Trump officials who hold more than one job

As someone who has held a host of different jobs over the course of his time in the public eye — hotelier, game show host, product pitchman — it comes as little surprise that President Donald Trump would expect his White House staff to wear multiple hats as well. That said, the sheer pervasiveness of Trump administration officials holding at least one additional high-level administrative position has alarmed some observers, raising questions of overreach and inappropriately consolidated power. As this White House continues its MAGA assault on the pillars of government with mass layoffs and strong-arm diktats, exactly how do these administration officials pulling double duty fit in with the president's vision?

'Incredibly unique' and 'irresponsible'

Trump officials holding multiple administration jobs include: Deputy Attorney General and acting Librarian of Congress Todd Blanche; Office of Management and Budget head Russ Vought, who also runs the largely shuttered Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Daniel Driscoll, who serves as both Secretary of the Army and acting head of the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency — a position reassigned from former acting head, FBI Director Kash Patel; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was named interim NASA director this month; U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who pulls triple duty as acting director of the Office of Government Ethics and acting special counsel of the Office of Special Counsel; and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who also serves as acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, acting archivist for the National Archives and acting National Security Adviser.

The "time-consuming nature" of "high-level government roles" has some experts warning that running multiple agencies is not only "irresponsible," but "practically impossible," The Boston Globe said. It is, however, legal, thanks to the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998, which details the rules of how and when the president can use "exclusive power to fill government vacancies on a temporary basis." Legality aside, relying on so many staffers to fill multiple roles is "incredibly unique when you compare Trump to other presidents," said Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a Brookings Institution visiting fellow and presidential historian, to HuffPost. After "studying White House staffing since the early '90s," the notion of giving multiple jobs to a single staffer "just doesn't compute."

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The White House's extensive "dual-hatting" reflects Trump's attempts to "learn from his first term," said The Atlantic. The Heritage Foundation authors of the ultra-conservative Project 2025 "lamented that Trump was very slow to appoint people to fill administration roles," and "recommended using more acting appointments" as the president grapples with the "particular problem" of "filling positions that are very important but below Cabinet rank." Whether those tapped for multiple roles are qualified for their growing portfolios "seems to hold little importance for Trump."

Government in the 'model of a confused startup operation'

As the highest-ranking member of the Trump administration to hold multiple positions, Marco Rubio has become the poster child for this White House's dual-hatting. "When Trump likes you and trusts you, he loads you up," said one White House official to Axios. "Marco is loaded up." For critics of the administration, Rubio's multiple roles are proof positive that the administration is in over its head. There's "no way" Rubio can carry "that entire load on his own," said Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on CBS' "Face The Nation" this past spring. Rubio's roles leading both State and the National Security Council are "too much," said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) to CNN's Jake Tapper in May.

Rubio's multiple roles are "uniquely concerning," said Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. He simultaneously serves as administrator of an agency that "may be failing to follow the Federal Records Act," as well as the nation's archivist, "responsible for ensuring that agencies follow that very law."

Dual postings can lead to "managerial challenges, constitutional questions and potential conflicts of interest," said NBC News. Loading multiple roles onto a limited talent pool is the "model of a confused startup operation," said Yale University School of Management professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld to the outlet. Ultimately, Trump may be keeping his power concentrated in such a small group, the outlet said, because it "suppresses any challenges to his authority."