The peaceful transfer of power is a hallmark of American democracy, and the White House is the physical symbol of that process.

Linda McMahon and Howard Lutnick are spearheading the transition for the incoming Trump administration.

President-elect Donald Trump's team will be focused on helping him fill his cabinet and prepare potential executive orders that he could sign on day one.

The president is responsible for appointing more than 4,000 positions across the federal government, and over 1,200 of them require Senate confirmation. Some lower level appointees might remain when the new administration begins, but high level positions, like cabinet secretaries, traditionally resign.

Since Vice President Kamala Harris has conceded, Trump's transition team can have access to federal funding, office space, IT help and other services needed to set the stage for a new administration.

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President Joe Biden has committed to ensure there is a smooth transition next year.

"The people vote and choose their own leaders, and they do it peacefully. And in a democracy, the will of the people always prevails," Biden said from the Rose Garden after the election.

Historians credit the nation's second president, John Adams, for establishing the tradition in use to this day. Adams was the first president to live in the White House, though he only had the chance to live there for a few months. After losing in a very close election in 1800, he chose to quietly leave the morning of his successor's inauguration on March 4, 1801. It wasn't until the 1930s that Inauguration Day for president of the United States moved to January 20.

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