There are multiple reports that many former members of the Trump administration are having a tough time finding work. Today, The Washington Post reports that former transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, someone who “earned millions of dollars over the past decade by serving on the boards of big public companies… is encountering a fraught reentry into the private sector.”
And the publication points out “corporations don’t seem to have an immediate interest in other top Trump administration alums either.”
Headhunters and other corporate advisers say the calculus for executives at most large, publicly traded companies is simple. Trump — the only president to be impeached twice, the second time on a charge he incited the mob that assaulted the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the presidential election results — left office with a majority of Americans strongly disapproving of his job performance… Offering a board seat to anyone in his inner orbit risks inviting a revolt from customers, employees or shareholders.
The Washington Post adds that “some seem to have disappeared.”
Kirstjen Nielsen, the former head of homeland security who is linked to the family separations at the border, sold her house in Washington, according to a person familiar with the decision, and moved in hopes that fewer people would recognize her in public. Mark Meadows, the president’s former chief of staff, changed his longtime cellphone number.
There are some who are instead very publicly carving their own path. Today former Trump advisor Stephen Miller announced his new venture that will support lawsuits against the Biden administration. The Wall Street Journal reports:
Miller said he comes to the new project after observing firsthand how relentless litigation from groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union can slow down a White House. When the Trump administration pursued a new initiative, he said, “we wouldn’t get just one lawsuit in one court, we’d get six lawsuits in six courts.”
“It was an extraordinarily effective tactic, and there’s no counterpoint to that on our side,” he said.
Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson also started his own business, the American Cornerstone Institute. The organization’s website explains “we vigorously pursue commonsense solutions to America’s most pressing issues, while ensuring our country stands firm in support of our founding principles.“
Then there are a handful of people who are setting their sights on moving up the political ladder. Mike Pompeo has been holding a series of events as he considers a run for president in 2024. He’s also been busy on the speaker’s circuit.
If he runs in 2024, Pompeo may face another former Trump official, former United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. The Republican recently started a political action committee. AXIOS explains:
Stand for America PAC, a political iteration of Haley’s nonprofit of the same name, says it’s currently focused on the 2022 midterms, and will “recruit, advise, train and financially support strong conservatives to run in key House and Senate races to take back control of both chambers.”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is also looking to get back into politics with a run for Arkansas Governor in 2022.
There are also a handful of people from the Trump administration who have parlayed their experiences into gigs in the media or as authors. The Daily Beast writes:
Former Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway has signed a multi-million dollar deal to write a book about her time in the White House, the Daily Mail reports. The exact price tag is unknown, but is expected to exceed former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s $2 million advance for his memoir. While the Daily Mail quotes an anonymous insider stating that Conway will write “the most unvarnished, eye-popping account of her time working for the president,” she has publicly remained loyal to Trump, campaigning for his re-election and speaking at this year’s Republican National Convention.
And just a couple of weeks into her gig at Fox News Kayleigh McEnany was promoted this week to co-host on the show Outnumbered.