Advisors and Chiefs of Staff: The Powers of the President’s People

Following the announcement that Chief of Staff Ron Klain is leaving his position and Jeff Zients is taking over, Heather and Joanne look back at the history of unelected and unconfirmed presidential advisors, from Andrew Jackson’s Kitchen Cabinet, to the transformative work of early 1900s White House mainstay George B. Cortelyou, to the rise and fall of Eisenhower Chief of Staff Sherman Adams. 

How have these figures communicated with the chief executive over the course of American history? How has the public perceived these important aides? 

Join CAFE Insider to listen to “Backstage,” where Heather and Joanne chat each week about the anecdotes and ideas that formed the episode. Head to: cafe.com/history

For more historical analysis of current events, sign up for the free weekly CAFE Brief newsletter, featuring Time Machine, a weekly article that dives into an historical event inspired by each episode of Now & Then: cafe.com/brief

For references & supplemental materials, head to: cafe.com/now-and-then/advisors-and-chiefs-of-staff-the-powers-of-the-presidents-people/

Now & Then is presented by CAFE and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices