The Influencers: The People Shaping Trump’s New Washington
This story is part of a series exploring the backgrounds and agendas of the players — the well known names and behind-the-scenes operators alike — who will wield power in Trump’s second term.
Around 5 p.m. on the night before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a senior White House official got a call from his new boss, James Braid. Republican D.C. was, at that point, in full party mode: A raucous MAGA rally featuring, among others, the president-elect and the Village People was underway at Capital One Arena. Throughout the city, Republicans were preparing to attend lavish inaugural events later that evening.
But Braid’s mind was elsewhere: Having been tapped to serve as Trump’s main liaison to Congress, he was seeking to fill out his team. And he had decided this aide should join him — in just 45 minutes — for in-person interviews. “I’m like, ‘James, it’s 5 o’clock, it’s snowing,’” this official recalled. “And I go, ‘Let me see what I can do.’ And I call him right back, and I’m like … ‘Hey, can we …’ and he’s like, ‘No, we’re gonna do the interviews.’” The aide ended up helping conduct the interviews in a full tux.
“That’s James, ya know,” this official told NOTUS. “Some of us are over there in D.C. to be seen and to be around all this. And that’s not to say James isn’t, but his mission is to do the work first.” The official described Braid as “the hardest working guy I’ve ever worked for.”