Senior Advisor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States. Senior advisors to the president do not have formal government decision making authority, but they can have significant influence over decisions. Their role is to provide strategic advice, analysis, and recommendations to the president on key issues.
| Senior Advisor to the President | |
|---|---|
Incumbent since January 20, 2025Massad Boulos | |
| Executive Office of the President White House Office | |
| Reports to | President of the United States |
| Appointer | President of the United States |
| Formation | January 20, 1993 |
| First holder | Rahm Emanuel |
| Website | The White House |
White House senior advisors are senior members of the White House Office. The title has been formally used since 1993.
Responsibilities
Over time, a senior advisor has had responsibility for the following groups:
White House departments (previously headed by a senior advisor in past administrations)
- White House Office of Strategic Initiatives
- Office of American Innovation
- White House Office of Political Affairs
- Oval Office Operations
- White House Office on Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation
- White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
- White House Office of Public Engagement
- White House Office of Communications
- White House Office of Press Operations
- American Rescue Plan / COVID-19 Relief
- White House Office of the Staff Secretary
- White House Office of Infrastructure Implementation Coordination
Prior administrations
In prior administrations before 1993, the position of "senior advisor" was a title used for various other purposes. Numerous examples of the position also exist throughout the executive departments and in the branch's independent agencies. For example, the Food and Drug Administration includes a position with the title Senior Advisor for Science; the Department of the Interior has a position with the title Senior Advisor for Alaskan Affairs.
Examples of people who had the responsibilities and/or influence of a senior advisor without the title included Edward M. House (to Woodrow Wilson) and Louis Howe (to Franklin D. Roosevelt)
List of senior advisors to the president
Senior advisors to Bill Clinton
| Senior Advisor | Portfolio | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahm Emanuel (born 1959) | Political Affairs Strategic Planning Policy | January 20, 1993 – November 7, 1998 | Democratic | ||
| George Stephanopoulos (born 1961) | Strategic Planning Policy | June 7, 1993 – December 10, 1996 | |||
| Sidney Blumenthal (born 1948) | Political Affairs Communications Policy | August 19, 1997 – January 20, 2001 | |||
| Doug Sosnik (born 1959) | Political Affairs Strategic Planning Policy | November 7, 1998 – January 20, 2001 | |||
| Joel Johnson (born 1961) | Communications Policy | May 20, 1999 – January 20, 2001 | |||
Senior advisors to George W. Bush
| Senior Advisor | Portfolio | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Rove (born 1950) | Political Affairs Strategic Planning Communications | January 20, 2001 – August 31, 2007 | Republican | ||
| Barry Steven Jackson (born 1960) | Political Affairs Strategic Planning Communications | September 1, 2007 – January 20, 2009 | |||
Senior advisors to Barack Obama
| Senior Advisor | Portfolio | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie Jarrett (born 1956) | Public Engagement Intergovernmental Affairs | January 20, 2009 – January 20, 2017 | Democratic | ||
| Pete Rouse (born 1946) | Strategic Planning | January 20, 2009 – October 1, 2010 | |||
| David Axelrod (born 1955) | Political Affairs Communications | January 20, 2009 – January 10, 2011 | |||
| David Plouffe (born 1967) | Political Affairs Communications | January 10, 2011 – January 25, 2013 | |||
| Daniel Pfeiffer (born 1975) | Political Affairs Communications | January 25, 2013 – March 6, 2015 | |||
| Brian Deese (born 1978) | Climate and Energy | February 13, 2015 – January 20, 2017 | |||
| Shailagh Murray (born 1965) | Communications | April 3, 2015 – January 20, 2017 | |||
Senior advisors to Donald Trump
First presidency
| Senior Advisor | Portfolio | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jared Kushner (born 1981) | Strategic Planning | January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021 | Republican | ||
| Stephen Miller (born 1985) | Policy | January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021 | |||
| Kevin Hassett (born 1962) | Economic Issues | April 15, 2020 – July 1, 2020 | |||
| Eric Herschmann (born 1962) | Opposition research Legal issues | August 3, 2020 – January 20, 2021 | |||
Second presidency
| Senior Advisor | Portfolio | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elon Musk (born 1971) | Government Efficiency | January 20, 2025 – May 30, 2025 | Independent | ||
| Massad Boulos (born 1971) | Arab, Middle Eastern and Africa Affairs | January 20, 2025 – present | Republican | ||
Senior advisors to Joe Biden
| Senior Advisor | Portfolio | Term of office | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedric Richmond (born 1973) | Public Engagement | January 20, 2021 – May 18, 2022 | Democratic | ||
| Keisha Lance Bottoms (born 1970) | July 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023 | ||||
| Julie Chávez Rodriguez (born 1978) | Intergovernmental Affairs | June 15, 2022 – May 16, 2023 | |||
| Neera Tanden (born 1970) | Health care Policy United States Digital Service | May 17, 2021 – May 26, 2023 | |||
| Mitch Landrieu (born 1960) | Infrastructure Implementation Coordination | November 15, 2021 – January 8, 2024 | |||
| Mike Donilon (born 1958) | Chief Strategist | January 20, 2021 – January 23, 2024 | |||
| Anita Dunn (born 1958) | Communications | 1st: Jan. 20 – August 12, 2021 2nd: May 5, 2022 – July 31, 2024 | |||
| Gene Sperling (born 1958) | COVID-19 Relief | March 15, 2021 – August 2024 | |||
| John Podesta (born 1949) | Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation and International Climate Policy Advisor (effective January 31, 2024) | September 2, 2022 – January 20, 2025 | |||
| Stephen K. Benjamin (born 1969) | Public Engagement | April 1, 2023 – January 20, 2025 | |||
| Tom Perez (born 1961) | Intergovernmental Affairs | June 12, 2023 – January 20, 2025 | |||
| Annie Tomasini | Deputy Chief of Staff | June 2023 – January 20, 2025 | |||
|
| Ben LaBolt (born 1981) | Communications | August 8, 2024 – January 20, 2025 | ||
| Karine Jean-Pierre (born 1974) | Press Secretary | October 7, 2024 – January 20, 2025 | |||
List of advisors to the president
| Advisor | Portfolio | Term of office | Party | President | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Cutter (born 1968) | Message and Communications | January 2011 – September 2011 | Democratic | Barack Obama | ||
| Ivanka Trump (born 1981) | Women's Issues Workforce Development Entrepreneurship | March 29, 2017 – January 20, 2021 | Republican | Donald Trump | ||
See also
- Counselor to the President
- Senior advisor
Explanatory footnotes
- Stephanie Cutter held the official title of "Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor" during her time in office.
- President Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump was sometimes called a 'Senior Advisor to the President' (or sometimes a 'senior advisor to the President', without the upper case 'S' and 'A') by unofficial sources, even though that was actually the title of her husband Jared Kushner, while her own title was 'Advisor to the President'.
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, What is Senior Advisor to the President of the United States? What does Senior Advisor to the President of the United States mean?