This time, Trump seems to favor loyalty, counting who has been with him since day one.
And the world media is full of hotel balconies and parks and beaches that surround Mar-a-Lago, where security is at the level of a fortress.
The transition process is still unorthodox by design, but so far it’s much more behind the scenes than it was in 2016.
Trump’s first appointment — Florida political consultant Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff — does offer one hint that Florida’s well-built conservative political operation may be poised to repeat its success in the White House.
Slater Bayliss, co-founder of the Florida-based lobbying firm Advocacy Partners, has worked both for and against Ms. Wiles during the state’s election campaigns and prefers to be on her side.
“I’d say, borrowing a nickname from our friends across the pond, Susie is the Iron Lady of American electoral politics.”
He says the proposals are pouring in from talent across the state, which has served as “a bastion of resistance for smart conservative thinkers who love our country and want to play a role in making it more reflective of our electorate.”
Republican political consultant Max Goodman says the Florida wave is expected to hit Washington.
He expects Trump’s team to be made up of mining staff on Susie Wiles’ team and in the state, whose delegations in Congress and the Senate came before Trump.
“There is no hotter political farm system in the country than the state of Florida, when you have a president and the most prolific political consultant turned chief of staff who calls Florida home,” he said.
