First holder Arthur F. Burns | Website The White House | |
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Appointer Donald Trump
as President of the United States Formation January 20, 1969; 48 years ago (1969-01-20) | ||
The Counselor to the President is a high-ranking assistant to the President of the United States, and a senior member of the Executive Office of the President. The office is currently held by Kellyanne Conway.
History
The position was created during the administration of Richard Nixon, where it was assigned cabinet-rank. The position would be considered at cabinet level until 1993.
During Nixon's presidency, no fewer than eight individuals held the position, with there sometimes being two or three "Counselors to the President."
During the presidency of Gerald Ford, the post was shared by Robert Hartmann and John O. Marsh, with Rogers Morton briefly joining them in early 1976.
The position was vacant during the Jimmy Carter administration, as Carter left many senior White House positions unfilled (such as White House Chief of Staff) and preferred a smaller corps of advisers.
Edwin Meese held the position during the first term of President Ronald Reagan, and was highly influential inside the White House. Meese, White House Chief of Staff James Baker and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Michael Deaver were nicknamed "The Troika" and considered the most influential advisors to the president.
Meese became 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 after he resigned 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 Counselor 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. On January 6, 2011, President Obama appointed Rouse as Counselor to the President where he was responsible for assisting the President and White House Chief of Staff with the day-to-day management of White House staff operations. 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 have Stephen Bannon serve as his senior counselor. Bannon will also have the additional title of "chief strategist." Later, he named Kellyanne Conway to be a second counselor.