Off the Record: My Dream Job at the White House, How I Lost It, and What I Learned by Madeleine Westerhout

Author:Madeleine Westerhout [WESTERHOUT, MADELEINE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Center Street
Published: 2020-08-11T00:00:00+00:00

I was back at my desk on Saturday morning. It never occurred to me whether or not I should come in. Weekend or not, it was the White House, and there was work to do.

As a matter of fact, in those first two or three months, I do not recall taking any days off, including Saturday and Sunday. I was not kidding when I said you don’t have much of a personal life when you work there. Mind you, I am not complaining one bit. I recognize how blessed I was—now more than ever.

That first Sunday, the senior staff, which was comprised of roughly thirty assistants to the president—APs, as they are called—were officially sworn in.

I was reminded of how many were giving up lucrative jobs in the private sector to fight for issues dear to their heart. I can’t begin to estimate what the difference in salaries was. Which is why I got frustrated when people who had stayed on the outside to make their millions, called the president from time to time to complain about a certain member of the administration. All it did was get him spun up about something that could have easily been avoided.

I felt like telling some of these critics, “Okay, you go sell all of your assets, and then see if you can do it better than we can.”

At times, I felt guilty that I was earning more money than I had ever imagined making at the age of twenty-six.

Money wasn’t the only thing they sacrificed. Some chose to relocate their entire family—in the middle of a school year, no less—while others left them behind, visiting just on weekends. That takes a huge toll on any family. I felt fortunate to be single and not have any kids.

The first day on the job that stands out was the following Tuesday. The president, not thrilled with the artwork in the Oval Office, decided to go on an unscheduled tour of the West Wing. He did it on several occasions the first few weeks.

Remember, President Trump made his reputation as a builder of many remarkable hotels, office buildings, and golf courses. To him, no detail is insignificant.

“I love that one,” he would say, pointing to a painting on the wall. Within hours, the painting would be hanging in the Oval.

There were several pieces of modern art hanging on the walls then that were beautiful but not the president’s style. He preferred portraits of former presidents and prominent American figures. His favorite is a portrait of President Andrew Jackson, the populist who served two terms in the 1820s and ’30s. Donald Trump sees himself as the modern-day Andrew Jackson.

Under that painting is Frederic Remington’s famous solid bronze Bronco Buster statue, which has been in the White House for more than a hundred years. Over the marble mantle of the fireplace is an exquisite portrait of George Washington.

Each time I entered the Oval Office, either to see the president or in the morning before he came down from the residence, I focused on something I hadn’t noticed before.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.