As Donald Trump readies to take the oath of office as the 47th president of the United States, all attention is on Washington, DC for Inauguration Day in the United States. Trump has been president-elect since his election on November 5 and will take office formally following the inauguration at the US Capitol today. Joe Biden is still the president until that point.
This begs the question: why does the US wait until January 20 for the president-elect to take office after the election in November?
What is the time gap between vote and inauguration?
The United States runs differently from many democracies in which leaders take office just after election results are released; here an 11-week transition period is observed. Traditionally, this gap was still greater. The Constitution first provided for a four-month shift, new presidents taking office on March 4 and presidential elections taking place the first Tuesday of November.
Jim Bendat, author of “Democracy’s Big Day: The Inauguration of Our President, 1789–2013,” asserts the delay early in the nation was the result of logistical difficulties. Considering the early years of the nation, it took quite a long time to travel—especially from the West Coast to Washington, DC— Bendat told *Live Science* that hence they needed much time between the presidential swearing-in and elections to get all in order.
Given that it allowed enough time for Congress and the president-elect to get ready and journey to the capital, the Continental Congress set the first date for March 4.
What precipitated the change of the inauguration date January would be Greatuer’s help to the president.
Especially in times of political or financial crisis, decades of slow motion became more and more unneeded as technology and transit improved. President James Buchanan observed secessionists take over federal forts and arsenals, for instance, following Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860 in the “secession winter.” Lincoln was almost certainly in March 1861 when the Civil War all but started. During the Great Depression also, Herbert Hoover’s extended lame-duck period had the nation waiting for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s strong leadership.
The Congress passed the 20th Amendment in 1933, which narrowed the gap by changing the day of inauguration to January 20. Though a compromise established the date as “noon of the 20th day of January,” argument started on whether to have the event on January 15 or January 24.
The outgoing president has total power under this system until exactly 11:59:59 a.m., at which point the new president takes office at noon on January 20.
Why is the gap still present?
While logistical issues are no more a problem, the transition period is still required to guarantee a seamless handover of authority. It gives the president elect time to form a Cabinet, lay out policies, and be ready for governability. It also fits with the schedule of the Electoral College system, which officially establishes the president weeks after Election Day.
Created in 1787, the Electoral College was devised as a concession between proponents of a popular vote and those who wanted Congress to appoint the president. Electors who vote for president and vice presidential candidates are nominated by state legislatures. Though the media typically declares a winner based on the popular vote soon after Election Day, the official outcome hinging on the certification of electoral votes. Recounts, lawsuits, and battlegrounds states can also lengthen the process.
Every state has its own certification deadlines; some run until December. At the December 17 last presidential election, the Electoral College meets in mid-December. The president-elect is officially declared only after these votes are counted and confirmed.
Inference
While Donald Trump won the November election, the US system demands the transition period to guarantee good administration and respect of constitutional processes. He is the president-elect for the time being, but is just hours from being named the 47th president of the United States.
