Multiple roles are filled by key figures within the Trump administration, offering a more detailed examination

Multiple Roles in the Trump Administration: A Reflection of the Trump Organization's Structure

In a move reminiscent of his business empire, President Trump has been assigning multiple roles to trusted and competent individuals within his administration. This approach, which has been noted by White House historian Kathryn Dunn Tenpas and others, has led to a number of administration officials holding more than one position, including acting or interim roles at unrelated agencies.

One such official is Marco Rubio, currently serving as Secretary of State, who has taken on additional roles within the Trump administration. In addition to his duties as the top diplomat, Rubio also serves as National Security Adviser and Archivist of the United States. Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, states that having Rubio serve in these roles allows him to better understand the president's priorities and implement them across the foreign policy apparatus.

Rubio's fourth job, leading the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), has been passed off to Russell Vought. Vought, who is also the budget director, has been put in charge of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and USAID due to his role as a "grim reaper" for agencies that Trump and Republicans want to get rid of.

This trend of appointing Senate-confirmed loyalists as caretakers is common in cases where a job has opened up due to Trump firing someone. Alexander Gray, a former chief of staff for the National Security Council, notes that this approach flows from Trump's experience running the Trump organization.

Examples of such officials include the U.S. trade representative who is also in charge of the Office of Special Counsel, the treasury secretary serving as IRS commissioner, and the transportation secretary serving as NASA administrator.

Richard Grenell, a Californian, is currently wearing three vastly different hats in the Trump administration. In addition to overseeing the federal response to wildfires, securing the release of U.S. citizens, and serving as interim director of the Kennedy Center, Grenell also serves as the special presidential envoy for Special Missions since 2025, the interim executive director of the Kennedy Center, and is on the board of directors of Live Nation. Grenell may receive a fourth or fifth job in the Trump administration.

These interim appointments are legal and allow for greater communication and collaboration across the administration. Tamara Keith, NPR's senior White House correspondent, notes that she only has one job in contrast to the multiple roles held by some administration officials.

It is worth noting that Henry Kissinger is the only other person to have held both the roles of Secretary of State and National Security Adviser. However, Trump is an outlier among presidents in terms of holding multiple high-level positions simultaneously.

Despite these multiple roles, Trump has not yet named permanent replacements for these interim roles. The approach of giving multiple roles to loyal individuals has been a hallmark of the Trump administration, reflecting the structure of the Trump organization. This trend has been noted by Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, who has conducted oral history interviews with officials from past administrations for the Miller Center at the University of Virginia.

Multiple roles are filled by key figures within the Trump administration, offering a more detailed examination