“ Trump expected results but gave her authority and space to get on with her job , included her in his trusted circle and recognised her achievements . What more could an EA ask for ?”
BOSSES j
Confidentiality is , of course , a cornerstone of an EA ’ s job . In fact , did you know the original term for a personal assistant was ‘ secretary ’, which comes from the Latin word “ secretarius ’ – it means a ‘ confidential officer ’ or a ‘ keeper of secrets ’?
So , perhaps Madeline should have known better when she was invited out for a boozy dinner with a bunch of nosey journalists . But as Shakespeare quoted there ’ s ‘ many a slip betwixt cup and lip ’, especially when you ’ re given copious amounts of white wine . And Madeline sure did slip ! After one glass too many she effectively said her relationship with Trump was better than that of his daughters , and added that he disliked being photographed with his daughter Tiffany because he thought she was overweight . Obviously we ’ ll never know the exact context of the conversation . But the news hounds had sniffed out a headline opportunity and the pack ran with it .
An overnight author Shortly after this , she penned a book , Off the Record : My Dream Job at the White House , How I Lost It , and What I Learned , which describes her initial view of Donald Trump before she met him ( it wasn ’ t favourable ), how she got the job and a ‘ warts and all ’ account of her fall from grace .
Although a high achiever , Westerhout was arguably not ready to take on such a big role at the time . So , it would be understandable for the book written so soon after the event to be full of recriminations and criticisms of her boss ; particularly given his combative nature and his regular
“ Trump expected results but gave her authority and space to get on with her job , included her in his trusted circle and recognised her achievements . What more could an EA ask for ?”
negative media attention . It would have been easy for her to join in without damaging her long-term career . In fact it could have helped her .
But actually , the book is full of praise for her former employer . She describes how her opinion , formed by what she had read in the media , changed from one of mild distaste to admiration almost as soon as she started to interact with him . Trump expected results but gave her authority and space to get on with her job . He included her in his trusted circle and recognised her achievements . What more could an EA ask for ?
Most telling , the book describes how he handled the controversy at the time and her dismissal , which understandably he could have taken personally because his children had been at the centre of her comments . As j
22 Executive PA | Winter Issue 2024