Photo: Jabin Botsford/Getty Images
By now, you’ve probably seen the nameMadeleine Westerhoutsplashed across headlines after her reported resignation from the White House this week — but hers might be a name you haven’t heard before.
Westerhout was a Trump staffer with one of the longest tenures before her resignation this week,The New York Timesreported, as the 28-year-old began working for the president during his transition into the White House.
This all reportedly happened on Thursday, when Trump was on vacation, and Westerhout was not allowed to return to the White House on Friday, theNew York Timesreported.
After what the newspaper calls her “abrupt and unexpected departure” from Trump’s inner circle, here’s what you need to know about Westerhout.
She was one of the highest paid White House employees
As the special assistant to the president and director of Oval Office operations, theCollege of Charleston ’13 gradhad one of the highest White House salaries with an annual income of $145,000,CNBCreported, citing White House salary information released in July.
Although Westerhout wasn’t in the spotlight during her time as a Trump staffer, she did enjoy a level of closeness to the president, with her desk “just outside the Oval Office,”according toThe Washington Post.
According to thePost, her job duties included “control[ing] access to the Oval Office, deliver[ing] the president’s marker-scribbled messages, send[ing] orders to top military officials, print[ing] emails and articles to show Trump, and seek[ing] to keep a tight grip on his schedule.”
She used to work for Mitt Romney and the Republican National Committee
Before working with Trump, Westerhout got her start as an RNC aide and traveled the across the country to several GOP debates, according to herFacebook. She also worked for Mitt Romney on his 2012 presidential campaign,according to theNew York Times.
In 2012, she called Romney “the greatest man I will ever work for.”
Madeleine Westerhout.TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Getty Images
“This country is certainly lucky to have someone like him run for president,” she said in aFacebook postthat included a photo of her with Romney.
She reportedly cried on election night after Trump won
On Election Night 2016, Westerhout was reportedly so upset after Trump won that she was crying and “inconsolable,” according to journalist Tim Alberta’s bookAmerican Carnage,according to theWashington Post, which obtained an advance copy of the book back in July. ThePostreported that the book reveals how several Republicans who previously opposed Trump were persuaded to his side.
But despite her disappointment over Trump’s win at the time, it doesn’t appear that Westerhout necessarily wanted Hillary Clinton to win instead. In 2015, she posted an article about how the RNC used the words “stop hillary” as their WiFi password during a debate, andincluded the hashtag #StopHillary in her post.
Madeleine Westerhout.TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty
Trump reportedly called her “my beautiful beauty”
Alberta’s book also reportedly revealed that despite her initial wavering, Westerhout eventually became one of Trump’s biggest supporters — she would reportedly do anything for the president, who called her “my beautiful beauty,”according to theWashington Post.
She used to be a barre instructor
Westerhout posts a lot about working out on her social media accounts — sheparticularly loves Soul Cycle(one of several companies thatcelebrities have called to boycottafter reports that its owner fundraises for Trump) — and even used to work as a fitness instructor herself between political gigs.
“[Pure Barre] double header today! Taught in the morning, took and taught again at night!!” shewrote on Facebookin 2015.
She’s a Swiftie
According to her social media, Westerhout is a majorTaylor Swiftfan — although she hasn’t said anything about Swift’s latest albumLover, or herrecent political statements. But when Swift’s single “Look What You Made Me Do” dropped off herReputationalbum back in 2017, Westerhoutposted on Facebook, “Taylor Swift, you did it again!”
source: people.com
