President Joe Biden’s bodyman Stephen Goepfert plans to depart the White House this week, leaving the president without one of his closest and most familiar aides.
The president confirmed reports in a statement to CNN thanking Goepfert for his service.
“From the campaign to the White House, Stephen Goepfert has been by my side,” Biden said. “In moments big, small, and extraordinary, he’s been a trusted and loyal confidant who everyone counts on and who always delivers.”
There are few aides closer to the president than the bodyman role, and Goepfert was no exception, according to reports, as he helped Biden navigate his day-to-day routines on the campaign trail before joining him at the White House. He served the president for three years.
Goepfert was also hailed as the first openly gay bodyman for the president.
U.S. President Joe Biden talks to Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the President, in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden at the White House before boarding Marine One in Washington, DC, on July 6, 2022. (SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images)
White House chief of staff Ron Klain praised Goepfert for his efforts on the president’s behalf.
“It’s a tough and grueling job, and no one has done it with the competence, kindness, and warmth that he has,” he said.
Goepfert is leaving for a job at the Transportation Department headed by Sec. Pete Buttigieg.
His exit coincides with a number of Biden aides who have left the White House prior to the midterm elections.
Senior advisor Trey Baker, a liaison to the black community, announced his plan to leave the White House this week, becoming one of over 20 black staffers to exit.
The White House press office has also shuffled significantly since press secretary Jen Psaki left the building in May along with a host of others, both before and after.
White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients announced his decision to depart Thursday, after a year of leading Biden’s team. https://t.co/yj58xFg8FK
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) March 17, 2022
Director of Rapid response communications Michael Gwinn, Press assistant Michael Kikukawa, Assistant press secretary Vedant Patel, and Biden’s chief of staff for the White House press office Amanda Finney also left the White House in recent weeks for other positions in the administration.
Biden’s senior communications aide Meghan Hays, who also served as the White House Easter Bunny, announced her decision earlier this month to leave.
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