Kellyanne Conway and Stephen Miller serve at the pleasure of the President.

resourceforlife dotcom

On 14 Feb 2017, Trump Administration White House advisor Kellyanne Conway stated on Twitter:

“I serve at the pleasure of @POTUS. His message is my message. His goals are my goals.” (source)

This oath of obedience was to the backdrop of another White House staff member, Stephen Miller, on the same day proclaiming (at length) similar statements of obedience and loyalty stating that the President’s directives should not be questioned.

While the statement “I serve at the pleasure of the President” has been used as far back as the 1700s, the recent emphasis on unwavering loyalty and obedience to the President seems to be new. The phrase was originally intended to mean that White House staff are ‘at will’ employees and can be let go without a substantive reason.