President-elect Trump Picks Elaine Chao for Transportation Secretary

She is a woman and an immigrant, a fixture of the Republican establishment for two decades. She is a savvy and professional practitioner of the capital’s inside game. And now she is going to work for President-elect Donald J. Trump. Trump named Elaine L. Chao as his choice to be the next secretary of transportation, elevating someone whose background and experience are in many respects completely at odds with the brash and disruptive tenor of his anti-Washington campaign. His transportation secretary is likely to be one of the more essential players. President-elect Trump, a real estate magnate, has said that infrastructure redevelopment will be a priority of his first 100 days in office. And Chao has experience — politically and personally — in navigating the competing centers of power in the capital. She is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY).