What This New Era of Power Looks Like in Washington

You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

The second Trump administration isn’t starting with a whisper, exactly. But as Washington gears up for Donald Trump’s encore inauguration on Jan. 20, the vibe around town has been far less twitchy and traumatized than in the run-up to Joe Biden’s swearing-in four years ago. No election-fraud conspiracy-mongering from inside the halls of government. No vandalizing of the Capitol. So far, the post-election, pre-inaugural stretch has been comparatively, and blessedly, boring.

Members of the 119th Congress took their oaths on Jan. 3 and settled in quietly. While swearing in the senators, as is the vice president’s duty, Kamala Harris played nice with the Republican members who had so vigorously trashed her on the campaign trail. Even when Senator Deb Fischer’s husband refused to shake her hand, she rolled right on with a wry smile and a flash of raised eyebrows. Her huddling up with the daughters of David McCormick, the new Republican senator from Pennsylvania, was an adorable tribute to the peaceful transfer of power.

Things were generally calm on the House side as well — grading on a curve, of course. Even the tension over whether Republicans would dissolve into squabbling over who should be the speaker ultimately fizzled. With some last-minute arm-twisting of the holdouts, including the president-elect chiming in from his golf course in Florida, Mr. Johnson squeaked through on the first ballot, gavel still in hand.