Inside the White House, dozens of employees are dedicated to maintaining the presidential residence. From cooks to gardeners, these people are in positions that are not considered political, and therefore, their future would be different amid the transition to a new president.
The White House is preparing to welcome a new tenant on January 20. Donald Trump will return to the presidential mansion after his victory in the November elections, and his second term forces the residence to go through major changes, including personnel. However, not all White House staffers will be replaced.
The transition, naturally, leads to appointment of new people who work directly with the president and his government. Senior advisors, press secretaries and chiefs of staff are political positions, chosen by the incoming president.
These employees are responsible for implementing the policies and priorities of the new administration, as well as advising the president in making decisions.
But these personnel are not the only ones who inhabit the White House. About 100 people work inside the mansion in charge of maintaining the daily tasks of a residence, these are career civil servants or military personnel.
Some of these positions are butlers, maids, housekeepers, cooks, doormen, florists, electricians, plumbers and engineers. All of its functions are considered non-partisan.
The White House Historical Association explained to the Voice of America that “historically, household staff came and went with many administrations, but by the end of the 19th century, more of these positions became permanent positions in the government.”
Today, they added, White House staff “care for the first family and provide continuity to the White House as an institution. They generally do not change with a transition.”
Some employees have decades of work in the White House, such as Donna Hayashi Smith, art curator, who has been there since 1995; Marcus Jones, who has been on the cleaning team since 2002; or Susie Morrison, who has worked in the kitchen since 1995.
Morrison is currently the residence's executive pastry chef, a role in which “I work with my colleagues and executive residents to prepare sweets, cakes and other baked goods,” the employee says in an exhibit available at the White House museum in Washington. .
Staff work in a multi-room space beneath the White House's north staircase, out of sight of visitors to the presidential mansion.
“Today, these staff members handle requests for personal hospitality, food service, and provide other amenities needed by the first family,” describes the White House Historical Association.
In addition, the “hospitality” team is also responsible for helping move families to and from the White House. In this case, they will help the Bidens collect their items before Inauguration Day, and will assist the Trumps in organizing their belongings in their rooms. All in one six hour time window.
Still, not everyone is exempt from change. The White House Chief Usher is the one who supervises the staff and serves directly at the will of the president, so he can be replaced in the middle of a transition. The position is currently held by Robert B. Downing, who was appointed by Joe Biden in 2021.
And reaching these positions is not an easy task. In fact, almost all of the people in these jobs were recommended by employees who were already inside the White House and must go through extensive interview processes and security reviews.
In the Winter 2018 issue of USBE magazine, dedicated to African American war veterans, former White House Chief of Staff Stephen W. Rochon described his time at the residency and what led to his hiring.
Rochon, who served in the position from 2007 to 2011, said he had to go through eight interviews with supervisors before having a final meeting with President George W. Bush. “Following my mentor's advice to just be myself, I was offered the job,” he wrote.
He was precisely a chief of staff, the employee who achieved the greatest career in the White House. Irwin Hood Hoover served at the residence for 42 years, from 1891 to 1933. 29 of those years were as a staff supervisor. Both records remain intact.