Longtime Donald Trump aide and White House Director of Scheduling and Advance George Gigicos is departing the White House.
“This has been an honor and a privilege of my life to have served the President from the time he came down the escalator in Trump Tower on June 16,2015, ” he told CNN on Wednesday. “I’m looking forward to building my business and spending more time with my family while at the same time continuing to serve the President from the outside by building big, beautiful stages.”
The 50-year-old self-described “advance man” who worked for the Bush White House and Mitt Romney campaign was part of Trump’s early team, joining in June 2015. He’s been one of few original staffers to remain with Trump for more than two years. During the 2016 campaign, Gigicos led the campaign’s advance team in planning and executing all of Trump’s large events, while making it a point to remain out of the spotlight. Gigicos was known to joke to reporters on the trail that he “only builds stages.”
But Trump would occasionally namecheck Gigicos from the stage if something wasn’t perfect — most memorably at a large arena rally in Pensacola, Florida, in January 2016 when the candidate experienced microphone issues.
“The stupid mic keeps popping! Do you hear that, George? Don’t pay ’em! Don’t pay ’em!” Trump yelled from the stage.
Gigicos’s last official day with the White House was July 31. Deputy Director of Advance Jordan Karem will assume the director post temporarily. It’s unclear who will take over long term for Gigicos.
