Top Trump aide to leave White House
Joe Hagin, the White House adviser who led planning for President Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, is leaving his post for the private sector.
With Hagin’s exit, the White House is losing one of its most deeply experienced aides. The 62-year-old deputy chief of staff for operations held the same post in former President George W. Bush’s White House and also served Bush’s father and former President Ronald Reagan.
“Joe Hagin has been a huge asset to my administration,” Trump said in a statement. “We will miss him in the office and even more on the road. I am thankful for his remarkable service to our great country.”
{mosads}The White House has not named a successor for Hagin.
Hagin’s departure further raises the historic level of staff turnover in the Trump administration, which has struggled with infighting and personal rivalries.
More than 60 percent of people who served in the senior-most White House advisory positions at the beginning of the administration have exited their roles, according to data complied by Martha Joynt Kumar, director of the White House Transition Project.
The White House said Hagin committed to serving as deputy chief of staff for one year and ultimately decided to stay for 18 months. He was working as a private consultant before returning to public service in the Trump White House.
“Joe Hagin’s selfless devotion to this nation and the institution of the presidency is unsurpassed,” said White House chief of staff John Kelly. “I am lucky to have served alongside this great American, and I am even luckier to call him my friend. Joe will be missed at the White House, and I wish him great success and happiness in the next chapter of his life.”
Hagin was brought into the White House to add a veteran presences to a staff that lacked political experience.
He was tasked with handling the complex logistics of the president’s foreign travel, which involves careful stagecraft and tough negotiations with foreign governments. He was also involved in the process of acquiring a new jet to serve as Air Force One.
Talk of Hagin’s departure was reported ahead of Trump’s June 12 summit in Singapore with Kim, for which Hagin handled advance planning.
While he had several key allies on staff, Hagin was also the subject of scorn from some in Trump World who viewed him as too close to the Bush family. Trump and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush were fierce rivals during the 2016 presidential campaign.
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