Senior Advisor to the President of the United States facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Senior Advisor to the President
Incumbent Massad Boulos since January 20, 2025
Executive Office of the President White House Office
Reports to	President of the United States
Appointer	President of the United States
Formation	January 20, 1993; 32 years ago (1993-01-20)
First holder	Rahm Emanuel
Website	The White House

The Senior Advisor to the President is a very important helper to the President of the United States. These advisors don't make official government decisions themselves, but they give smart ideas and suggestions to the President. Their main job is to offer advice, look at information, and give recommendations on big issues.

Senior advisors are key members of the White House Office, which is a group of people who work closely with the President. This special job title has been officially used since 1993.

What Do Senior Advisors Do?

Senior advisors help the President with many different tasks. Over the years, they have been in charge of various important groups within the White House.

Helping Different Government Groups

Here are some of the areas that senior advisors have helped with:

• Planning Big Projects: They work with the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives to plan important new ideas.
• Finding New Ideas: They help the Office of American Innovation look for fresh ways to improve things.
• Political Matters: They advise on political issues through the White House Office of Political Affairs.
• Managing the President's Office: They assist with the daily activities of the Oval Office Operations.
• Clean Energy: They work with the White House Office on Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation to find new, clean ways to get energy.
• Working with States and Cities: They connect the President with state and local governments through the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
• Connecting with People: They help the President talk to the public using the White House Office of Public Engagement.
• Sharing Information: They work with the White House Office of Communications and White House Office of Press Operations to share news and information.
• Helping with Big Challenges: They have helped with important plans like the American Rescue Plan and efforts to deal with COVID-19.
• Organizing Documents: They assist the White House Office of the Staff Secretary with important papers and meetings.
• Building and Improving Things: They help coordinate projects like roads and bridges through the White House Office of Infrastructure Implementation Coordination.

Senior Advisors Through History

Even before 1993, when the title "Senior Advisor to the President" became official, presidents had important advisors. These people did similar jobs, even if their job title was different.

You can also find "Senior Advisor" roles in other parts of the government. For example, the Food and Drug Administration (which makes sure our food and medicines are safe) has a Senior Advisor for Science. The Department of the Interior (which manages public lands) has a Senior Advisor for Alaskan Affairs.

Some famous examples of people who acted like senior advisors without the exact title include Edward M. House, who advised President Woodrow Wilson, and Louis Howe, who advised President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Who Has Been a Senior Advisor?

Many people have served as Senior Advisors to different presidents. Here is a list of some of them:

Senior Advisors for President Bill Clinton

Senior Advisor			What They Focused On	Time in Office	Party
		Rahm Emanuel (born 1959)	Politics, planning, and ideas	January 20, 1993 – November 7, 1998	Democratic
		George Stephanopoulos (born 1961)	Planning and ideas	June 7, 1993 – December 10, 1996
		Sidney Blumenthal (born 1948)	Politics, sharing information, and ideas	August 19, 1997 – January 20, 2001
		Doug Sosnik (born 1959)	Politics, planning, and ideas	November 7, 1998 – January 20, 2001
		Joel Johnson (born 1961)	Sharing information and ideas	May 20, 1999 – January 20, 2001

Senior Advisors for President George W. Bush

Senior Advisor			What They Focused On	Time in Office	Party
		Karl Rove (born 1950)	Politics, planning, and sharing information	January 20, 2001 – August 31, 2007	Republican
		Barry Steven Jackson (born 1960)	Politics, planning, and sharing information	September 1, 2007 – January 20, 2009

Senior Advisors for President Barack Obama

Senior Advisor			What They Focused On	Time in Office	Party
		Valerie Jarrett (born 1956)	Connecting with people and governments	January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017	Democratic
		Pete Rouse (born 1946)	Planning big projects	January 20, 2009 – October 1, 2010
		David Axelrod (born 1955)	Politics and sharing information	January 20, 2009 – January 10, 2011
		David Plouffe (born 1967)	Politics and sharing information	January 10, 2011 – January 25, 2013
		Daniel Pfeiffer (born 1975)	Politics and sharing information	January 25, 2013 – March 6, 2015
		Brian Deese (born 1978)	Climate and energy issues	February 13, 2015 – January 20, 2017
		Shailagh Murray (born 1965)	Sharing information	April 3, 2015 – January 20, 2017

Senior Advisors for President Donald Trump

During His First Presidency

Senior Advisor			What They Focused On	Time in Office	Party
		Jared Kushner (born 1981)	Planning big projects	January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021	Republican
		Stephen Miller (born 1985)	Policy ideas	January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021
		Kevin Hassett (born 1962)	Money and economy	April 15, 2020 – July 1, 2020
		Eric Herschmann (born 1962)	Legal and research tasks	August 3, 2020 – January 20, 2021

During His Second Presidency

Senior Advisor			What They Focused On	Time in Office	Party
		Elon Musk (born 1971)	Making government work better	January 20, 2025 – May 30, 2025	Independent
		Massad Boulos (born 1971)	Issues in the Middle East and Africa	January 20, 2025 – present	Republican

Senior Advisors for President Joe Biden

Senior Advisor			What They Focused On	Time in Office	Party
		Cedric Richmond (born 1973)	Connecting with the public	January 20, 2021 – May 18, 2022	Democratic
		Keisha Lance Bottoms (born 1970)		July 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023
		Julie Chávez Rodriguez (born 1978)	Working with other governments	June 15, 2022 – May 16, 2023
		Neera Tanden (born 1970)	Healthcare and digital services	May 17, 2021 – May 26, 2023
		Mitch Landrieu (born 1960)	Building and improving infrastructure	November 15, 2021 – January 8, 2024
		Mike Donilon (born 1958)	Main planner	January 20, 2021 – January 23, 2024
		Anita Dunn (born 1958)	Sharing information	1st: Jan. 20 – August 12, 2021 2nd: May 5, 2022 – July 31, 2024
		Gene Sperling (born 1958)	Helping with COVID-19 and the American Rescue Plan	March 15, 2021 – August 2024
		John Podesta (born 1949)	Clean energy and climate policy	September 2, 2022 – January 20, 2025
		Stephen K. Benjamin (born 1969)	Connecting with the public	April 1, 2023 – January 20, 2025
		Tom Perez (born 1961)	Working with other governments	June 12, 2023 – January 20, 2025
		Annie Tomasini	Helping the Chief of Staff	June 2023 – January 20, 2025
		Ben LaBolt (born 1981)	Sharing information	August 8, 2024 – January 20, 2025
		Karine Jean-Pierre (born 1974)	Talking to the news	October 7, 2024 – January 20, 2025

Other Advisors to the President

Besides Senior Advisors, there are other types of advisors who help the President.

Advisor			What They Focused On	Time in Office	Party	President
		Stephanie Cutter (born 1968)	Messages and sharing information	January 2011 – September 2011	Democratic	Barack Obama
		Ivanka Trump (born 1981)	Women's issues, jobs, and new businesses	March 29, 2017 – January 20, 2021	Republican	Donald Trump

Learn More

• Counselor to the President: Another important advisor role.
• Senior advisor: Learn more about the general idea of a senior advisor.