Trent Morse

Trent Michael Morse (born April 19, 1991) is an American political operative and lobbyist who served as the deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office from January to September 2025.

Morse graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor's degree and from the university's College of Law with a Juris Doctor. While in law school, he worked on Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Morse served in several government positions after graduating, including the Florida Department of Transportation, a transportation and infrastructure holding company, the Florida Governor's Office, and the United States Department of Transportation as a special assistant. In July 2018, Morse became the United States Department of Health and Human Services's liaison to the Trump administration. He was central in secretary of health and human services Alex Azar's efforts to assume greater control over the department.

In March 2020, Morse was hired by Ballard Partners. He was the host committee president for the 2020 Republican National Convention, after Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded the convention, and the campaign manager for Tudor Dixon's campaign in the 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election. In January 2023, Morse became a senior vice president of Mercury Public Affairs. He led outreach at the 2024 Republican National Convention and was involved in the Trump's second presidential transition. In January 2025, Trump named Morse as the deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office. He led Trump's efforts to fire members of commissions and boards. Morse resigned in September to form his own lobbying firm, Morse Strategies, and to serve as a senior strategic advisor to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.

Trent Michael Morse was born on April 19, 1991,^[1] in Tampa, Florida.^[2] Morse attended Walker Middle Magnet School^[3] and Hillsborough High School.^[4] At Hillsborough, he swam^[5] and was a participant in the Poynter Institute's High School Journalism Program.^[4] Morse graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor's degree and from the university's College of Law with a Juris Doctor^[2] in 2017.^[6] While in law school, Morse worked on Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.^[6] He is gay.^[7]

By August 2017,^[6] Morse had worked at the Florida Department of Transportation, a transportation and infrastructure holding company, and the Florida Governor's Office.^[8] That month,^[9] Morse began working at the United States Department of Transportation as a special assistant.^[8] In July 2018, Morse succeeded Tim Clark as the United States Department of Health and Human Services's liaison to the Trump administration^[6] after serving as a senior policy advisor to Pam Patenaude, the deputy secretary of housing and urban development.^[8] At the Department of Health and Human Services, Morse was central in secretary of health and human services Alex Azar's efforts to assume greater control over the department.^[10]

In March 2020, Morse was hired by Ballard Partners; an ethics pledge initially prevented Morse from lobbying the Trump administration until it elapsed.^[2] He was the host committee president for the 2020 Republican National Convention, after Jacksonville, Florida, was awarded the convention.^[11] In August 2022, Morse was appointed as the campaign manager for Tudor Dixon's campaign in that year's gubernatorial election.^[12] In January 2023, he became a senior vice president of Mercury Public Affairs.^[13] Morse led outreach at the 2024 Republican National Convention^[14] and was involved in the second presidential transition of Donald Trump.^[15]

On January 20, 2025,^[16] Morse was appointed as the deputy director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office.^[8] As deputy director, he requested resignation letters from three members of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board appointed by Democrats,^[16] notified twelve inspectors general that they had been fired,^[17] and informed members of the Merit Systems Protection Board that they had been fired.^[18] His firing of the United States Institute of Peace's board members began a federal takeover effort.^[19]

Morse sent letters of dismissal to Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman Christopher T. Hanson,^[20] librarian of Congress Carla Hayden,^[21] three of the Democratic-appointed members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's board,^[22] and two of the Democratic-appointed commissioners on the Federal Trade Commission.^[23] He sent emails to the three presidential appointees on the National Capital Planning Commission, firing them amid a conflict between president Donald Trump and Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell over expansions to the Eccles Building. The firings served as the basis for the commission's review of the expansions, giving Trump the pretext to fire Powell.^[24]

In August, Politico reported that Morse was resigning to found his own lobbying firm, Morse Strategies, and to serve as a senior strategic advisor to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.^[15]

After resigning from the White House Presidential Personnel Office, Trump nominated Morse to serve on the board of directors for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.^[25] He appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on November 12. Morse signaled that he would vote to remove the mobile lounges at Dulles International Airport.^[26]