White House Staffers Who Went on to Better Things

“AN EXCELLENT TRAINING GROUND”

by Andrew Emerton, ©2019

(Dec. 19, 2019) — For many, the White House – and the presidency that it contains – is one of the most symbolic seats of power in the world. From its current bombastic occupant Donald Trump to previous world-famous leaders such as John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln, there have been many generations of amazing leaders who have shaped America and the wider world from this seat of power.

However, behind every great leader, there is a great team – and it’s unlikely that these leaders would have been able to surge ahead and into power without having staffers and others behind them who could drive forward their agendas. Some of these staffers have been happy to remain behind the scenes over the years, while others have gone on to make names for themselves in their own right. This article will explore the biographies of those White House staffers who have used their time in America’s most famous property to boost their own careers.

Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger is most famous for serving as the US Secretary of State during the time of the Vietnam War, and for being in office under both Richard Nixon and later also under Gerald Ford. He is also a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and is known as a foreign policy expert – though his career has not been without controversy, especially in relation to the Vietnam War.

However, what many people don’t know is that Kissinger actually preceded his high-profile job in the US Cabinet with a role as National Security Advisor. He even held the two roles simultaneously for a short while, emphasizing just how popular he was among his presidential bosses. He is a prime example of a politician who, by coming in through an advisory route, can go on to achieve great things. This is perhaps one of the best aspects of the US political system: unlike other countries, such as Britain, in which the civil service is largely depoliticized and permanent, advisors in the US are largely political appointments – meaning that the talent flow up to the top is often easy.

Alex Friedman 

Alex Friedman is a prime example of a White House fellow who went on to achieve great things. He worked during the Clinton White House for the Department of Defense, but this has ended up being just a small part of his glittering CV. He was also the co-founder of a web company called Adventa.com, and he has also worked in biomedical sciences. His degrees, which are from Princeton University and Columbia University, are both impeccable. He has gone on to have a bright future, and is evidence of the fact that working right in the middle of the seat of power is often a smart move for those who are looking to build their careers.

Monica Lewinsky

Perhaps one of the most famous, or even infamous, White House staffers of recent times was Monica Lewinsky. She served as an intern in the White House of President Bill Clinton, though this quickly turned sour when news of a sexual relationship between Lewinsky and the president broke. Lewinsky faced intense scrutiny from the press over this, and has since spoken of the ways that she dealt with the shame of the affair. “I felt like every layer of my skin and my identity were ripped off of me in ’98 and ’99,” she later said. “It’s a skinning of sorts. You feel incredibly raw and frightened. But I also feel like the shame sticks to you like tar.”

However, Lewinsky has since turned her life around, and she now uses her high public profile to campaign on behalf of others who have experienced bullying. She has 678,000 or so followers on Twitter, and regularly speaks at conferences and other locations to help raise awareness of the issue and make sure that people know where to go to get the support they need if they themselves are going through bullying or harassment.

As this article has shown, the White House is an excellent training ground for those who want to get their careers off to a good start. It’s widely known as a place to kick-start a career either in politics, as Henry Kissinger did, or in something else – such as Monica Lewinsky, who managed to pull herself back from her own negative White House experiences and enjoy a career as an activist and anti-bullying ambassador. Perhaps the main question for White House watchers, however, is who from the current crop of staffers will scale the dizzying heights of power in the months and years to come? Only time will tell.