Mark Meadows facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Mark Meadows
Official portrait, 2013

29th White House Chief of Staff
In office March 31, 2020 – January 20, 2021
President	Donald Trump
Deputy	Emma Doyle Tony Ornato Chris Liddell Dan Scavino
Preceded by	Mick Mulvaney (acting)
Succeeded by	Ron Klain
Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee
In office March 12, 2020 – March 30, 2020
Preceded by	Jim Jordan
Succeeded by	Jim Jordan
Chair of the House Freedom Caucus
In office January 3, 2017 – October 1, 2019
Deputy	Jim Jordan
Preceded by	Jim Jordan
Succeeded by	Andy Biggs
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 11th district
In office January 3, 2013 – March 30, 2020
Preceded by	Heath Shuler
Succeeded by	Madison Cawthorn

Personal details
Born	Mark Randall Meadows (1959-07-28) July 28, 1959 (age 66) Verdun, France
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Debbie Meadows (m. 1979)
Children	2
Education	Florida State University University of South Florida (AA)

Mark Randall Meadows (born July 28, 1959) is an American politician. He served as the 29th White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021 for President Donald Trump. Before that, he was a U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district from 2013 to 2020. He is a member of the Republican Party.

During his time in Congress, Meadows led the Freedom Caucus from 2017 to 2019. He was known as a close supporter of Donald Trump in the House of Representatives. Meadows was also a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative lawmakers. He was considered one of the most conservative Republicans in Congress.

Meadows left Congress on March 31, 2020, to become the White House chief of staff. In this role, he helped guide the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the 2020 presidential election, Meadows was involved in efforts to challenge the election results.

In December 2021, Meadows was found to have not cooperated with a special committee investigating the events of January 6, 2021. He is the first former White House chief of staff since the Watergate scandal to face such a finding. The Justice Department later decided not to pursue charges against him for this.

Since 2022, Meadows has been involved in investigations related to the 2020 presidential election results. In October 2022, a judge ordered him to testify before a grand jury in Georgia. In August 2023, he was accused along with 18 others in Georgia in connection with efforts to change the 2020 election results. In April 2024, he was also accused in Arizona for similar alleged efforts to change the 2020 election outcome in that state.

Early Life and Education

Mark Meadows was born in Verdun, France, on July 28, 1959. His father was serving in the United States Army there, and his mother was a nurse.

Meadows grew up in Brandon, Florida. He attended Florida State University for one year. He later earned an Associate of Arts from the University of South Florida. For many years, his official biography incorrectly stated he had a bachelor's degree.

Early Career

In 1987, Meadows opened a small restaurant called "Aunt D's" in Highlands, North Carolina. He later sold it and used the money to start a real estate development company in the Tampa, Florida, area. He lived there until 2013.

While living in Highlands, Meadows was the chairman of the Republican Party in Macon County. He also served on North Carolina's Board for Economic Development in Western North Carolina.

In 2011, he moved to Glenville, North Carolina. He owns Highlands Properties, a company that builds and develops land. In 2014, Meadows sold a large piece of land in Dinosaur, Colorado, to a group that believes in young earth creationism. He appeared in a film called Raising the Allosaur: The True Story of a Rare Dinosaur and the Home Schoolers Who Found It (2002). Experts disagreed with the ideas presented in this film.

U.S. House of Representatives

In Congress, Meadows was known for his very conservative voting record. He signed the Contract from America, a list of ten policies supported by the Tea Party movement. He was also a founding member of the Freedom Caucus.

Official congressional portrait, 2012

Meadows voted against money for disaster relief after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. He and some other Republicans said the bill included spending not related to the hurricane. In 2017, after Hurricane Harvey caused damage in Texas and Louisiana, Meadows voted for disaster aid. Critics said this was inconsistent, but Meadows argued the Harvey bill did not have unrelated spending. A review found that almost all the Sandy bill's money was for hurricane recovery.

Meadows was the chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations. He was removed from this role in 2015 by fellow Republican Jason Chaffetz. This happened because Meadows voted against a motion supported by Republican leaders. Many Republicans, including Senator Ted Cruz, spoke out against this action.

Meadows was a member of several important committees in the House, including the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He was also part of various groups called caucuses, like the Congressional Western Caucus and the Second Amendment Caucus.

2013 Government Shutdown

Meadows played a key role in the 2013 United States federal government shutdown. In August 2013, he wrote a letter asking leaders to stop funding the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in any spending bills. This letter was signed by 79 other House members.

Meadows said that closing the government for a short time was the best way to delay Obamacare. He stated that his voters in Western North Carolina wanted him to fight against Obamacare, no matter the outcome. The head of the Asheville Tea Party, Jane Bilello, said Meadows "truly represents us" on this issue.

Meadows tried to find a compromise by suggesting bills that would fund only parts of the government, like national parks or the National Institutes of Health. However, the Democratic majority in the United States Senate rejected these partial funding bills.

Efforts to Remove Speaker Boehner

On July 28, 2015, Meadows filed a resolution to vote on removing John Boehner as Speaker of the House. If it passed, the House would then choose a new speaker. Meadows said he filed the resolution because Boehner had too much power and punished members who voted differently.

Boehner responded that it was "no big deal" and that he had "broad support." On September 25, 2015, Boehner announced he would resign as speaker. He officially left office on October 31, 2015.

Staffing Concerns

In October 2014, employees reported concerns about the behavior of Meadows's chief of staff, Kenny West. Meadows asked another chief of staff to investigate. Meadows later limited West's presence in his offices.

Although West resigned, he remained on the House payroll for several months, which was against House rules. Meadows paid West over $58,000 during this time. An investigation found that Meadows had "substantial reason to believe" that West was paid for work he didn't do.

In November 2018, the House Ethics Committee fined Meadows over $40,000. They concluded that Meadows "did not do enough to address" the concerns about West's behavior. The committee said Meadows took "immediate and appropriate steps" by separating West from female staff and asking for an investigation. However, they noted that West kept his title and power over staff during this time. The committee stated that Meadows "could have and should have done more" to ensure a fair workplace.

Elections

2012 Election

In late 2011, Meadows announced he would run for Congress in North Carolina's 11th congressional district. The district lines had been changed, making it more Republican. Meadows won the Republican primary and then the general election in November 2012 with about 57% of the vote. He took office in January 2013.

2014 Election

Meadows was reelected in 2014 with 62.9% of the vote.

2016 Election

Meadows appeared with presidential candidate Donald Trump in July 2016. He led the crowd in a campaign chant. Meadows won re-election with 64.1% of the vote.

2018 Election

Meadows won re-election in November 2018, receiving 59% of the vote. During his campaign, Meadows supported President Trump's plans. He traveled to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum with a group from Congress and the White House.

2020 Election

On December 19, 2019, Meadows announced he would not run for re-election in 2020.

White House Chief of Staff

Meadows with President Trump on March 4, 2020

By 2017, Meadows and Donald Trump began talking on the phone regularly. In December 2018, Meadows expressed interest in becoming White House Chief of Staff. Before December 2018, Meadows had claimed to have a bachelor's degree. When questions arose about his education, he changed his official biography to show he had an associate degree.

On March 6, 2020, Trump named Meadows the next White House chief of staff. Meadows resigned from the House on March 30, 2020, and started his new job the next day.

Meadows and his wife were investigated in North Carolina for their voter registration in 2020. They registered at a mobile home where they reportedly did not live and voted by mail from that address. In December 2022, the attorney general's office closed the investigation, stating there was not enough evidence of voter fraud.

Efforts to Challenge 2020 Presidential Election Results

After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, and Trump made claims of widespread fraud, Meadows helped Trump in his efforts to challenge the election results. He urged Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to change the certification of Georgia's election results. In a recorded phone call, Trump tried to pressure Raffensperger to recount Georgia's votes, with Meadows present.

Meadows also asked Acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen to investigate claims of fraud. These claims included a theory that people in Italy used military technology to change voting machine results.

U.S. House Select Committee on January 6

On September 24, 2021, a U.S. House of Representatives committee investigating the 2021 United States Capitol attack asked Meadows for information and to testify. He did not appear for a meeting with the committee.

In early December 2021, Meadows gave the January 6 Select Committee a presentation he had received by email. This presentation suggested that the president could declare a national emergency to stay in power. Meadows's lawyer stated that he did not act on this document.

On December 14, 2021, Meadows was found to have not cooperated with the January 6 Select Committee. He is the first former member of Congress to have this finding against him. The Justice Department later decided not to pursue charges against him.

In April 2022, the January 6 Select Committee and CNN obtained text messages Meadows sent and received between the 2020 election and the January 6 Capitol attack. These messages included requests from others for Meadows to get Trump to speak out against the violence at the Capitol.

Election Investigations (Georgia and Federal)

In late November 2022, the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled that Meadows must testify in the Georgia election investigation. On August 14, 2023, he was accused along with 18 others in the Georgia investigation. Meadows turned himself in at the Fulton County jail on August 24, 2023, and was released on bail. On September 5, 2023, Meadows said he was not guilty.

In June 2023, it was reported that Meadows had testified to a federal grand jury as part of an investigation into how classified documents were handled. In October 2023, it was revealed that Meadows, with immunity, said he had told President Donald Trump that there was no basis for claims of election fraud in 2020. This was despite Meadows writing a book that made different claims.

Career After White House

Meadows became a leader at the Conservative Partnership Institute in January 2021. This group works to elect conservatives and influence voting rules.

Political Views

Economic Views

While in Congress, Meadows supported a balanced budget amendment to the United States Constitution. He wanted to stop all special spending projects until the budget was balanced. Meadows was against cutting military spending.

Meadows opposed federal spending to boost the economy during the Obama administration. However, as Trump's White House chief of staff, he supported Trump's plans for economic stimulus. He pushed for $1.8 trillion in federal stimulus spending. Meadows has signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which means he opposes raising taxes. He supports a flat-rate income tax for everyone and wants to get rid of the estate tax.

In 2016, Meadows asked Trump to remove certain federal rules. These included rules about paying workers a "prevailing wage" on public projects and rules about overtime pay. He also asked to end rules requiring federal contractors to be paid for sick leave.

COVID-19

As chief of staff, Meadows played a big part in the Trump administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He urged the Food and Drug Administration to make rules for COVID-19 vaccine trials less strict. He also told the White House's health experts to stick to Trump's message. In October 2020, Meadows said it was pointless to try "to control the pandemic." He said the focus should be on vaccines and treatments.

On November 4, 2020, Meadows tested positive for COVID-19. He only told a small group of people and asked them to keep it quiet. This made it harder to trace who he had been in contact with. Meadows advised Trump not to openly support mask-wearing, saying, "The base will revolt." He also told experts like Anthony Fauci not to comment on strict measures for dealing with the virus. Meadows often did not wear a mask when talking to reporters.

Environment and Energy

In December 2016, Meadows gave Trump a list of rules to remove. This included stopping federal money for climate change studies. He also asked Trump to end rules like the Renewable Fuel Standard, allow oil drilling on federal lands, and pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Meadows is against policies that limit carbon emissions and supports drilling for oil and gas offshore.

LGBT Rights

Meadows is against same-sex marriage. In March 2013, he said that if the Supreme Court ruled against bans on gay marriage, it would be a "huge invasion into states' rights" and cause a constitutional problem.

Regulations

Meadows is against any restrictions on gun purchases. He also opposes a national gun registry that would list details about gun ownership.

Meadows is against rules that require all internet providers to offer internet at equal speeds to all parties. In 2016, he gave Trump a list of rules to remove, which included net neutrality rules.

Health Care

Meadows is against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). He believes it should be replaced by private companies.

Less than a year after joining Congress, Meadows wrote the letter that first urged House Speaker John Boehner to shut down the government unless Obamacare was stopped. Some people said he was responsible for the 2013 government shutdown. His district lost money each day because national parks were closed.

In January 2017, Meadows voted for a budget plan that started the process of ending Obamacare. On May 4, 2017, Meadows voted for the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which would partly replace Obamacare.

After the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released information about the AHCA's effects, there were reports that Meadows became emotional. He spoke about his family members who had health conditions, including his sister who died of breast cancer and his father who died of lung cancer. Meadows said he would not "make a political decision today that affects somebody's sister or father." He stated that Trump was "committed to making sure preexisting conditions are covered."

Foreign Policy

Meadows strongly supports Israel. He said that Israel's withdrawal from the Sinai and Gaza did not bring peace, but made the situation "more difficult." Meadows has opposed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel.

Meadows was among 60 Republicans who did not condemn Trump's decision to withdraw forces from Syria. He also voted with a few other Republicans to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in the War in Yemen.

On December 8, 2019, Meadows claimed that Trump never asked a foreign leader to investigate a political opponent. However, a transcript of a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed Trump asking Zelenskyy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden. Trump also publicly asked China to investigate Hunter Biden. Meadows said he would be "OK" with a Democratic president doing what Trump did.

Russia Investigation

Meadows was a strong critic of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. During Trump's presidency, Meadows often talked with Trump about Mueller's investigation. Meadows was seen as a "Trump ally." In May 2018, Meadows asked for a financial review of the Mueller investigation.

In July 2018, Meadows asked the Department of Justice to look into claims that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein threatened to get phone records from a House Intelligence Committee staffer. Meadows said this was an abuse of power. He also filed papers to try and remove the deputy attorney general from his position. Meadows's opponent in the 2018 election, Phillip Price, said this was an attempt to stop the Justice Department's investigation into Russian interference.