The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency

By Chris Whipple

Book Overview

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - An in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the White House Chiefs of Staff, whose choices have defined the course of our country--including a chapter on the chaos of the first Trump administration

"Entertaining and engaging."--The Wall Street Journal
"Compelling and insightful."--HuffPost
"Carefully researched and eminently readable."--Newsday

Presidents have always depended on the advice of key confidants. But it wasn't until the twentieth century that the White House chief of staff was codified and became the second most powerful job in government. Unelected and unconfirmed, the chief is the president's closest adviser; when the president makes a life-and-death decision, often the chief of staff is the only other person in the room.

Through extensive, intimate interviews with eighteen chiefs (including Reince Priebus) and two former presidents, award-winning journalist Chris Whipple pulls back the curtain on this unique fraternity. In doing so, he revises our understanding of presidential history, showing us how one chief paved the way for the Reagan Revolution--and, conversely, how Watergate and the Iraq War might have been prevented by a more effective chief. Plus, in a chapter written exclusively for this edition, Whipple takes readers inside the Trump White House, revealing startling details of its dysfunction.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804138265
• ISBN13: 9780804138260
• Release Date: March 2018
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Politics made interesting

Who would have thought that a book covering almost 50 years of American could be so interesting? In an interconnected society such as D.C., one needs friends to help twist arms and make friends. The Gatekeepers helps tell the stories of those who take on those duties. When we often read or watch the news, we often only see the president and never who is operating behind the scenes. The Gatekeepers gives insight into this into the hidden figures that often help determine the success (or failure) of presidents. It's an unforgiving job that burns out CoS's faster than presidents. A thankless job that has less recognition than it deserves. I found myself enjoying Chris Whipple's easy-to-read style and nice anecdotes. His writing style holds no political bias and tells the truth as-is. I often found myself unable to put the book down because of how dang interesting the stories are. Whipple also does a good job humanizing the stories that happened in each major crisis in the last 50 years. It's amazing how interconnected D.C. is and small the social circles are. Highly recommended.

A fascinating overview

Reaching back to the Nixon presidency, “The Gatekeepers” introduces and critiques every White House chief of staff up to and including the Obama presidency. It often carries the sense of being the “fly on the wall” to gain an insider’s appreciation of what it’s like to be “in the room.” This book is a great find for anyone wanting insight into the inner workings of eight widely differing administrations.