The offices in the West Wing have always been prime real estate for the most influential people in the White House. That proximity to power is perhaps even more significant in President Donald Trump’s second term, as chief of staff Susie Wiles has committed to running the White House — and limiting who has direct access to Trump — in a far more disciplined manner than was the case during his first term.
That’s also why those who have what White House officials refer to as “walk-in” privileges — meaning they can enter the Oval Office to see the president without an appointment — are an even rarer commodity in Trump’s second administration.
However, nearly all officials with offices on the first floor of the White House, and many on the second floor, have that prized access, multiple Trump administration officials and people close to the president told CNN, though most still schedule an appointment before entering the Oval. Some aides with offices in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, including Elon Musk and Trump’s director of the Presidential Personnel Office, Sergio Gor, have that privilege too.
Unlike during his first term, Trump has surrounded himself with his closest, most loyal advisers. The majority of people who work out of the West Wing have worked for him before, whether on his 2024 campaign, during his first administration or both. And unlike in 2017, when Trump hired top aides from more traditional GOP circles, his team is now largely ideologically aligned with the president and far less likely to push back on his key policy decisions.
Dan Scavino, a deputy chief of staff and one of Trump’s longest-serving advisers, has the office closest to the Oval, just next to the president’s private dining room. Beside him sits James Blair, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for legislative affairs who served as the president’s 2024 political director. Blair now occupies the office formerly held in 2017 by Steve Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief strategist following his first election victory.
Wiles, whom Trump has recently referred to as “the most powerful woman in the world,” has taken the office typically used by the chiefs of staff who came before her, all of whom were men.
Down the hall from Wiles is Vice President JD Vance’s office, where his chief of staff, Jacob Reses, also sits. And beside him is national security adviser Mike Waltz’s office, the third largest after Wiles’ and Vance’s. Waltz’s deputy chief of staff, Alex Wong, and senior adviser Micah Ketchel sit in his suite, while his chief of staff, Brian McCormack, and communications director Brian Hughes have their own, windowless offices on the floor beneath Waltz, in close proximity to the Situation Room.
Deputy chief of staff for operations Beau Harrison and assistant to the president Robert Gabriel have prime seating in the heart of the West Wing, nestled beside the Roosevelt Room and the lobby. However, neither Gabriel nor Harrison has walk-in privileges for the Oval Office, a senior White House official told CNN. Nor do Hughes, Ketchel or Wong, the adviser said.
Seated in the corner closest to the Cabinet Room is the president’s communications team. White House deputy chief of staff for communications and Cabinet affairs Taylor Budowich has claimed the largest office, typically reserved for the White House press secretary. (Trump’s first press secretary, Sean Spicer, and those who followed him, all used that office.) Next to Budowich are communications director Steven Cheung’s and press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s offices.
Four of the president’s aides, and the people who travel most frequently with him — both now and in the years between his administrations — reside in the space directly off the Oval Office, known internally as the outer Oval. That includes special assistant to the president Margo Martin, who frequently documents Trump’s events and meetings on social media; Natalie Harp, a former One America News Network anchor who often types Trump’s Truth Social posts while he dictates them to her; Walt Nauta, the presidential valet and military aide who was charged in the case involving Trump’s handling of classified documents before it was dropped; and Chamberlain Harris, Trump’s receptionist.
Trump often will lean away from the 150-year-old Resolute Desk to shout over to the four aides, similar to his interactions with his former personal assistant Madeleine Westerhout during his first term.
Some of the president’s most influential advisers are also seated on the second floor, including deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, whose title far understates the power he holds in the White House. Miller chose to keep the office he used during the first administration, people familiar with the decision told CNN.
Also seated on the second floor are White House counsel David Warrington, who uses the office traditionally held by the president’s counsel, deputy chief of staff for strategic implementation Nick Luna, one of Trump’s “body men” during his first term, and Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council.
Two of Trump’s top policy aides from his 2024 campaign, Vincent Haley and Ross Worthington, also sit on the second floor. Haley serves as Trump’s head of the Domestic Policy Counsel while Worthington has taken on the role of chief speechwriter — a position previously held by Miller.
Many of the offices on the second floor, however, remain empty as the president nears his 100 days in office.
One of the most significant officials of the new administration, special envoy Steve Witkoff — who has been a key player in negotiations to end the wars between Israel and Hamas as well as between Russia and Ukraine — has an office in the basement, though he frequently meets with Trump in the Oval Office. Also on the lower level are Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, and staff secretary Will Scharf, who’s earned a visible role presenting the president with the executive actions that he often signs in front of the press. In an unusual move, Paula White-Cain, senior adviser to the White House’s Faith Office and Trump’s long-term spiritual adviser, has her own office in the basement as well.
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