In Donald Trump’s Washington, power orbits around the president.
He’s sucked influence away from Capitol Hill and pulled it almost entirely into the hallways of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
And while some of Trump’s aides have become household names, like Susie Wiles, Stephen Miller and Karoline Leavitt, other major players have kept a lower profile.
In the latest Daily Mail Power List, our DC bureau has curated a list of the most powerful people in Washington that readers outside the Beltway likely don’t know much about – or have never heard of at all.
The list showcases less prominent members of the President’s inner circle and those glamorous aides charged with curating Trump’s social media presence.
It also includes individuals outside of government who continue to exert influence, whether the president likes it or not.
The list purposely excludes Cabinet members and the most well-known White House officials.
So who are the behind-the-scenes people powering Trump’s Washington?
President Donald Trump is the man that everyone in Washington, DC orbits around
James Blair came in at number one on our DC Daily Mail Power List. Blair is currently running President Donald Trump’s midterm operation outside the White House but is expected to come back and return to his deputy chief of staff gig
In the No. 1 spot is James Blair.
The 37-year-old had a significant portfolio when he was working inside the White House, overseeing the political and legislative affairs operation as a deputy chief of staff.
But outside the White House, he has an even bigger task: winning the midterms.
Blair came into Trump’s fold by way of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, assisting with the 2024 win and earning the President’s trust as a political barometer.
Now he’s taken leave from the White House to run the President’s political operation heading into the November midterms.
If the Republicans retain the Senate and keep numbers in the House tight, Blair will be credited with that victory.
After Blair comes White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf.
It’s Scharf’s other role, as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, where he’s helping the President physically reshape Washington.
See the full DC Power List with our interactive tool.
According to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan’s new book, Regime Change, Scharf was originally put in charge of the NCPC in order to contest Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s Fed headquarters renovations.
But his interpretation of the panel’s jurisdiction allowed the demolition of the White House’s East Wing to move forward with zero federal oversight.
He’s allowed Trump’s ballroom and other building projects to be fast-tracked.
Other top spots on the list go to those who help curate Trump’s image.
There’s Dan Scavino, who started as the President’s golf caddie, and now serves as a deputy Chief of Staff, and Steven Cheung, the White House communications director nicknamed internally ‘Panda’, who has mastered the clapback tweet.
Natalie Harp is considered the President’s most loyal aide, reportedly leaving him notes sharing her devotion. She has access to his Truth Social account and also funnels him information from news sources and the internet – and has been dubbed Trump’s ‘human printer’ for her habit of printing off copies of articles he wants to read.
Margo Martin stayed on with the President between the first and second administrations, using her social media prowess to give supporters a behind-the-scenes peek at how he spends his day.
David Warrington worked for Trump in a personal capacity before being named White House counsel.
Walt Nauta works as the president’s ‘body man,’ or presidential valet. The Navy veteran worked in the White House cafeteria serving meals in 2021 before being promoted, and has gone on to work for Trump during both his White House terms.
During the period between the president’s terms, Nauta got ensnarled in the classified documents case, though federal charges were eventually dropped.
Boris Epshteyn has long been a Trump insider and wields influence as a lawyer working for the President outside of government.
It’s not until the No. 10 spot that there is finally someone who represents Capitol Hill: Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough.
She’s pumped the brakes on some big-ticket items on Trump’s wishlist, including White House ballroom funding and adding the voting bill, the Save America Act, to a larger reconciliation package.
In turn, Trump demanded her firing again this week.
After that, the list turns back to the White House.
There’s Kaelan Dorr, who heads the White House’s digital strategy and is reportedly responsible for a lot of the official X account’s meme posting, and Jake Schneider, the director of rapid response.
Jim Goyer brokers access to the White House as director of the Office of Public Liaison and James Braid handles Congressional relations as the White House director of legislative affairs.
White House Staff Secretary Will Scharf is also the chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, which has allowed him to green light some of President Donald Trump’s top construction projects, including the White House ballroom
Margo Martin worked in the first Trump White House and then followed the ex-President to Florida only to follow him back to the White House four years later. Her curated social media posts show the behind-the-scenes of the Trump administration
Aides on the list also represent the possible future of the Republican Party.
There’s Deputy National Security Advisor Michael Needham, who served as Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s chief of staff at both the State Department and, before that, the US Senate.
Nick Luna, a veteran of both Trump administrations, will soon be taking over as Vice President JD Vance’s Chief of Staff.
With a First Lady who sometimes goes rogue, whether it be publicly supporting abortion and LGBTQ rights or giving an unannounced statement distancing herself from Jeffrey Epstein, Melania Trump’s spokesperson, Nicholas Clemens, is a good person to know.
David Sacks brought Silicon Valley influence to the White House as the AI and Crypto Czar.
He’s no longer able to serve in the role of a special government employee, but continues to be a player as chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Taylor Budowich is a member of the Trump inner circle who departed to become a strategic adviser for Americans for Fair Markets. During 2023 and 2024, he headed the main pro-Trump super PAC.
Brian Ballard is considered the top Trump-era lobbyist. His firm, Ballard Partners, is reported to be the highest-earning lobbying shop in the US and has counted Susie Wiles and Pam Bondi as former employees.
Tammy Haddad, a well-known DC connector who hosts the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Garden Brunch each year, has flourished in Trump’s Washington with her Washington AI Network programming.
While a Democrat, Heather Podesta’s bipartisan lobbying firm continues to see success. She was once declared the ‘insider’s insider’ by the Washington Post.
Alice Marie Johnson was set free from prison after a lobbying effort by reality TV star Kim Kardashian during Trump’s first term. Now she’s in a position to help others in the same way after being appointed ‘pardon czar’ by the president last year and making multiple appearances alongside him.
