White House Political Director

Last updated
White House Political Director
The White House logo under Trump 2.0.jpg
Incumbent
Matt Brasseaux
since January 20, 2025
Executive Office of the President
White House Office
Appointer President of the United States
Formation1978 (informally)
1981 (formally)
First holder Tim Kraft (informally)
Lyn Nofziger (formally)

The White House political director, formally the director of the Office of Political Affairs (OPA) or Office of Political Strategy and Outreach (OPSO), is a political appointee of the president of the United States and a senior member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

Contents

History

The White House Office of Political Affairs was first formally established in 1981 during under Ronald Reagan, while Jimmy Carter was the first to designate a political director in 1978. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Subsequent administrations have rebranded the office. During his second term, President Obama renamed the office as the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach, though the roles and responsibilities of the office and its director remained. [5]

List

  Denotes acting capacity.
ImageNameStartEndPresident
Tim Kraft - NARA - 173517 (cropped).tif
Tim Kraft April 28, 1978August 10, 1979 Jimmy Carter
(1977–1981)
Sarah Weddington - NARA - 181411.jpg
Sarah Weddington August 10, 1979January 20, 1981
Lyn Nofziger portrait.jpg
Lyn Nofziger January 20, 1981January 22, 1982 Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
Portraits of Assistants to President Ronald Reagan (cropped).jpg
Ed Rollins January 22, 1982October 1983
Tutwilermd 175.jpg
Margaret Tutwiler
Acting
July 23, 1984February 5, 1985
Bill Lacy (1337911905).jpg
Bill Lacy April 5, 1985June 17, 1986
Haley Barbour cropped.jpg
Haley Barbour June 17, 1986March 16, 1987
Frank Lavin 050129-N-3372S-022 crop.jpg
Frank Lavin March 16, 1987January 20, 1989
No image.svg
James Wray January 20, 1989June 1, 1990 George H. W. Bush
(1989–1993)
No image.svg
David Carney June 1, 1990March 5, 1991
March 5, 1991January 1992
Ron Kaufman (cropped).jpg
Ron Kaufman January 1992August 24, 1992
Janet Mullins (cropped).jpg
Janet Mullins August 24, 1992January 20, 1993
Rahm Emanuel, official photo portrait color (cropped).jpg
Rahm Emanuel January 20, 1993June 23, 1993 Bill Clinton
(1993–2001)
No image.svg
Joan Baggett June 23, 1993December 1994
No image.svg
Joe Velasquez
Acting
December 1994February 16, 1995
No image.svg
Doug Sosnik February 16, 1995February 7, 1997
No image.svg
Craig Smith February 7, 1997February 5, 1999
Minyon Moore 1251972.jpg
Minyon Moore February 5, 1999January 20, 2001
Ken Mehlman Picture.jpg
Ken Mehlman January 20, 2001May 23, 2003 George W. Bush
(2001–2009)
Matt Schlapp (26669355998) (cropped).jpg
Matt Schlapp May 23, 2003February 2005
No image.svg
Sara Taylor February 2005May 31, 2007
No image.svg
Jonathan Felts May 31, 2007January 20, 2009
Patrick Gaspard aboard Marine One, Aug, 2010. (cropped).jpg
Patrick Gaspard January 20, 2009February 1, 2011 Barack Obama
(2009–2017)
VacantFebruary 1, 2011January 24, 2014
David Simas.jpg
David Simas January 24, 2014December 19, 2016
Bill Stepien.jpg
Bill Stepien January 20, 2017December 7, 2018 Donald Trump
(2017–2021)
Jack Brian 119th Congress (cropped).jpg
Brian Jack February 2, 2019January 20, 2021
No image.svg
Emmy Ruiz January 20, 2021January 20, 2025 Joe Biden
(2021–2025)
No image.svg
Matt Brasseaux January 20, 2025Incumbent Donald Trump
(2025–present)

Political and Intergovernmental Affairs

During the second term of the Reagan administration, there was a director of political and intergovernmental affairs who sat above the political director and intergovernmental affairs director.

ImageNameStartEndPresident
Portraits of Assistants to President Ronald Reagan (cropped).jpg
Ed Rollins February 5, 1985October 1, 1985 Ronald Reagan
(1981–1989)
Reagan Contact Sheet C33545 (cropped).jpg
Mitch Daniels October 1, 1985March 1, 1987
Frank Donatelli 1987.jpg
Frank Donatelli March 1, 1987January 20, 1989

Paulo Costanzo portrays Lyor Boone, the fictional White House Political Director, in Designated Survivor , a political thriller television series.

References

  1. Leonard, Barry (May 2009). Activities of the White House Office of Political Affairs. United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform. ISBN   978-1-4379-1063-6 . Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  2. Dunn Tenpas, Kathryn (October 2020). "The Office of Political Affairs" (PDF). White House Transition Project, University of Missouri Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  3. Dunn Tenpas, Kathryn (Spring 1996). "Presidential Elections: Past and Present – Institutionalized Politics: The White House Office of Political Affairs". Presidential Studies Quarterly . 26 (2): 511–522. JSTOR   27551595 . Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  4. "Investigation of Political Activities by White House and Federal Agency Officials during the 2006 Midterm Elections" (PDF). United States Office of Special Counsel. January 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
  5. Gerstein, Josh (January 30, 2014). "New Politics Shop Sees Old Questions". Politico . Retrieved August 27, 2021.