White House holds homeland security tabletop exercise with senior Trump officials

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senior officials from President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, including the majority of his designated Cabinet nominees, were at the White House on Wednesday to participate in a transition exercise hosted by President Joe Biden’s team.

The transition tabletop exercise was chaired by Homeland Security Adviser Liz Sherwood-Randall in the White House Situation Room, the White House said, and included a substantial share of Biden’s outgoing Cabinet for the two-hour session. The exercise has been a key part of presidential transitions since the September 11, 2001, attacks and give the outgoing and incoming teams a chance to rehearse how to respond to and manage a range of national security crises.

Wednesday’s simulation touched on the management of potential terror attacks and avian flu, among other challenges.

The exercises can sometimes become an eerie preview of reality. During the 2016-17 transition from then-President Barack Obama to Trump, one such exercise included a discussion of the U.S. response to a global public health event. Three years later, Trump’s administration was confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic.

It comes two weeks after an Islamic State-inspired attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day killed 14 people and injured more than two dozen. The country is currently managing an avian flu outbreak that has killed one person and affected the nation’s food supply.

Attendees included Sen. Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for secretary of state; former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence; his defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth; and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, his nominee for homeland security secretary, among others. Rep. Mike Waltz, the incoming national security adviser, and other senior White House staffers also represented the Trump team.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were among the Biden Cabinet officials or their deputies who participated in the session, which came hours after the U.S. helped broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The Biden team has been highlighting its efforts to cooperate with Trump’s transition effort, including responding to hundreds of requests for information across the government on ongoing programs and sharing briefings on the top five to 10 most pressing issues at each agency. The White House separately briefed Trump’s team on top issues, including global health, disaster response and artificial intelligence, that may require action in the first six months of the new administration.

Wednesday’s exercise follows an earlier tabletop in November with senior career government staffers to prepare to support the incoming administration.

Separately, Susie Wiles, Trump’s White House chief of staff was seen in the West Wing earlier Wednesday ahead of the exercise meeting with senior members of the incumbent administration.