--- description: Donald Trump announced that Chris Christie will lead his transition team if he wins the White House. title: Chris Christie Will Lead Donald Trump's Transition Team image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d721f14baf9c677/69889270428a9e8101cd28ce/trump-christie-white-house-transition-team.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Donald Trump](/tag/donald-trump/) ## Donald Trump Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Donald Trump Announces Chris Christie Will Lead His White House Transition Team  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 9, 2016 3:22 PM CUT  Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie waves to the crowd as they walk off the stage after a rally at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., March 14, 2016. Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie waves to the crowd as they walk off the stage after a rally at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C., March 14, 2016.Chuck Burton—AP  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 9, 2016 3:22 PM CUT The general election hasn’t started yet, but Donald Trump has already announced that Chris Christie will lead his [transition team](http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1857026,00.html "undefined") if he wins the White House. “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 released Monday. (Christie [endorsed Trump](http://time.com/4239160/chris-christie-endorses-donald-trump-for-president/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined") in February.) It’s early in the election cycle to announce a transition team— then-candidate Barack Obama did not name his [until November](http://www.usnews.com/news/campaign-2008/articles/2008/11/05/obama-names-transition-team "undefined") in 2008\. But now that Trump is the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party, he’s looking ahead to facing likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton after both parties’ conventions in July. “Mr. Trump has begun shifting towards a general election strategy and implementing an infrastructure capable of securing a victory including making key hires, building a finance operation to benefit the Republican Party and unifying the party by working with several Republican leaders now voicing their support for Mr. Trump and his candidacy,” his statement says. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4322889/donald-trump-chris-christie-white-house/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4322889/donald-trump-chris-christie-white-house/"},"headline":"Donald Trump Announces Chris Christie Will Lead His White House Transition Team","datePublished":"2016-05-09T15:22:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T17:23:25.829Z","description":"When Barack Obama was candidate in 2008 he did not name his transition chief until November","url":"https://time.com/4322889/donald-trump-chris-christie-white-house/","keywords":["Donald Trump","Chris Christie"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d721f14baf9c677/69889270428a9e8101cd28ce/trump-christie-white-house-transition-team.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1d721f14baf9c677/69889270428a9e8101cd28ce/trump-christie-white-house-transition-team.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Donald Trump, Chris Christie","caption":"Donald Trump gives a thumbs up as New Jersey Gov. 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