Sholeh: The chief behind The Chief
The most influential people in any government often operate behind the scenes.
That’s why the president-elect’s first appointment may be his most important, and not simply because it’s another first.
Susie Wiles, a Florida political veteran who played key roles in Mr. Trump’s campaign (twice), as well as those of Ronald Reagan, Ron DeSantis and others, will be the nation’s first woman to serve as White House chief of staff.
At first glance, the title sounds more like a personnel manager. Yet the real-life role places a lot more emphasis on “chief” than staff.
Yes, the White House COS hires, fires and supervises White House personnel, numbering around 500. But the position is also the president’s chief gatekeeper, chief fall guy, a chief adviser and chief policy vetter — at least in terms of what and who merits the president’s time.
Practically speaking, that includes a lot of decisions impacting the nation, answerable to only one person: the president.
While different presidential styles affect the degree of power in this role — some presidents are delegators, preferring to focus only on big issues, and others get more involved in daily operations — the COS tends to serve as the president’s alter ego.
They have been credited with the success of a presidency and blamed when it goes wrong. They are eyes and ears that often hear high-level and sensitive information from a long list of key sources which they synthesize, analyze and whittle down to essentials for presidential consideration.
Working differently under parameters set by each president, the COS often determines who sees the president and for how long on a given day. They decide which matters merit a president’s time, and when.
In addition to their own staff, they meet with cabinet members and Congress, sometimes acting as referee or mediator in policy disputes.
They may meet with the CIA, FBI and other key agency and department leaders on behalf of the president. They coordinate with diplomats domestic and foreign. They discuss policies, legislation, strategy and action alternatives on important issues to bring to the president.
Every day the COS makes decisions affecting the nation by essentially culling information and expertise in just about every major aspect of the nation’s business, and advising the president when asked, all the while protecting and advocating the president’s interests.
While the White House administration, including the chief of staff position, is entirely at the discretion of the president, the massive nature of POTUS’s job has convinced every president since Eisenhower to have one.
New presidents often try at first to be more involved in day-to-day business and attend as many meetings as possible, but most eventually leave more to the COS, finding a president’s schedule is far too heavy to remain at the center of daily operations.
Instead, they tend to rely on their COS to handle much of it, keep them generally informed and let them know when an issue has risen to a level requiring presidential attention.
How much a COS serves as adviser more than administrator has historically depended on two factors: the president’s personal preference, and the COS’s qualifications.
Some, like Ms. Wiles, came to the job mostly from campaign or other non-expert backgrounds. Others served as a COS after careers in international relations or as members of Congress, able to offer specific expertise when relevant and requested.
If you’re getting the idea that this is a very powerful position, it is. Some would argue that practically speaking, it’s even more powerful than higher-profile titles, such as some cabinet secretaries (e.g., state, agriculture, energy, labor, etc.).
It isn’t, however, in the same ballpark as president — a fine line each COS has had to walk in representing, but not acting in place of, their president.
For a more thorough understanding of the White House chief of staff, see csa.org/journal/chief-of-staff/.
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Sholeh Patrick, J.D. is a former congressional staffer and current columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email sholeh@cdapress.com.