How Johnny McEntee, a 'f--king idiot,' came to be known as Trump's 'deputy president'


It's now no surprise to hear how strings were pulled behind the scenes in the Trump White House. But according to journalist Jonathan Karl's forthcoming book, Betrayal: The Final Act of the Trump Show, one young staffer and loyalist to former President Donald Trump was, toward the end, pulling more of those tethers than the average American may have thought.
Johnny McEntee, a political appointee who rose in the ranks after carrying the ex-president's bags, was a Trump man "through and through," per an excerpt of Betrayal adapted for The Atlantic. But during the final year of Trump's tenure, and following a promotion to head the Presidential Personnel Office — which manages the hiring and firing of White House employees — McEntee was "willing to do anything Trump wanted," per Karl. "He became the deputy president," said one senior official. Another high-profile Cabinet secretary described him as "a f---king idiot."
When Trump alerted his team in February 2020 that he wanted to place McEntee in charge of personnel — "perhaps the most important human-resources department in the world," writes Karl — they vehemently pushed back. But Trump proceeded anyway. McEntee later said he was "the only person around here that's just here for the president."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When helming the PPO office, McEntee reportedly staffed his "comically inexperienced" team with gorgeous, Rockette-esque women and nerdy men, per Karl. He had his office interview "virtually every senior official across the federal government," regardless of their tenure, in an attempt to root out anti-Trump sentiment. He even supported the president's desire to overturn the election, and "helped set the stage" for Jan. 6.
Nowadays, McEntee and Trump reportedly still remain in "close contact." Should Trump run for re-election, Karl argues, the former staffer is likely to find himself in the White House again.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
Is the Trump-Putin bromance over... again?
Today's Big Question The US president has admitted he's 'p*ssed off' with his opposite number
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
'The way AI is discussed makes it seem like this is a necessary outcome'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Iran: Is regime change possible?
Feature The U.S.-Israeli attack exposed cracks in Iran's regime
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress