White House Communications Director

Last updated

White House Communications Director
The White House logo under Trump 2.0.jpg
Steven Cheung addresses press outside Trump trial in New York 05-28-24 A (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Steven Cheung
since January 20, 2025
Executive Office of the President
White House Office
Reports to White House Chief of Staff
Appointer President of the United States
Formation1969 (White House Office)
1974 (White House Office of the Press Secretary)
First holder Herbert G. Klein

The White House communications director or White House director of communications, also known officially as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the president of the United States. The officeholder is responsible for developing and promoting the agenda of the president and leading its media campaign.

Contents

The director, along with their staff, works on major political speeches such as the inaugural address and the State of the Union Address. The communications director, who is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the president, without the need for United States Senate confirmation, is usually given an office in the West Wing of the White House.

History

The White House Office of Communications was established by Herbert G. Klein in January 1969 during the Nixon administration. [1] [2] It was separate from the Office of the Press Secretary from 1969 to 1974. [3]

Key staff

In November 2024, Steven Cheung was named White House Communications Director for the incoming Donald Trump administration. [5] Karoline Leavitt was named White House Press Secretary for the incoming administration. [6]

List of directors

ImageNameStartEndDurationPresident
No image.svg Herb Klein [7] January 20, 1969July 1, 19734 years, 162 days Richard Nixon
(1969–1974)
No image.svg Ken Clawson January 30, 1974August 9, 1974191 days
August 9, 1974November 4, 197487 days Gerald Ford
(1974–1977)
No image.svg Jerry Warren [8] November 4, 1974August 15, 1975284 days
Margita White, Assistant Deputy Director of Communications in the White House.jpg Margita White [9] August 15, 1975July 12, 1976332 days
Portraits of Assistants to President Ronald Reagan (cropped7).jpg David Gergen [10] July 12, 1976January 20, 1977192 days
Gerald Rafshoon.tif Gerald Rafshoon July 1, 1978August 14, 19791 year, 44 days Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
No image.svg Frank Ursomarso [11] [12] February 23, 1981June 17, 1981114 days Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
Portraits of Assistants to President Ronald Reagan (cropped7).jpg David Gergen [13] June 17, 1981January 15, 19842 years, 212 days
Portraits of Assistants to President Ronald Reagan (cropped2).jpg Michael McManus [8] January 15, 1984February 6, 19851 year, 22 days
Pat Buchanan 1985a (1).jpg Pat Buchanan February 6, 1985March 1, 19872 years, 23 days
No image.svg Jack Koehler [14] March 1, 1987March 13, 198711 days
Tom Griscom 1987.jpg Tom Griscom April 2, 1987July 1, 19881 year, 90 days
Mari Maseng 1988.jpg Mari Maseng Will July 1, 1988January 20, 1989203 days
No image.svg David Demarest January 20, 1989August 23, 19923 years, 216 days George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
Tutwilermd 175.jpg Margaret Tutwiler [15] August 23, 1992January 20, 1993150 days
George Stephanopoulos cropped.jpg George Stephanopoulos January 20, 1993June 7, 1993138 days Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
Mark Gearan NCMNPS.jpg Mark Gearan [16] June 7, 1993August 14, 19952 years, 68 days
No image.svg Don Baer August 14, 1995July 31, 19971 year, 351 days
Ann Lewis (138) (13315485475).jpg Ann Lewis July 31, 1997March 10, 19991 year, 222 days
No image.svg Loretta Ucelli March 10, 1999January 20, 20011 year, 316 days
KarenHughes.jpg Karen Hughes January 20, 2001October 2, 2001255 days George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
Daniel Joseph Bartlett.jpg Dan Bartlett [17] October 2, 2001January 5, 20053 years, 95 days
Nicolle Wallace (cropped).jpg Nicolle Wallace January 5, 2005July 24, 20061 year, 200 days
Kevin Sullivan (18578730486) (cropped).jpg Kevin Sullivan July 24, 2006January 20, 20092 years, 180 days
No image.svg Ellen Moran January 20, 2009April 21, 200991 days Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
Anita Dunn.jpg Anita Dunn
Acting		April 21, 2009November 30, 2009223 days
Daniel Pfeiffer.jpg Dan Pfeiffer November 30, 2009January 25, 20133 years, 56 days
Jennifer Palmieri, Aug. 2013 (cropped).jpg Jen Palmieri January 25, 2013April 1, 20152 years, 66 days
Jen Psaki April 1 2015 (cropped).jpg Jen Psaki April 1, 2015January 20, 20171 year, 294 days
Press secretary Sean Spicer (cropped).jpg Sean Spicer
Acting		January 20, 2017March 6, 201745 days Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
Michael D. Dubke.jpg Michael Dubke [18] [19] March 6, 2017June 2, 201788 days
Press secretary Sean Spicer (cropped).jpg Sean Spicer
Acting [19] [20] 		June 2, 2017 [21] [22] July 21, 2017 [23] 49 days
Anthony Scaramucci at SALT Conference 2016 (cropped).jpg Anthony Scaramucci [24] July 21, 2017 [25] July 31, 2017 [26] [27] 11 days
Hope Hicks November 2017.jpg Hope Hicks [28] [29] August 16, 2017
Acting: August 16 – September 12, 2017		March 29, 2018 [30] 225 days
Bill Shine (cropped).jpg Bill Shine [31] July 5, 2018March 8, 2019246 days
Stephanie Grisham.jpg Stephanie Grisham [32] July 1, 2019April 7, 2020281 days
Kate Bedingfield (The Circus on SHOWTIME).jpg Kate Bedingfield [33] [34] January 20, 2021March 1, 20232 years, 40 days Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
Ben LaBolt [13] March 1, 2023January 20, 20251 year, 325 days
Steven Cheung addresses press outside Trump trial in New York 05-28-24 A (cropped) (cropped).jpg Steven Cheung January 20, 2025Incumbent1 day Donald Trump
(2025–present)

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References

  1. ↑ "White House Unit Takes on New Life", The Washington Post , November 26, 1973, p. 9.
  2. ↑ Judiciary, United States Congress House Committee on the (1973). Impeachment: Selected Materials. Government Printing Office. ISBN   9780160577031.
  3. ↑ "Press Operations in White House Revised, With Politics Ruled Out", The New York Times , August 17, 1974, p. 15.
  4. ↑ Monica Alba (August 16, 2024). "White House plans staff moves as aides switch to Harris campaign". NBC News.
  5. ↑ McGraw, Meridith; Bade, Rachael (November 15, 2024). "Trump to tap campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung as communications director". POLITICO. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  6. ↑ Moore, Elena (November 15, 2024). "Trump picks Karoline Leavitt to be youngest White House press secretary in history". NPR. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Richard Nixon: Letter Accepting the Resignation of Herbert G. Klein as Director of Communications for the Executive Branch". presidency.ucsb.edu.
  8. 1 2 Kumar, Martha Joynt (July 6, 2007). Managing the President's Message: The White House Communications Operation. JHU Press. ISBN   9780801886522 – via Google Books.
  9. ↑ Shabecoff, Philip (July 13, 1976). "Ford Shifts and Expands Press Staff". The New York Times– via NYTimes.com.
  10. ↑ "Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum". fordlibrarymuseum.gov.
  11. ↑ "URSOMARSO, FRANK: Files, 1981 (3.1 l.ft.; Box 1-8)" (PDF).
  12. ↑ "Ronald Reagan: Appointment of Frank A. Ursomarso as Director of the White House Office of Communications". www.presidency.ucsb.edu. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017.
  13. 1 2 "Key Reagan Administration Officials". reagan.utexas.edu. Archived from the original on March 4, 2005.
  14. ↑ "Letter Accepting the Resignation of John O. Koehler as Assistant to the President and Director of Communications". reaganlibrary.archives.gov. Archived from the original on May 8, 2016.
  15. ↑ Appointment of Margaret DeBardeleben Tutwiler as Assistant to the President for Communications, gpo.gov.
  16. ↑ "William J. Clinton: Press Briefing by David Gergen and Mark Gearan". presidency.ucsb.edu.
  17. ↑ "George W. Bush: Statement by the Press Secretary: Bartlett Named White House Communications Director". presidency.ucsb.edu.
  18. ↑ "President Donald J. Trump Announces White House Staff Appointments", whitehouse.gov, March 6, 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Mysterious disappearance of Donald Trump's mouthpiece Sean Spicer". The New Zealand Herald . June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  20. ↑ The White House (July 21, 2017), Press Briefing with Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved July 21, 2017
  21. ↑ Herman, Steve (July 21, 2017). "Shakeup Puts Different Face on White House Communications". VOA. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Mysterious disappearance of Donald Trump's mouthpiece Sean Spicer". NZ Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  23. ↑ Shen, Lucinda (July 21, 2017). "Anthony Scaramucci Thinks the White House Is About to Have a 'Phenomenal Relationship' With the Press". Fortune. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  24. ↑ Shear, Michael D.; Thrush, Glenn; Haberman, Maggie (July 31, 2017). "John Kelly, Asserting Authority, Fires Anthony Scaramucci". The New York Times . Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  25. ↑ Santos, Amanda Proença (July 31, 2017). "Scaramucci Sets New Record for Shortest Term as Communications Director". NBC News . Retrieved August 14, 2017. Though President Donald Trump appointed Scaramucci to the role 10 days ago, he only held the position for six days thanks to an official start date of July 25.
  26. ↑ "White House Holds Press Briefing after Anthony Scaramucci Resigns as Communications Director". Time . July 31, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Anthony Scaramucci: Five top tips to lose a job in 10 days". BBC News. August 1, 2017. Anthony Scaramucci had not yet made it to his official start date before he was fired
  28. ↑ "Hope Hicks tapped for interim White House communications director". Fox News. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017.
  29. ↑ Ballhaus, Rebecca (September 12, 2017). "Hope Hicks Named Permanent White House Communications Director". The Wall Street Journal . ISSN   0099-9660 . Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  30. ↑ Rogers, Katie; Haberman, Maggie (March 29, 2018). "Hope Hicks is Gone, and It's Not Clear Who Can Replace Her". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Ex-Fox News exec Bill Shine to join White House". The Hill. July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  32. ↑ Wise, Alana (April 7, 2020). "White House Press Secretary Grisham Moves Back To First Lady's Office". NPR. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Kate Bedingfield, White House Communications Director". President-Elect Joe Biden. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  34. ↑ "Kate Bedingfield to Depart the White House after over 3 Years Leading the President's Communications Operation". July 6, 2022.
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