that support our democracy function or are supposed to function. This is an extra ordinary morning. A lot of us have woken up to a the one certainty of 2020 that nothing is certain and to expect the unexpected. Us is a Big Conversation today to have this powerhouse set of been inside the west wing at the highest level to talk us through what planning needs to look like, what it should look like, and what it is like in a moment of crisis. Crisesbattling multiple as a country right now, economic, health, racial strife, election uncertainty, and now this news this morning. I want to start by digging in right away to the conversation with chief, and it is going to be a question for all of you, which is, we are four years into the company. In the Trump Administration. Are they ready . Is mike pence ready for what is happening right now . Michael carty, if you were chief of staff, what would you be doing on a morning like this . Mike im glad to be with you. Thank you for your engagement in a bipartisan basis. I would like to thank my fellow chiefs, you set the table perfectly as you always do. Margaret, i think all of us as chiefs of staff would agree the Vice President ial pick decision is important during the campaign the criteria for a Vice President is he or she needs to be ready to step in if there is a moment that requires that, and able to discharge the responsibilities as commander in chief, president of the united that is, fromarly day one, an absolute essential element of any effective administration, so this morning, you would be focusing on that. Be fullycertainly engaged with the president and his family at this time, and you would, as dennis and andy and josh will comment on, have a multiple number of other issues that will be inevitably confronting you, even in times that are not quite as unprecedented and unsettling as these. Margaret lets go to andy card. You know what it is like. What do you do on mornings like this . Our prayers are with the president and first lady. Politicalre what your stripes or philosophy or bias, we all pray the president and first lady will recover quickly and be able to meet the responsibilities. I would also point out the white house has to keep everything working no matter what is going the first responsibility for chief of staff is to make sure people in the white house have the confidence to be able to do their jobs and give them permission to do their job and distracted by events or the president s inability to attend meetings. Just having discipline and confidence and a steady hand makes a big difference. It is also important for the chief of staff to maintain the momentum that every cabinet member has been asked to maintain with regard to the policies and objectives. I would leave the pang Campaign Work to the Campaign Workers. I would say my job would be to help the government meet its responsibilities and let the campaign worry about campaign responsibilities. Whenruth is, it is a time we have to be prepared for more unexpected things to happen and these unexpected challenges are likely to show up, and we want people to have confidence in our government, confidence in our it is the white houses responsibility to set the expectation up so people will have confidence their government can function during these times of trouble. Publict we are seeing a that is riddled with anxiety right now and questioning so many of our institutions. Now this. What would you be doing if you were chief . Do we need to see the president come out today . What do you need to signal to the public today . Signal to the public the government is operational, normally, naturally, and as the president is available, sure. Put him on camera, as well. It is something my own best shes go to the colleagues and families, thanks to the president ial foundations and you, margaret, for bringing us together on this important topic. I think the topic just gets more we face awhen disruption, a potential crisis like we are having right now. In a sense, it is kind of a dry facing inat we may be other elections. Intoret i want to get some specifics about election day, but i want to give Dennis Mcdonough a chance to give his take on what we need to hear from the president today, from joe biden, perhaps even. If you were chief, what would you be doing . Dennis again, want to thank my fellow chiefs for the chance to be with them. I always enjoy that. I want to thank david and penny for all the work, their partnership. The first and most important thing is what vice President Biden has said today and each of the three chiefs have said, and you started with, which is our thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery for the first obviously, and express our ongoing appreciation for the medical staff inside the white house which has obviously been working overtime since last january when this news first broke. Look, i think demonstrating the government is at work is really important. Hopefully reassuring the American People. That is really what was behind the written communication from the white house chief position overnight. Obviously, it does sound to me the white house is talking about very clearet evidence of the president at work today and it would make sense to me. Pointd add one thing to out that colleagues have already troops all have around the world right now. We have allies all around the world and i would expect to see communication not only with the cabinet, but communication from the white house to our allies, that obviously work continues, official business continues here andi would be prudent careful about the development of the first family, but continue has been said as on the official business of government. That includes staying vigilant with our allies. Margaret we know this morning the president is symptomatic, so from our reporting, he is mildly symptomatic at this point. The question of how ill he becomes, something we hope to learn more about and as you point out, is potentially a National Security crisis because of the question of competence. Josh bolten, i want to go back to a comment you made in your first answer. You know, we as a country, because of our high anxiety, are asking so many questions about basic civics of how transitions work, how the election will work. The details are so important because of this unprecedented circumstance in which the next election will be happening with this global pandemic. Given your observations of the campaign and the transition planning that is happening behind the scenes, how confident are you . What concerns do you have about a transition, either to a second trump term or into potentially a Biden Administration . Josh well, margaret, the good news is that i think everybody should be comforted at the kind of work that is going on in both places to prepare for a transition. Obviously, that work is much more substantial and intense with respect to a potential biden presidency. But they, like, like other campaigns before them, not all, but most campaigns in recent times, have taken the transition very seriously. They have an Excellent Team in place. And i think they are likely to be well positioned to take over, despite the difficulty with the potentially multiple crises that they will be inheriting. I saw that firsthand in 2008 and 2009 with the obama transition, which was run by one of your next guests, john podesta. Very professional, very well organized, a good partner. And i think were seeing the same thing from the biden team. So on that side, its good. But we also know that the Trump White House is taking their responsibilities seriously. Theyre, of course, hoping and planning to remain in power. But i hope theyre also treating it as an opportunity to refresh and reset as needed. Margaret youre talking about the mechanics of the process behind the scenes, led by chris guaido and others on the team. We know that the president s remarks have brought this into the public space as a conversation of what a transition might look like. And to that po