In this week’s edition of the ‘Observador Newsletter – Até à Casa Branca’, journalist João Almeida Dias looks at the most powerful unelected office of the White House, the chief of staff of the President of the United States. From this week on, the newsletter will also feature interviews with Portuguese-American in the USA. The first guest is Massachusetts State Senator Michael Rodrigues.

It is them who decide what reaches the President of the United States, how and who has access to the President and to say what. They control the decision-making process and, depending on the President, may have more power than the members of the administration. However, it is one of the few major positions that is not veted and confirmed by the US Congress.

The chief of staff is a mythical figure inside the White House. Some of the most powerful men in American politics have holded this position, such as Bob Haldeman (Richardo Nixon’s chief of staff), Dick Cheney (Gerald Ford) and James Baker (Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush),

In this week’s newsletter, journalist João Almeida Dias remembers the history of this club of men and the power they exercise over the decisions of the White House.

The newsletter also includes a short interview with Portuguese-American State Senator Michael Rodrigues, who discusses the elections, the presidential transition and how the Portuguese-American community was divided in this electoral act.

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