President Donald Trump’s main liaison to Congress will leave the White House a week after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced her exit.
The president announced on Thursday that James Braid would exit the White House in September. Braid is a close ally of Vice President JD Vance, working in Vance’s Senate office.
Specifically, the president highlighted how Braid navigated working with a tight majority in the House of Representatives to pass the One Big, Beautiful Bill that extended the tax cuts from Trump’s first term and beefed up funding for immigration enforcement as well as GENIUS Act, Trump’s major cryptocurrency legislation.
“James has played a critical role in our many accomplishments with Congress, including THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL, beating the Democrats in two shutdown showdowns, passing the GENIUS Act, defeating a record number of War Powers resolutions, and the confirmation of my Cabinet at the fastest rate in decades,” Trump said. “This has been, and will continue to be, the most successful Republican Congress in History. Thank you, James, for your service to our Nation!”
The president’s legislative agenda has been surprisingly thin since the passage of the massive spending bill. Despite Trump getting almost all of his cabinet nominations approved and a slew of judicial nominees confirmed, he has failed to pass his major priority: The SAVE America Act, which would require identification cards to vote and proof of citizenship upon registering to vote.
The president had suggested that the Senate cancel its August recess to pass the legislation, Republican Senate Minority Leader John Thune refused.
But Braid’s exit comes as Democrats are poised to win back the majority control of the House of Representatives and at least a few Senate seats, if not the majority. On Thursday, Emerson College released a poll showing that 51 percent of likely voters would vote for a generic Democratic candidate for Congress compared to only 43 percent who support the Republican.
The same poll also showed that Trump’s approval rating is at 40 percent while 56 percent of likely voters disapprove of the president as he enters the halfway mark of his second term.
The Trump administration has had a much lower turnover during its second term than during the first term. White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair left during the summer to help Republicans during the midterm elections.
Still, it has had some high-profile exits. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem left after intense scrutiny from even some Republicans. Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi and replaced her with her deputy Todd Blanche. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard exited the White House after she said her husband had been diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.
Presidential administrations typically see exits after a midterm election. But Leavitt’s announcement surprised the White House to the point that it did not have a replacement ready at the moment.
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