With a decimated federal government, a pandemic, and a resulting economic disaster awaiting him on day one of his potential presidency, Joe Biden is looking past his November election against Donald Trump at what his administration might look like. “That has already begun,” the presumptive Democratic nominee said at a virtual fundraiser Thursday, telling supporters that he has started putting together a transition team and suggesting that some cabinet positions could be announced even before voters cast ballots this fall. “I have had literally several hundred serious, serious players who have...held positions in every department in the federal government who have said, including some Republicans, who have said if you win, I want to come back. I’m ready to serve.”

The former vice president did not name anyone specifically, nor did he commit to announcing future administration officials prior to November. But in looking ahead at the composition of his transition team and cabinet, Biden is preparing to inherit a mess like no other: a federal government with vacancies unfilled by Trump; the threat of coronavirus, for which there will almost certainly be no widely available vaccine by the time he would take office in January; and an economic climate likely far worse than the recession he and former President Barack Obama faced when they took office in 2009. “Sounds presumptuous,” Biden said. “But it has to happen and that’s why the transition team is already being put together.”

In teasing what a Biden administration may look like, the former vice president is likely to drive further speculation—particularly among those skeptical of his candidacy, like many on the left have been—about who he would hire for crucial roles and what that could mean for his platform. Bernie Sanders and other progressives have made personnel matters a focus of their talks with the Biden campaign, as have key supporters like Jim Clyburn, who in endorsing the former vice president ahead of the South Carolina primary said that it is “necessary for [Biden’s running mate] to be a woman and I’d prefer an African-American woman.”

Indeed, the majority of the speculation surrounding a future Biden administration has largely centered so far on who he’ll invite onto his ticket. The former vice president, whose search for a running mate has intensified since becoming the presumptive nominee, has committed to picking a woman for the role, but has largely avoided commenting beyond that. Former rivals Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren—both of whom are said to be on Biden’s short-list of potential VP picks—have each said they would be up for the role. “I would be honored,” Harris said Thursday. Stacy Abrams, a rising star in the Democratic party whose name has come up frequently in the running mate rumor mill, also said this week that she would accept the position if offered. “If I am selected, I am prepared and excited to serve,” Abrams said.

There could be particular value in Biden announcing not just his ticket mate, but the broader composition of his administration sooner rather than later. Biden is pivoting toward the general election with lingering concern about the enthusiasm voters feel toward him, a divided party, and an era-defining public health crisis that has put traditional campaigning on ice. While Trump faces a November reckoning over his handling of the pandemic, he has also enjoyed a far larger platform than Biden—televised press conferences that serve as de facto rallies, a strong digital operation, and social media megaphone with significantly greater reach. In starting his transition to the White House early, Biden may not only be able to project a sense of leadership that has been lacking in his opponent—he may also be able to make a splash in a media landscape that has so far been dominated by Trump.

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