White House Chief of Staff facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids White House Chief of Staff

Incumbent Susie Wiles since January 20, 2025
White House Office Executive Office of the President
Reports to	President of the United States
Appointer	President of the United States
Formation	1946 (Assistant to the President) 1961 (White House Chief of Staff)
First holder	John R. Steelman
Deputy	White House Deputy Chief of Staff

President Joe Biden walks with Chief of Staff Ron Klain along the Colonnade of the White House.

Chief of Staff Jack Watson (1980–1981) meets with President Jimmy Carter in the Oval Office.

President George H. W. Bush sits at his desk in the Oval Office Study as Chief of Staff John Sununu stands nearby.

Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks into the Oval Office as President Donald J. Trump reads over his notes.

President Barack Obama meets with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office.

The White House chief of staff is a very important job in the United States government. This person leads the Executive Office of the President of the United States. Think of them as the President's top helper and manager.

The President chooses the chief of staff. This choice does not need approval from the Senate. The chief of staff serves as long as the President wants them to. Every president since Harry S. Truman has had a chief of staff.

As of January 20, 2025, Susie Wiles is the current chief of staff. She works for President Donald Trump in his second term. This role is seen as one of the most powerful jobs in the White House. This is because the chief of staff works closely with the President every day. They also manage the entire Executive Office of the President.

History of the Chief of Staff Role
What the Chief of Staff Does
List of White House Chiefs of Staff
Related Roles
See also

History of the Chief of Staff Role

Early Presidential Aides

In the past, the President's main helper was called the "private secretary." These secretaries were trusted friends and advisers. They handled both personal and work tasks for the President. They needed to be very skilled and keep things private. Some famous private secretaries were George B. Cortelyou for President Theodore Roosevelt. Others included Joseph Patrick Tumulty for President Woodrow Wilson. Louis McHenry Howe served President Franklin Roosevelt.

The job of managing the President's schedule was separate. This was done by an "appointments secretary."

Growing Government Needs

From 1933 to 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the government much bigger. This was to help the country during the Great Depression. He relied on a group of top advisers. They were sometimes called his 'Brain Trust'. These advisers worked directly for the President. But they often got paid through other government agencies. This was because the White House did not have a budget for many staff jobs.

In 1939, the White House staff started to become more organized. President Roosevelt convinced Congress to create the Executive Office of the President. This new office reported directly to the President. During World War II, Roosevelt also created a "Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief" role. This was for his main military adviser, Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy.

The Modern Chief of Staff

In 1946, the U.S. government's executive branch grew even more. So, the job of "Assistant to the President of the United States" was created. This was the first step toward the modern chief of staff role. In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower officially named his main assistant the "White House chief of staff."

The title "Assistant to the President" is now shared by many senior aides. This includes the chief of staff, the White House counsel (legal adviser), and the White House press secretary. At first, not all presidents used this new system. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson still relied on their appointments secretaries. It was not until the Nixon administration that the chief of staff took over managing the President's schedule.

This concentration of power led presidential candidate Jimmy Carter to promise something different. In 1976, he said he would not appoint a chief of staff. For the first two and a half years of his presidency, he did not.

How Long Chiefs of Staff Serve

On average, a White House chief of staff serves for about 18 months. John R. Steelman was the first chief of staff under President Harry S. Truman. He was Truman's only chief of staff. Kenneth O'Donnell served for all of John F. Kennedy's time in office. Andrew Card and Denis McDonough each served for a full presidential term. Card worked for President George W. Bush. McDonough worked for President Barack Obama.

What the Chief of Staff Does

Chris Whipple wrote a book called The Gatekeepers. In it, he describes the chief of staff's job. He shared a quote from former President Barack Obama:

During the last days of his presidency, Barack Obama observed: "One of the things I've learned is that the big breakthroughs are typically the result of a lot of grunt work—just a whole lot of blocking and tackling." Grunt work is what chiefs of staff do.

The chief of staff has many important duties. They manage people and give advice. Here are some of their main tasks:

Choosing important White House staff members.
Making sure the White House staff works well together.
Controlling who gets to meet with the President in the Oval Office.
Managing the information that goes to the President. They also help with decisions made at the Resolute desk.
Guiding and watching over all new policy ideas.
Protecting the President's political goals.
Working with leaders in Congress and other groups. This helps the President's plans become law.
Giving advice to the President on many different topics.

Sometimes, the chief of staff also has the power to fire senior staff members. For example, John Kelly was chief of staff for President Donald Trump. He told a staff member that his decision for her to leave was final. He said that all staff members work for him, not directly for the President.

H. R. Haldeman was President Richard Nixon's first chief of staff. He was known for being very strict. He often met with government officials instead of Nixon. Then he would tell Nixon what they discussed. Journalist Bob Woodward wrote that many people were afraid of Haldeman.

List of White House Chiefs of Staff

Denotes acting capacity.

Name	Start	End	Duration
Steelman, JohnJohn Steelman	December 12, 1946	January 20, 1953	6 years, 39 days	Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
Adams, ShermanSherman Adams	January 20, 1953	October 7, 1958	5 years, 260 days	Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
Persons, WiltonWilton Persons	October 7, 1958	January 20, 1961	2 years, 105 days	Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
O'Donnell, KennethKenneth O'Donnell De facto	January 20, 1961	November 22, 1963	2 years, 306 days	Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
Jenkins, WalterWalter Jenkins De facto	November 22, 1963	October 14, 1964	327 days	Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
Moyers, BillBill Moyers De facto	October 14, 1964	July 8, 1965	267 days
Valenti, JackJack Valenti De facto	July 8, 1965	June 1, 1966	328 days
Watson, MarvinMarvin Watson De facto	June 1, 1966	April 26, 1968	1 year, 330 days
Jones, JamesJames Jones De facto	April 26, 1968	January 20, 1969	269 days
Haldeman, BobBob Haldeman	January 20, 1969	April 30, 1973	4 years, 100 days	Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
Vacant	April 30, 1973	May 4, 1973	4 days
Haig, AlAl Haig	May 4, 1973	September 21, 1974	1 year, 140 days
Haig, AlAl Haig	May 4, 1973	September 21, 1974	1 year, 140 days	Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
Rumsfeld, DonaldDonald Rumsfeld	September 21, 1974	November 20, 1975	1 year, 60 days
Cheney, DickDick Cheney	November 20, 1975	January 20, 1977	1 year, 61 days
Vacant	January 20, 1977	July 18, 1979	2 years, 179 days	Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
Jordan, HamHam Jordan	July 18, 1979	June 11, 1980	329 days
Watson, JackJack Watson	June 11, 1980	January 20, 1981	223 days
Baker, JamesJames Baker	January 20, 1981	February 4, 1985	4 years, 15 days	Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
Regan, DonDon Regan	February 4, 1985	February 27, 1987	2 years, 23 days
Baker, HowardHoward Baker	February 27, 1987	July 1, 1988	1 year, 125 days
Duberstein, KenKen Duberstein	July 1, 1988	January 20, 1989	203 days
Sununu, JohnJohn Sununu	January 20, 1989	December 16, 1991	2 years, 330 days	Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
Skinner, SamuelSamuel Skinner	December 16, 1991	August 23, 1992	251 days
Baker, JamesJames Baker	August 23, 1992	January 20, 1993	150 days
McLarty, MackMack McLarty	January 20, 1993	July 17, 1994	1 year, 178 days	Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
Panetta, LeonLeon Panetta	July 17, 1994	January 20, 1997	2 years, 187 days
Bowles, ErskineErskine Bowles	January 20, 1997	October 20, 1998	1 year, 273 days
Podesta, JohnJohn Podesta	October 20, 1998	January 20, 2001	2 years, 92 days
Card, AndyAndy Card	January 20, 2001	April 14, 2006	5 years, 84 days	Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
Bolten, JoshJosh Bolten	April 14, 2006	January 20, 2009	2 years, 281 days	Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
Emanuel, RahmRahm Emanuel	January 20, 2009	October 1, 2010	1 year, 254 days	Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
Rouse, PetePete Rouse Acting	October 1, 2010	January 13, 2011	104 days
Daley, BillBill Daley	January 13, 2011	January 27, 2012	1 year, 14 days
Lew, JackJack Lew	January 27, 2012	January 20, 2013	359 days
McDonough, DenisDenis McDonough	January 20, 2013	January 20, 2017	4 years, 0 days
Priebus, ReinceReince Priebus	January 20, 2017	July 31, 2017	192 days	Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
Kelly, JohnJohn Kelly	July 31, 2017	January 2, 2019	1 year, 155 days
Mulvaney, MickMick Mulvaney Acting	January 2, 2019	March 31, 2020	1 year, 89 days
Meadows, MarkMark Meadows	March 31, 2020	January 20, 2021	295 days
Klain, RonRon Klain	January 20, 2021	February 7, 2023	2 years, 18 days	Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
Zients, JeffJeff Zients	February 8, 2023	January 20, 2025	1 year, 347 days	Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
Wiles, SusieSusie Wiles	January 20, 2025	Incumbent	220 days	Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)