He impressed the president in that job by securing the discharge of a number of Individuals imprisoned by international governments and armed teams
He impressed the president in that job by securing the discharge of a number of Individuals imprisoned by international governments and armed teams. Mr. Trump views the discharge of detained Individuals as tactical “wins” that even his critics are reluctant to query, and Mr. O’Brien continues to pursue these circumstances in his new job.
Some White Home aides joke that his expertise navigating fraught conditions is good preparation for serving Mr. Trump. The president, for his half, appreciates Mr. O’Brien’s quiet method and tailor-made fits after his complaints in regards to the gruff personalities and unstylish appearances of Mr. McMaster and Mr. Bolton, whose bushy mustache he typically privately mocked.
Mr. O’Brien additionally will get alongside higher than his predecessors did with Mr. Pompeo, who feuded with Mr. Bolton, and with Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who typically provides international coverage recommendation. And he has been pals with Mr. Grenell, the most recent addition to the nationwide safety group, for over a decade.
He speaks with the president a number of instances a day, typically very first thing within the morning and generally within the White Home’s non-public residence earlier than Mr. Trump descends to the Oval Workplace.
However he has no prior ties to Mr. Trump or beforehand identified affinity for the president’s “America First” fashion of nationalism. A e book of essays he revealed in 2016 channeled mainstream conservative views.
Some nationwide safety professionals who’ve labored with or suggested Mr. O’Brien say that it’s a mistake to underestimate him and that he has a deft managerial contact that displays his tenure main dozens of attorneys within the Los Angeles workplace of Arent Fox, the Washington regulation agency.
Others complain that he lacks fluency in coverage particulars and delegates heavy lifting to his chief deputy, Matthew Pottinger, a former Wall Avenue Journal reporter and Marine who’s amongst a handful of White Home aides to outlive all three years of Mr. Trump’s presidency.
In a tv interview in late December, Mr. O’Brien incorrectly referred to the North Korean ruler, Kim Jong-un, swapping the chief’s surname for his given one. It was, his critics stated, not a mistake {that a} extra skilled official would have made.
Julian E. Barnes, Adam Goldman, Katie Rogers and Edward Wong contributed reporting.