Trump's 28-year-old personal assistant reportedly resigned after telling journalists details about his family

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President Donald Trump and his personal assistant, Madeleine Westerhout. The Washington Post/ Getty



  • President Donald Trump's personal assistant resigned on Thursday, after she shared information about his family and the White House's affairs to news reporters, according to multiple news reports.
  • Madeleine Westerhout, 28, has been Trump's assistant since the onset of his presidency.
  • She reportedly shared the details to reporters during an off-the-record dinner in New Jersey while he was on his working vacation.
  • It was not immediately clear what the substance of the discussions about Trump's family were. The White House did not provide an official comment to Business Insider.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.


President Donald Trump's personal assistant resigned on Thursday, after she shared information about his family and the White House's affairs to news reporters, according to multiple news reports.

Madeleine Westerhout, the director of Oval Office operations who was also Trump's assistant since the onset of his presidency, shared the information to reporters during an off-the-record dinner in New Jersey while Trump was on his working vacation, according to The New York Times, which first reported on the incident.


It was not immediately clear what the substance of the discussions about Trump's family were. The White House did not provide an official comment to Business Insider.


An unnamed adviser explained to Politico that Westerhout attempted to take on a bigger role at the White House in recent months, including work that involved international travel. This internal power struggle reportedly irritated some officials, who believed she was best served as Trump's personal secretary.


The Times reported that Westerhout was immediately deemed a "separated employee" and would not be permitted back in the White House.


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Westerhout reportedly earned an annual salary of $95,000 as Trump's assistant in 2017, before her promotion to Oval Office director two years later, which paid her a salary of $145,000.


The California native and College of Charleston graduate previously worked as an intern for Sen. Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign.


"I don't think it will hit me until I walk into the White House," she said in 2017, according to her college's website. "It's such an honor."


During election night in 2016, she cried and was "inconsolable," according to "American Carnage," a book by journalist Tim Alberta.


"To the amusement of her RNC peers, she was later chosen as the president's executive assistant and now sits just outside the Oval Office," Alberta wrote, according to a Washington Post report in July.

https://www.businessinsider.com/made...-family-2019-8