Vail Symposium discusses presidential transitions with Clay Jenkinson

Morry Gash/AP
With Donald Trump now sworn in for his second term as president, the Vail Symposium is hosting a Wednesday panel discussion at the Vail Interfaith Chapel about the transfer of power in the United States.
Clay Jenkinson along with Dr. Douglas Spencer and Valerie Smith-Boyd will discuss the past, present and future of this American political process.
“Our country has transferred presidential power 60 times and norms, rather than laws, largely govern this process,” said Vail Symposium Executive Director James Kenly. “This special program takes place less than 60 hours after a peaceful transfer of power and we look forward to engaging with our community on this foundational topic.”
What: The Transfer of Power: Conversations on Controversial Issues with Clay Jenkinson
When: Wednesday, Jan. 22, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Vail Interfaith Chapel
More information: Event tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit VailSymposium.org.
The new administration has 4,000 political appointees in all departments and cabinets, not including the White House staff positions. Many policies and organizational structures are being proposed and considered.
How much power is realistically in the hands of the president and his appointees? What power is in the hands of the newly elected Congress, legal system, non-political agencies, the press and voters? How much can non-political appointees in the government push back? What are the guardrails, besides the next election in 2026?

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Jenkinson, a National Humanities Medal winner and presidential historian, will moderate the discussion as part of the Symposium’s Conversations on Controversial Issues series. He is joined by Spencer, the Ira C. Rothgerber, Jr. Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of Colorado, along with Smith Boyd, the director for the Center for Presidential Transition at the Partnership for Public Service. They will provide context and history of previous transitions — both good and bad — and give us an outlook of the process yet to come.