June 24, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the past, White House chief ushers have largely been public servants, military personnel or career staff members who worked their way up the usher ladder over several administrations. But in naming a new chief usher on Friday, Melania Trump elevated someone from within a close network of family employees to be her in-house right hand.
June 24, 2017
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In the past, White House chief ushers have largely been public servants, military personnel or career staff members who worked their way up the usher ladder over several administrations. But in naming a new chief usher on Friday, Melania Trump elevated someone from within a close network of family employees to be her in-house right hand.
The White House said on Friday that Mrs. Trump had chosen Timothy Harleth, the director of rooms at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, to manage about 90 ushers who are tasked with making sure life runs smoothly for the president’s family. If tradition holds, Mr. Harleth will serve as President Trump and Mrs. Trump’s confidant on all matters from planning family dinner menus to handling personnel issues. He would also manage the budget for the residence.
Mr. Trump is known to keep his circle close and for asking employees to sign nondisclosure agreements. He has also remained tied to the business empire he built, which includes the Washington hotel.
In a statement, Mrs. Trump said she prized Mr. Harleth’s work track record.
“He was selected because of his impressive work history and management skills,” Mrs. Trump said. “My husband and I know he will be successful in this vital role within the White House.”
Mr. Harleth has held a series of hospitality-related jobs in New York City and Washington, and he had been with the Trump hotel in Washington since August, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“I look forward to applying my experience with hospitality, leadership, and political protocol in order to ensure the first family’s needs are met,” Mr. Harleth said in the statement released by the White House.
It is historically uncommon, but not unprecedented, for the first lady to turn to the hospitality industry to hire a chief usher. Angella Reid, an Obama administration appointee who was fired in May, assumed her role at the White House after working for the Ritz-Carlton hotel chain.
The job had been vacant since Ms. Reid was fired. She was the second African-American and the first woman to serve as chief usher and replaced Rear Adm. Stephen W. Rochon, who had served under the Obamas and President George W. Bush.
Ms. Reid and Admiral Rochon, who is retired, are two of three living former chief ushers. The other is Gary J. Walters, who served under four presidential administrations, beginning with the Reagan White House.
The modern revolving door of ushers signifies that a job that once transcended politics, with an emphasis on personal relationships and building trust, has changed with an increasingly divided political climate, according to Kate Andersen Brower, an author who wrote “The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House.”
“It used to be that people would stay and serve the next presidency,” Ms. Andersen Brower said, “and now it’s becoming like everything else, sort of partisan.”
Chief ushers are highly influential in the White House, and the most successful learn to master discretion — at least, after they acclimate to the hectic work lifestyle.
In a phone interview, Admiral Rochon, who was the first African-American to be chief usher, said Friday that his job had involved long days that began at 6:30 a.m. and lasted until late in the evening. When he was appointed in 2007, he said he was offered a salary equivalent to Mr. Bush’s chief of staff, which he said was roughly $200,000 a year.
Admiral Rochon said former chief ushers tend to keep in touch and help current ones acclimate to the new job. But he said he had not yet heard about Mr. Harleth’s hiring.
“That might be good if the president already knows him,” he said. “But that’s not enough, to be frank.”
Courtesy: NY Times
