Counselor to the President

History

The position was created during the administration of Richard Nixon, where it was assigned cabinet rank. It remained a cabinet-level position until 1993.

During Nixon's presidency, eight people held the position, with there sometimes being two or three concurrent incumbents.

During the presidency of Gerald Ford, the post was shared by longtime communications advisor Robert T. Hartmann and national security aide John O. Marsh, with former United States secretary of commerce Rogers Morton briefly joining them as a domestic policy advisor in early 1976.

The position was vacant during the Jimmy Carter administration, as Carter initially left many senior White House positions unfilled (such as White House chief of staff) and preferred a smaller corps of advisors.

Edwin Meese held the position during the first term of President Ronald Reagan, and was highly influential inside the White House. Meese, Chief of Staff James Baker and Deputy Chief of Staff Michael Deaver were nicknamed "the troika" and considered the most influential advisors to the president. Meese became United States attorney general during Reagan's second term as president and the position was left vacant.

The position was left vacant in the first three years of President George H. W. Bush's term. In 1992, it was filled by Clayton Yeutter following his resignation as chairman of the Republican National Committee.

During the Bill Clinton administration, the post became much more focused on communications. Two of Clinton's counselors, David Gergen and Paul Begala, later became CNN political analysts.

During the administration of George W. Bush, the position oversaw the communications, media affairs, speechwriting, and press offices.

Under the Obama administration, the position was initially abolished and the duties of the office transferred to three senior advisors: David Axelrod, Pete Rouse, and Valerie Jarrett, who also held the title Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Relations and Public Liaison. John Podesta was the last person to hold the position before he left to join the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign of 2016 as chairman.

Soon after the 2016 election, President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to name his campaign manager during the general election, Kellyanne Conway, to the position and his campaign CEO Steve Bannon as a senior counselor and chief strategist. With equivalent standing to the chief of staff and a portfolio that hewed closely to the pre-Clinton iteration of the position, Bannon was named to the Principals Committee of the National Security Council in a January 2017 executive order that also removed the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from the committee. Following vociferous public opposition to the decision, Trump removed Bannon from the council in April 2017.

After Bannon's departure from the White House in August 2017, Johnny DeStefano was appointed to the job in February 2018, with responsibility for overseeing the offices of presidential personnel, political affairs, and public liaison.

In February 2020, it was announced that former White House communications director Hope Hicks would return to the White House Office in the role. In May 2020, White House staff secretary Derek Lyons was also given the title of counselor.

President Joe Biden named Steve Ricchetti, the chairman of his 2020 presidential campaign, as counselor to the president upon taking office. Jeffrey Zients was also given the title in his role as White House coronavirus response coordinator.

List of counselors to the president

Counselors to [[Richard Nixon|President Richard Nixon]] (1969–1974)

All of President Nixon's counselors were members of his Cabinet during their respective tenures.

Counselors to [[Gerald Ford|President Gerald Ford]] (1974–1977)

All of President Ford's's counselors were members of his Cabinet during their respective tenures.

Counselors to [[Jimmy Carter|President Jimmy Carter]] (1977–1981)

President Carter did not appoint any counselors during his tenure in the White House.

Counselors to [[Ronald Reagan|President Ronald Reagan]] (1981–1989)

President Reagan only appointed a counselor during his first term in the White House.

Counselors to [[George H.W. Bush|President George H. W. Bush]] (1989–1993)

President Bush only appointed a counselor, who was a member of his Cabinet during the last 11 months of his single term in the White House. The position was vacant for the first 3 years of his presidency.

Counselors to [[Bill Clinton|President Bill Clinton]] (1993–2001)

President Clinton did not appoint a counselor for the first 5 months of his first term. He was the first president in over 20 years whose counselors were not members of his Cabinet.

Counselors to [[George W. Bush|President George W. Bush]] (2001–2009)

President Bush did not appoint a counselor for the last years of his first term. He continued predecessors footsteps to not include his counselors as members of his Cabinet.

Counselors to [[Barack Obama|President Barack Obama]] (2009–2017)

President Obama did not appoint a counselor for the first 2 years of his first term and did not have one for the last 2 years of his second term. He continued predecessors' footsteps to not include his counselors as members of his Cabinet.

Counselors to [[Donald Trump|President Donald Trump]] (2017–2021)

President Trump was the first president since President Gerald Ford to have a counselor throughout the entirety of his tenure.

Counselors to [[Joe Biden|President Joe Biden]] (2021–2025)

Counselors to [[Donald Trump|President Donald Trump]] (2025–present)

References

References

1. "Clayton Yeutter's Obituary". The Washington Post.
2. (January 15, 1977). "Carter Names 12 Key Staff Aides". The Washington Post.
3. (April 19, 1981). "The Presidential Troika". [[The New York Times]].
4. (October 22, 2008). "Former Counselor to the President, Dan Bartlett's Biography". [[whitehouse.gov]].
5. "Archived copy".
6. "President-elect Obama and Vice President-elect Biden announce key White House staff | Change.gov: The Obama-Biden Transition Team".
7. "Archived copy".
8. "Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett". [[White House]].
9. "Daley's duties".
10. "Counselor to the President John Podesta". [[White House]].
11. (December 22, 2016). "Trump Picks Kellyanne Conway to Serve as Counselor to the President". Politico.
12. (November 14, 2016). "Trump's Pick of Steve Bannon as Chief Strategist Sparks Backlash". NBC News.
13. (January 30, 2017). "Bannon is Given Security Role Usually Held for Generals". The New York Times.
14. (April 5, 2017). "Steve Bannon loses National Security Council seat". BBC News.
15. (February 9, 2018). "President Donald J. Trump Announces Appointments for the Executive Office of the President". [[whitehouse.gov]].
16. Haberman, Maggie. (February 13, 2020). "Hope Hicks to Return to the White House After a Nearly Two-Year Absence". The New York Times.
17. Samuels, Brett. (May 21, 2020). "Trump taps Brooke Rollins as acting domestic policy chief". The Hill.
18. (2020-11-17). "Biden to Name Campaign Manager, Congressional Ally, and Close Friend to Key Staff Jobs". The New York Times.
19. (December 7, 2020). "President-elect Joe Biden Announces Key Members of Health Team". Biden-Harris Transition.
20. link. (October 23, 2016)
21. (December 31, 1970). "White House Farewell". [[The New York Times]].
22. (December 10, 1970). "Harlow Resigns As Aide to Nixon; Will Return to Lobbyist Post". [[The New York Times]].
23. (June 10, 1970). "Finch and the Postwar Economy". [[The New York Times]].
24. [http://articles.latimes.com/1995–10–11/news/mn-55826_1_richard-nixon Los Angeles Times]{{dead link. (September 2024)
25. https://www.nytimes.com/1971/10/16/archives/tax-aide-chosen-to-head-enforcement-of-phase–2-tax-official-is.html {{dead link. (November 2016)
26. (March 6, 1974). "Burch Under Senate Pressure to Step Up FCC Departure 3 Vacancies". [[The New York Times]].
27. (December 3, 1974). "Burch Resigning as White House Adviser Notes on People". [[The New York Times]].
28. (May 30, 1974). "Rush Sworn as Counselor to President on Economy". [[The New York Times]].
29. "Kenneth Rush – People – Department History – Office of the Historian". History.state.gov.
30. Dennis Hevesi. (April 19, 2008). "Robert Hartmann, 91, Dies; Wrote Ford's Noted Talk". [[The New York Times]].
31. (August 11, 1974). "Ford Bids Cabinet and Agency Heads Remain in Post Indefinite Stays". [[The New York Times]].
32. "Ford Making Plans For Handing Over Controls to Carter". [[The New York Times]].
33. "Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum". www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov.
34. NELSON, JACK. (1994-06-28). "Panetta Named Chief of Staff in Major White House Shake-Up : Presidency: Clinton's friend McLarty will step aside and become the counselor to the President. Gergen will move to State Dept. and Rivlin will be a budget director in effort to add 'strength, vitality.'". Los Angeles Times.
35. Broder, John M.. (1998-04-25). "President's Friend Is Leaving White House for Private Life". The New York Times.
36. (August 17, 1997). "News Summary". [[The New York Times]].
37. (August 18, 2017). "Bannon out as White House chief strategist". [[Politico]].
38. "Executive Office Of The President Annual Report To Congress On White House Office Personnel White House Office As Of: Friday, June 30, 2017". [[whitehouse.gov]].
39. Senior Counselor
40. "Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls)". twitter.com.
41. (February 9, 2018). "President Donald J. Trump Announces Appointments for the Executive Office of the President". [[whitehouse.gov]].
42. (May 21, 2019). "Long-serving Trump aide DeStefano to depart White House". The Washington Post.
43. (April 27, 2020). "Trump looks to Hope Hicks as coronavirus crisis spills over". Politico.
44. (February 13, 2020). "Hope Hicks to Return to the White House After a Nearly Two-Year Absence". The New York Times.
45. (January 13, 2021). "Top White House adviser Hicks no longer works at the White House, a previously planned departure". CNN.
46. (May 21, 2020). "Trump taps Brooke Rollins as acting domestic policy chief".
47. (June 26, 2020). "Annual Report to Congress on White House Office Personnel". [[whitehouse.gov]].
48. Reflects date Habba became interim [[United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey]]. Habba is not listed as a Senior Counselor in the White House Annual Report to Congress on White House Office Personnel dated July 1, 2025.