Ron Klain's appointment as Joe Biden's chief of staff reflects the president-elect's prioritisation of loyalty and experience and is the antithesis of Donald Trump’s approach over the last four years.
Mr Klain, 59, is a lawyer, political consultant and skilled Washington operator who started his journey in the US capital clerking for Supreme Court Justice Bryon White in 1987. His relationship with Mr Biden goes back to 1989 when Mr Klain was chief counsel at the Senate judiciary committee.
Mr Klain has accompanied Mr Biden through different chapters of his political life in Washington. He became his chief of staff as Vice President from 2009 to 2011, and then served as President Barack Obama’s Ebola response co-ordinator in 2014-2015. That experience will help Mr Biden push forward his top policy priority to contain the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has already claimed over 240,000 lives in the United States.
It’s Mr Klain’s relationship with the president-elect, experience with an epidemic, ability to manage a bureaucratic operation and work across the aisle with Republicans in Congress that made his resume appealing.
In pictures: Joe Biden's career
“Ron has been invaluable to me over the many years that we have worked together … His deep, varied experience and capacity to work with people all across the political spectrum is precisely what I need in a White House chief of staff as we confront this moment of crisis and bring our country together again,” Mr Biden said in a statement.
The pick also offers a complete contrast with the Trump approach to choosing his chief of staff. In four years, President Donald Trump went through four appointments to the position: Reince Priebus, John Kelly, Mick Mulvaney and outgoing chief of staff Mark Meadows. Each of their tenures was marked with a level of chaos, flashy headlines and loud clashes with Mr Trump's inner circle, especially his family members.
With Mr Klain’s pick, Mr Biden is trying to highlight stability and steadiness in running the day to day operations from the White House. His pick is more similar to George W Bush appointing Andrew Card or Bill Clinton appointing Leon Panetta. Both had effective runs in one of the most powerful positions in Washington, and worked well with the legislative branch.
Mr Klain’s pick is also indicative of future nominations and appointments that Mr Biden will make. Other experienced names in US politics such as former Chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen and Senator Chris Coons have been floated for the Treasury and Secretary of State positions. Unlike Mr Klain, these positions require confirmation from Congress.
Mr Biden will also have to balance different wings in his party. Leftist Senator Bernie Sanders confirmed to CNN his interest in becoming the Secretary of Labour under Mr Biden. The president-elect’s former primary rivals Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth Warren have also shown interest in serving in the next administration.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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If you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals. A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com. Good guidebooks include the Lonely Planet guides to Northern California and Washington, Oregon & the Pacific Northwest.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The years Ramadan fell in May
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
