President Donald Trump plans to appoint his current deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, to take over leadership of the powerful Presidential Personnel Office, which controls hiring and firing for White House staff.
“Dan Scavino is one of President Trump’s most trusted and longest serving advisors,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to NOTUS Tuesday. “There is nobody better to ensure the president’s administration is staffed with the most qualified, competent, and America First-driven workers. There is much still to be done and Dan’s leadership will ensure the highest quality, most dedicated workforce ever.”
Scavino is a longtime Trump ally whose affiliation with the president began when he worked as a golf caddie at the Trump National Golf Club in New York’s Hudson Valley. He also worked during the president’s first term in a variety of communication roles, including running Trump’s then-Twitter account.
His appointment was first reported by Axios. Scavino will fill the shoes of Sergio Gor, whom Trump appointed to serve as ambassador to India and as special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs last week.
“Sergio’s role as Director of Presidential Personnel has been essential to delivering on the unprecedented Mandate that we received from the American People,” Trump wrote on Truth Social announcing Gor’s new appointment. “For the most populous Region in the World, it is important that I have someone I can fully trust to deliver on my Agenda and help us, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.”
Gor said he was “beyond grateful” for the nomination in a post on X. “It will be the honor of my life to represent the United States!” he added.
Earlier this year, Gor faced a public spat with then-Department of Government Efficiency chief Elon Musk, who called the White House personnel chief “a snake” after he helped facilitate the termination of Musk’s pick to lead NASA, Jared Isaacman.
Under Gor’s leadership, the White House personnel office instituted loyalty tests in the hiring process to weed out those critical of the Trump administration, according to reporting by The Washington Post, and questioned candidates to determine whether they embraced Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election.