The Scoop
John F.W. Rogers, Goldman Sachs’ secretive consigliere and a fixture in establishment Republican circles, will help Melania Trump staff up the East Wing, people familiar with the matter said.
Rogers was an informal adviser to the First Lady during Trump’s last term, helping on personnel and ceremonial matters. He has played that role for White Houses going back to Ronald Reagan’s, where he doled out parking spots, scrounged up furniture, and helped design the first White House Christmas ornaments.
In the interim, he’s had a 30-year career at Goldman, where he’s been a political sherpa for four chief executives, securing seats at the Alfalfa dinner and arranging meetings with visiting dignitaries. He took a step back last year but remains a key adviser to CEO David Solomon and the bank’s board of directors.
People familiar with the appointment said it’s temporary and part-time. But Rogers is also known to have his eye on an ambassadorship, perhaps to Japan or Germany, where he was among the first Westerners to visit after the Berlin Wall fell while serving as a State Department staffer. (He later donated a piece he chiseled out to the Smithsonian, where it remains.)
Rogers was also an early contender for White House chief of staff during Trump’s first term.
“Four successive Goldman CEO’s have relied heavily on John’s judgment and execution capability,” former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said in a statement. “He will be highly valuable in any role he performs for the new administration.”
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Liz’s view
Rogers’ ability to parlay a friendship with the first lady into a role in the administration will test Donald Trump’s focus on loyalty. Like many mainstream Republicans, Rogers never donated to Trump’s campaign — he backed Tim Scott’s primary run and various Republican Senate bids, according to campaign finance records.
With Wall Streeters lining up to offer their services — corporate CEOs, too, have been quick to send their congratulations and offers of support — the Trump transition team has been looking closely at donor rolls for the first time, people familiar with the matter said.
Notable
- Rogers is “the man to see” at Goldman, as Semafor reported last year in a profile of him.