Trump White House Exodus Accelerates With Fresh Departure
Ryan Baasch would rather move to the private sector than see out the final years of Trump’s presidency.
Nathan Howard/Reuters
The White House is set to lose yet another top aide in the crucial run-up to the midterm elections.
Ryan Baasch, deputy director of the National Economic Council, will leave his role at the end of the month for a job in the private sector, Axios reported.
Baasch, who was previously in line for a Federal Trade Commission seat, also served as an aide to former AI and crypto czar David Sacks, as well as deputy assistant to the president for economic policy.
In a statement to Axios, Sacks called Baasch “a generational talent” who “has been instrumental in delivering on President Trump’s plans for American AI dominance.” Sacks added: “I’m confident he will continue to be an absolute rock star in his next endeavor.”
Ryan Baasch is said to have played a major role in devising the White House’s National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence.
LinkedIn/Ryan Baasch
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Baasch had been an “invaluable asset to the president and the NEC team since the beginning of this administration.”
“From space policy to spectrum to antitrust, there is hardly any area that hasn’t been touched by his steady hands,” Hassett added.
Baasch’s departure is the latest in a long line of White House aides who are jumping ship ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, which could define President Donald Trump’s final two years in office.
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Patrick Adams, a press adviser and deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, last week confirmed he is also leaving.
Patrick Adams worked more behind the scenes than some of his other media-hungry White House colleagues.
X/Patrick Adams
Adams is said to have played a crucial role on the White House press team, especially after Karoline Leavitt left as press secretary at the end of August.
In a post on X, Leavitt praised Adams as someone who “prepared me for every one of my briefings and played an integral role in shaping the White House’s messaging and strategy.”
Elsewhere, Paige Willey, the deputy assistant to the president for economic policy and deputy director of the National Economic Council, similarly announced her departure earlier this month.
Hassett also praised Willey after she announced she was leaving his department.
“She has a brilliant economic mind and a rare ability to collegially shape opinion on contentious issues. Everyone at NEC is proud to have had the honor to serve with her.”
Other top White House aides to announce they are leaving the administration this year include White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, senior policy strategist Emily Underwood, Cabinet Affairs Director Lea Bardon and media affairs director Sonny Joy Nelson.
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