Olivia Troye, who served as an adviser to then-Vice President Mike Pence during Donald Trump’s first term, has published a survival guide for those who will staff the White House upon Trump’s return to the Oval Office.
In the latest issue of Troye’s email newsletter “We Lived It,” the now fierce Trump critic acknowledged the excitement that “probably super-MAGA” incoming staffers will have, just like she did during “Trump 1.0,” about working for the current president-elect.
But she warned they will at some point “bear witness to something that changes your mind” that will let them “see Trump for who and what he truly is.” She then offered advice on how to deal with the “quandary” — from remembering who they serve to expecting the unexpected and being brave.
Troye also issued further strategies for women working in the Trump White House who will face “an extra set of challenges,” she wrote, amid what she described as its “chauvinistic male-dominated culture.”
“I’m not going to lie to you. No matter who you are, you are entering a hostile environment,” she wrote. “I was fortunate—Mike Pence was a decent, respectful island in Trump’s sea of contempt. It will be much, much worse this time.” Read the full email here.