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Chief usher meaning8/14/2023 ![]() ![]() They will have to schlep their own boxes to their new offices in the East and West wings. The political staffers change with the president, and their duties do not involve making his bed or arranging his sock drawer. They also don’t discuss the inner goings-on at the residence, so we may not know for years exactly how this very unusual transfer of families unfolds. They often stay for decades through administrations of both parties, and they are ferociously discreet. Residence staffers take care of the daily needs of the first family. To be clear, we are talking about the White House residence staff, not the political and administrative staff. (Edward Clark/White House Historical Association) Eisenhower and first lady Mamie Eisenhower say goodbye to the residence staff the day of President John F. some sleep on cots at their workstations - ready to execute the day’s detailed plan devised by the chief usher.Īlthough this will be Chief Usher Timothy Harleth’s first transition, staff turnover at the residence is rare, so most other White House employees will have done this dance at least once before. The 90-plus permanent White House staffers and a few trusted contractors show up around 4 a.m. Regardless of the circumstances, the White House staff still will have to do an enormous amount of work in a few short hours. A Trump official said the president will leave Washington early on Wednesday, which will make Trump the first president to boycott his successor’s swearing-in since Andrew Johnson skipped Ulysses S. (David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)Īnd Trump, who never conceded that he lost the election, made none of the customary overtures to Biden, which upends the usual inaugural morning schedule. 20, 2009, his family’s belongings were unloaded at the White House. While Barack Obama was being sworn in as the 44th president on Jan. Recently, security protocols were tightened because of threats of violence at and around the Capitol, the scene of a deadly pro-Trump riot on Jan. The hectic process is organized around the traditional Inauguration Day schedule, but this year’s transfer will be extremely nontraditional.įirst, the pandemic has caused many of the usual inaugural events to be scaled back or eliminated, and it makes cleaning and disinfecting more critical. “It’s energizing,” said Ann Stock, who saw the transfer up close as the Clintons’ social secretary, “but absolutely exhausting.” “I call it organized chaos,” said Gary Walters, who choreographed several transfers of families in his 21 years as the White House chief usher. The most frenzied American ritual you’ve never seen is called the “transfer of families,” a five-hour tsunami of activity that will transform President Trump’s home into President Biden’s. Editor’s note: This story was originally published in January 2017 and has been updated for the upcoming administration change. ![]()
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