The Gatekeepers
HOW THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEFS OF STAFF DEFINE EVERY PRESIDENCY
BY CHRIS WHIPPLE (CROWN, 2017)
New York Times Bestseller
“Entertaining and engaging.”
—Wall Street Journal
“Compelling and insightful… destined to take its place alongside classic works by Richard Neustadt, Theodore White and other White House chroniclers… A must-read.”
—Huffington Post
“Carefully researched and eminently readable, The Gatekeepers… provides a fresh view of the modern presidencies. Whipple cuts to the heart of what, or more to the point who, makes a presidency succeed or fail.”
—Newsday
“Having interviewed all 17 living former chiefs of staff and two former presidents, Whipple offers a scintillating behind-the-scenes look at an office that is all but invisible to the public. This is page-turning catnip for political junkies, who will read it with an eye to what lies in store for Reince Priebus and the Drumpf administration.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Whipple reviews the high and low points of the past eight administrations, and he greatly enhances the narrative with his many interviews….A well-researched, well-written review of a unique government position—informative for the general public and an insightful blueprint for the new administration.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Could not be more timely…There are valuable lessons in The Gatekeepers for Trump’s chief, the embattled Reince Priebus.”
—TIME.com
“Captivating…This is a tale told by a journalist, and in a way that makes for better history.”
—USNews.com
“[Whipple’s] prose is clear, crisp and often evocative…his observations ring true as he tracks the development of the office.”
—Washington Times
“Chris Whipple takes us deep inside one of the most important and demanding jobs in Washington—White House chief of staff. Here we get to know how great power is managed, and exercised by those who have held the job. If you’re a political junkie or merely curious, this is the book for you.”
—Tom Brokaw, former anchor, NBC Nightly News
“A vivid, enthralling, and brilliantly reported account of White House chiefs of staff, who are—with all respects to US vice presidents—the actual second-most-powerful people in Washington. This is US history through the fascinating prism of the men who guard the door to the Oval Office, and a learned, welcome, and important addition to the study of the executive branch.”
—Christopher Buckley, author of Thank You for Smoking, No Way to Treat a First Lady, and The Relic Master
“Understanding how government really works, what Presidents actually do, and what is the range of ‘normal’ versus ‘unprecedented’ behavior, is more important now than ever before. As The Gatekeepers makes vividly clear, White House chiefs of staff are at the center of the process that determines how presidents succeed or fail. This is an enlightening work of history with important lessons for our immediate future.”
—James Fallows, The Atlantic, former White House speechwriter