--- title: Former Aides to Donald Trump: Here's Where They Are Now description: Here's a look at where some key former members of Trump Administration have landed after their White House exits canonical: https://time.com/5203130/where-are-they-now-a-guide-to-former-trump-administration-staffers/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-03-16T20:28:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T09:03:03.288Z article:section: Politics og:title: Where Are They Now? A Guide to Former Trump Administration Staffers og:description: There have been a lot of book deals og:url: https://time.com/5203130/where-are-they-now-a-guide-to-former-trump-administration-staffers/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9852b839b46539e/69892b128fd2ee433635b0ce/james-comey-sean-spicer-steve-bannon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: james-comey-sean-spicer-steve-bannon og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Where Are They Now? A Guide to Former Trump Administration Staffers twitter:description: There have been a lot of book deals twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9852b839b46539e/69892b128fd2ee433635b0ce/james-comey-sean-spicer-steve-bannon.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Where Are They Now? A Guide to Former Trump Administration Staffers > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=708a953b-8774-43fd-8cfb-4ce868dec0f0&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Why President Trump's Firings Are Not All The Same [Watch (HLS stream): Why President Trump's Firings Are Not All The Same](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QQ934mGx.m3u8) (1:48)  _Published 2018-03-20. A guide to former Trump administration staffers._  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Mar 16, 2018 8:28 PM UTC  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Mar 16, 2018 8:28 PM UTC President Donald Trump is shaking up his Cabinet while hinting that other changes might be in store. The recent staffing changes saw chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, communications director Hope Hicks and Secretary of State [Rex Tillerson](http://time.com/5198200/donald-trump-fired-rex-tillerson-analysis/) leave, with CIA Director [Mike Pompeo](http://time.com/5197808/mike-pompeo-donald-trump-rex-tillerson/) expected to take Tillerson’s job. Meantime, Trump’s personal assistant John McEntee left the White House for the Trump campaign due to [personal problems](https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/13/politics/john-mcentee-white-house-security-clearance/index.html). And speculation mounted that Trump would make further changes, including the potential departure of National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, among others. One big question for all of the White House staffers is what happens next. Here’s a look at what has happened to some of the other members of the Trump Administration who have left over the last year. ## Michael Flynn  National Security Adviser Mike Flynn listens to President Trump during a listening session with cyber security experts in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Jan. 31, 2017. Jabin Botsford—The Washington Post/Getty Images Flynn, Trump’s controversial first pick for National Security Adviser, was one of the first members of the President’s inner circle to be fired. He [left the White House](http://time.com/4670930/white-house-president-trump-asked-for-flynns-resignation/) in February 2017 — after Trump had been in office less than a month — following disclosures that he had discussed Russian sanctions with the country’s Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the transition, even though he had told Administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, that he had not done so. Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI last December about that conversation with Kislyak, and is now cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. His family and friends have [established a legal fund](https://mikeflynndefensefund.org/) to help defray what are expected to be exorbitant financial costs. ## Steve Bannon  US President Donald Trump congratulates Steve Bannon during the swearing-in of senior staff in the White House on January 22, 2017. Mandel Ngan—AFP/Getty Images Facing virtual isolation from his conservative colleagues in the domestic sphere following President Trump’s public rebuke and his resignation from Breitbart News, Bannon, who served as Chief White House Strategist for the first five and a half months of the Trump Administration, is now taking his populist agenda abroad. He spoke to a sold-out crowd in Zurich, Switzerland earlier this month, where he said that right wing populism and the Time’s Up Movement[ were on a collision course,](http://time.com/5185798/steve-bannon-says-times-up-and-right-wing-populism-are-on-a-collision-course/) and that only one could prevail. But during that talk, he treaded carefully around the issue of Trump, who said in his disavowal of Bannon after the publication of a controversial book about the White House earlier this year that his former adviser had lost both his[ “mind and job”](http://time.com/5086254/trump-steve-bannon-book/) when he was fired from his position. Bannon told the moderator of the talk, _Die Weltwoche_ editor Roger Köppel, that he was on “listening terms” with the President. ## James Comey  President Donald Trump shakes hands with James Comey, director of the FBI, during an Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on Jan. 22, 2017. Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg The former FBI Director, who was ousted last May in a series of remarkable and unprecedented events that ultimately resulted in the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, has found expression in an unlikely outlet: Twitter. Comey officially revealed his secret Twitter handle, writing that he “will try to tweet in useful ways.” Since that time, he has used his handle to weigh in on everything from his March madness bracket to his disapproval of the release of [the memo overseen by Rep. Devin Nunes](http://time.com/5130772/the-house-just-released-the-nunes-memo-heres-what-it-says/), which alleged that the FBI displayed bias in its investigation of ties between Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. Comey is also publishing a book, [_A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250192455/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1250192455&linkId=9bdf925d9fbca9641a0fb525df712457)_,_ scheduled for release in April. While the contents have been shrouded in secrecy, the book is already a best-seller on Amazon, and will be accompanied by a media blitz that is virtually certain to generate headlines. > [](https://twitter.com/Comey/status/968612814469427202) ## Reince Priebus  WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 7: White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus listens during a meeting with county sheriffs in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Tuesday, Feb. 07, 2017\. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Jabin Botsford—The Washington Post/Getty Images Trump’s first Chief of Staff, who was replaced by General [John Kelly](http://time.com/4895137/why-john-kelly-is-president-trumps-last-hope/) last summer, joined the law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP as President and Chief Strategist, as well as Chairman of the Board. But he is also speaking publicly about the chaos that defined his tenure in the White House. In an interview with Chris Whipple’s for the author’s book, [_The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804138265/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0804138265&linkId=f3217bce3b2187cb37f940d33285b013)_,_ Priebus told Whipple the dysfunction inside the White House was even worse than what had been extensively reported. “Take everything you’ve heard and multiply it by 50,” he said. ## Anthony Scaramucci  Anthony Scaramucci, who was briefly appointed White House communications director, speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C. on July 21, 2017. Jm Watson—AFP/Getty Images The third communications director of Trump’s tenure in the White House lasted less than two weeks, but he moved on to a new venture: his own publication, the Scaramucci _Post._ He also made an appearance on “Dr. Phil” earlier this month with his wife Deirdre Ball, who had filed for divorce but did not follow through, to discuss the state of his marriage during his brief time at the White House. And, according to[ a report in the New York ](https://nypost.com/2018/03/14/scaramucci-is-writing-a-book-about-his-short-lived-trump-job/)_Post,_ he too has procured a book deal, titled _The Blue Collar President: How Trump is Reinventing the Aspirational Working Class_. But Scaramucci also threatened to sue a student at Tufts University — his alma mater –[ about an opinion piece](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/11/27/tufts-university-postpones-anthony-scaramucci-event-after-he-threatens-sue-student/896885001/) in the school newspaper, causing the University to postpone an event he was supposed to attend. ## Sean Spicer  White House press secretary Sean Spicer speaks to members of the media in the Brady Briefing room of the White House in Washington, July 17, 2017. Pablo Martinez Monsivais—AP Trump’s first press secretary, who repeatedly drew headlines for his statements and daily press briefings, is yet another former Administration member to land a book deal. Spicer’s book, which is described by the publisher as “shedding new light on the headline-grabbing controversies of the Trump administration’s first year,” is[ scheduled for release](https://www.regnery.com/books/the-briefing/) this coming July. Spicer, who signed [with Worldwide Speakers Group](http://fortune.com/2017/09/05/sean-spicer-new-job/) last September, has also been speaking about his controversial tenure, which became a source of national amusement after Melissa McCarthy portrayed him on _Saturday Night Live_. “There were times where I screwed up, there’s no question about it,” he [said on HLN](http://time.com/5088900/sean-spicer-screwed-up-inauguration-hitler/) in January. He also had a fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School Institute of Politics. But the Harvard _Crimson_ criticized the university for the way it handled the fellowship, calling it a “secret” fellowship and noting that nothing he said for the duration of his time there on the record. ## Transcript Before he became president, Donald Trump was famous for firing people on television. You're fired. You're fired. Hillary, you're fired. So it's not surprising that his first year in office has seen a number of firings and resignations, nearly triple the rate in President Obama's first year according to one study. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] But the high turnover rate obscures the very different reasons behind the departure Some have been typical. People who lack because they were ready for something different. That includes everyone from deputy White House chief of staff Katie Wash to press secretary Sean Spicer and communications director Hope Hicks. Then there's people who left or were forced out because they disagreed on policy. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates was fired for refusing to defend the travel ban. Economic advisor Gary Cohn resigned over transplant implements steel and aluminum tariffs. And secretary of state Rax Tillerson was fired after clashing with trump too many times. Others left under a cloud of scandal. Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price resigned amid criticism of his use of taxpayer funded charter flights. [ MUSIC ] CDC Director Brenda Fitzgerald resigned after reports she had traded in tobacco stocks. And staff secretary Rob Porter resigned after accusations of domestic violence. In some cases, the departure itself has been controversial. Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey started a series of events Of events that led to the appointment of a special counsel. And the firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe raised questions about the president's involvement. At least one Trump staffer should have seen it coming. Aide Omarosa Manigault was fired in December in part for misusing White House car service. But it was the frist time she'd been fired by Donald Trump. You know I've always been a big Omarosa fan, but Omarosa you're fired. 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