Abstract
Early assessments of Trump’s White House portrayed an organization riven by personality disputes and administrative chaos. But in many ways, Trump’s White House staff descriptively bears a strong resemblance to its predecessors, as we demonstrate by drawing on more than 50 years of data on presidential staff composition. In terms of size, structure, and the distributions of functions, the Trump White House represents not a break with the past so much as its continuation. Trump’s staffing patterns departed from precedent more in the areas of staff turnover and recruitment; however, it is not clear just how significant those changes are.
Acknowledgments
We are especially grateful for the research help provided by Courtney Crawford, Rose Evans, Anika Heilweil, Margaret Joseph, Maddy Lyons and Eliza Van Voorhis.
| Code | Occupation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Private sector – Business Executive | Senior leadership capacity (e.g., CEO, VP, CFO); private sector only. |
| 2 | Private sector – Senior Management | Management capacity (e.g., chief of staff, provost, managing director); private sector only. |
| 3 | Private sector – Lawyer | Lawyer in any field; private sector only. |
| 4 | Federal – Congress – Elected | Elected member of the House or Senate. |
| 5 | Federal – Congress – Staff | Aide to member of Congress or Congressional committee, or serving on Congressional staff body (e.g., Congressional Research service, Office of Technology Assessment). |
| 6 | Federal – Executive Branch – Agency: Appointed or career | Federal department, agency, or regulatory commission. Note: If individual was appointed to a top–level executive position 1–4 (e.g., Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Commissioner) also Code 9. |
| 7 | Federal – Executive Branch – International Focus: appointed or career | Federal government dealing with international affairs but not border security (e.g., Defense Intelligence Agency, CIA, State Department embassy, Foreign Service, US Trade, NSC, foreign policy advisor). Note: if individual was appointed to a top-level executive position 1–4 (e.g., Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Commissioner) also Code 9. Note: also Code 6 or Code 8 where relevant. |
| 8 | Federal – Executive Branch – Previous White House Service | Previous White House Office, or related policy councils (e.g., domestic, economic, national security) – but not other EOP agencies, (e.g., OMB, CEQ, US Trade Rep). Note: if experience in national security council, also Code 7. |
| 9 | Federal – Executive Branch – Government Executive: appointed only | Appointed senior management level in a government agency: executive levels 1–4 (e.g., Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Commissioner). |
| 10 | Federal – Judicial | Judge at the district/trial, circuit/appeals, or Supreme Court level. (Does not include law clerks and research assistants.) |
| 11 | State – Elected | Elected member of the state House or Senate. Does not include elected judges, which are under Code 13. |
| 12 | State – Executive Staff: appointed or career | State department, agency, or regulatory commission (not elected). Note: if individual worked as top–level executive levels 1–4 (e.g., Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Commissioner) also Code 14. |
| 13 | State – Judicial | Judge at the state trial, state appeals, or state Supreme Court level. |
| 14 | State – Government Executive: appointed only | Appointed senior management level at the state level: equivalent of executive levels 1–4 (e.g., Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Commissioner). |
| 15 | Local – Elected | Elected position at the local level (e.g., mayor, city council, select board). |
| 16 | Local – Executive Staff: appointed or career | Local department, agency, or regulatory commission (not elected). Note: if individual worked as top–level executive levels 1–4 (e.g., Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Commissioner) also Code 18. |
| 17 | Local – Judicial | Judge at the local level. |
| 18 | Local – Government Executive: Appointed only | Appointed senior management level at the local level: executive levels 1–4 (e.g., Secretary, Undersecretary, Assistant Secretary, Commissioner). |
| 19 | Political – Party | Political party at any government level, excluding campaign work for a specific candidate. |
| 20 | Political – Presidential Campaign | President’s campaign. |
| 21 | Political – Other Campaign | Any campaign other than the President’s. |
| 22 | Political – Presidential Transition | President’s transition to the presidential office. |
| 23 | International Organizations | International government organization (e.g., United Nations. World Trade Organization). Does not include non-profits, which are under Code 24. |
| 24 | Non-Profit | Non-profit entity at any level (e.g., UNICEF, March of Dimes, Red Cross, United Way). |
| 25 | Lobbyist | Lobbyist for either a private or public organization at any level of government. |
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