The staff churn in Donald Trump’s White House is almost hard to believe. The Onion recently ran a satirical piece with a headline that read, “White House Now Just Holding Continuous Going-Away Party For Departing Staffers.” It struck a chord for a reason.
But as much as this president has hemorrhaged staffers, there’s a reason the problem isn’t even worse: some of those associated with Trump would love to leave, but they’re finding it more difficult than expected. BuzzFeed reported yesterday:
A former White House official said he’s spoken with more aides inside the White House who are trying to leave the administration, but not necessarily getting the kinds of high-paying offers in the corporate world as former aides usually do.
“Things are still pretty bleak inside the White House,” the source said. “I’ve talked to several people in the last week trying to find a way out, but they can’t get out because no one is really hiring people with Trump White House experience. Not a fun time to say the least.”
Traditionally, “White House” are two words that tend to stand out in a good way on a resume, especially among those looking for work in D.C. But there’s a broad understanding that working in this White House isn’t something one can credibly brag about.
Indeed, it’s quite common to see reports in which White House officials are characterized as almost pitiful. Time magazine recently had this item:
White House aides prayed for rain. Inclement weather would mean President Donald Trump would have to take the motorcade to the waiting plane to Florida. That would mean he couldn’t take the helicopter from the South Lawn to Joint Base Andrews, which meant he wouldn’t walk in front of a few dozen waiting reporters who would of course ask him about Special Counsel Bob Mueller’s indictments of 13 Russians for meddling in the 2016 elections. “If anyone knows a rain dance,” a senior White House official said in the hallway around midday Friday. She didn’t finish the sentence. Imagine working for a boss — who happens to be the leader of the free world — who’s so erratic, you feel the need to pray for rain in the hopes he won’t speak. The same article added that Trump was pleased when Special Counsel Robert Mueller indicted a series of Russian operatives who interfered in the American elections in 2016. Aides tried to tell him that he shouldn’t feel any relief from the developments, but the president “didn’t want to hear it.” So, White House officials communicated with their boss by going on Fox News “to try to direct Trump toward a little less fanciful readings of the indictments.” Is it any wonder the president’s aides want to quit? Is it any wonder employers aren’t interested?
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
