logo
‘The biggest utility player': Rep. Brian Jack sees star rise in Trump's Washington

‘The biggest utility player': Rep. Brian Jack sees star rise in Trump's Washington

Yahoo01-05-2025

It was a Sunday morning in Las Vegas in December 2023 — after a night of fights at UFC 296 — and Brian Jack marched into the Trump International Hotel suite belonging to his boss, the former and future president, with a message: He wanted to run for Congress.
The seat for Georgia's 3rd Congressional District had opened up three days earlier and Jack — a Trump 2016 campaign staffer, first-administration White House political director and 2024 campaign senior adviser — was ready to make the jump from political operative to principal.
Trump promised Jack his 'full support,' in Jack's telling, but there was one condition: The pair agreed Jack would stay on the campaign until Trump secured the Republican nomination. A March 8 filing deadline loomed.
Super Tuesday was March 5. Nikki Haley withdrew from the GOP primary on March 6, cementing Trump's nod, and Jack filed his candidacy for the state's 3rd Congressional District on March 7. On March 9, the staffer-turned-candidate appeared with his longtime boss at a rally right outside his district, where the former president publicly endorsed his aide for the seat Jack interned for 17 years earlier.
The timeline is an encapsulation of Jack's relationship with Trump: a loyal, constant and omnipresent figure who helped the president at every step of his topsy-turvy political career.
Now the Georgia Republican is looking to continue that role from Capitol Hill.
Cheat sheet: 12 questions for Rep. Brian Jack
Jack — during a wide-ranging interview with The Hill in his Capitol office — said there is 'no question' he still considers himself part of the president's team, just from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
'I think he, today, very much enjoys having somebody whose career was largely shaped by him in Congress with a vote in this institution,' Jack added.
The first-year congressman is already rising in the GOP ranks. In his first months on Capitol Hill Jack, has been appointed deputy chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), where he will lead candidate recruitment; elected freshman representative on the powerful House GOP Steering Committee, where he helped secure plum committee assignments for a number of first-year lawmakers; and was chosen by the Speaker to serve on the key House Rules Committee.
'Is this guy the biggest utility player? Oh, by far. But what's more important is this guy has the brightest future,' said former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who hired Jack to lead his political operation in 2021. 'He may just be a freshman, but I think he's probably one of the top five most important members in Congress because he knows the White House — not just the president — and the president has such respect for him.'
Trump is taking note. At the annual NRCC dinner earlier this month, the president praised Jack during his speech before scores of lawmakers.
'Brian Jack, who was with me from Day 1 of my political career,' Trump told the crowd. 'He's a fantastic guy and a great political leader, a great politician. … Great job, proud of you, Brian.'
When he decided to run for Congress, Jack — who at the time was one of three senior advisers leading Trump's 2024 campaign — gave up an opportunity to be a top White House official should Trump win another term.
But even without a White House title, Jack said he still sees himself as a 'very helpful political adviser' to Trump, a relationship that has been evident during his first few months in elected office.
In January, after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was reelected to the top job on the first ballot following a whirlwind vote, Trump called Jack to see how his endorsement of Johnson played within the conference, according to a source familiar.
In March, Jack traveled to the White House with the rest of the first-term class to meet with Trump, during which the president asked his former aide to help facilitate conversations between him and the new lawmakers in the Oval Office. Jack felt a sense of déjà vu.
'It's almost as if he saw me, Brian's a staffer again, introducing me to people,' Jack said.
Johnson, who also maintains a close relationship with Trump, called Jack 'one of my favorite people in the world' and said his history with the president has been 'a great value' on Capitol Hill.
Jack says he speaks with Trump 'on average' once a week and maintains a close relationship with his team — many of whom worked hand-in-hand with him during the first-term, post-presidency era and 2024 campaign — including Susie Wiles, who also helped lead the campaign before becoming Trump's White House chief of staff.
'He's like a baby brother to me, he's like a son to the president,' Wiles said. 'He's close to us, he understands us, he understands the president, and yet he's committed to his new friends, his new colleagues in the House, makes him invaluable.'
'When something is really important, the president calls Brian. If he really needs something done, [the] president calls Brian,' she added.
Jack has also established a unique street cred among House Republicans, especially his first-term colleagues.
The freshman class elected Jack to serve as its representative on the Steering Committee — which determines committee assignments for the conference — joining McCarthy and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in holding the coveted position. And he used the post to give back to his colleagues: Nearly a third of the current freshmen landed on the House's four most influential panels — Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Appropriations, and Financial Services — lending a rare potency to the novice group.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), the president of the freshman class, said Jack has been 'a good sounding board for ideas and thoughts' for the first-term lawmakers.
'He's a member that a lot of people look up to in a lot of different ways,' he added.
Even before entering Congress, Jack got to know several sitting and incoming members of Congress. He pointed to an initiative he coordinated for Trump after his presidency — having him endorse dozens of incumbents running for reelection and planning meetings between Trump and the candidates so they could develop relationships ahead of a potential return to the White House.
'This gave many of my current colleagues today a chance to have a one-on-one audience with the former, now current, leader of the free world, and those relationships that were developed are very helpful to him right now in Congress,' Jack said. 'But likewise, for me, [it] gave me a chance to have a lot of visibility and to earn a lot of trust from senior members of the conference, because they had a chance to work with me in that capacity.'
Wiles called Jack 'the computer of Donald Trump's endorsement record all this time.'
That endorsement effort appears to still be alive and well. Jack traveled with Johnson and NRCC Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) to the White House on Monday for a 2 p.m. meeting. Less than an hour later, the president fired off endorsements for four House Republicans.
At just 37 years old with a star-studded resume by Trump-era standards, Jack is seen among many as someone who could be a future member of House GOP leadership — especially at the NRCC, where he oversees candidate recruitment.
And of all the hats he wears, Jack — a self-proclaimed 'political guy' — has gravitated toward that job, which he sees as 'largely an extension' of his gigs with Trump.
'In years past during political meetings with House Republican leadership around candidates, I was the president's aide in the room with a slide deck walking through races,' Jack said. 'And now, I'll likely be a member of Congress, as the chair of the recruitment committee, in the exact same room, walking through races, just in a different role, which is a cool bookend to the entire experience.'
This time around, however, he is heading into the trenches at a crucial moment: House Republicans are hoping to defy the historical trend of the president's party losing seats in the midterm elections and grow their razor-thin majority in November 2026.
The preelection jitters are already beginning. Asked what his biggest worry is, Jack — whom McCarthy described as a 'political encyclopedia' — pointed to possible voter apathy.
'My biggest concern is that voters who were so enthusiastic about voting in 2024 don't return in the same numbers in 2026,' Jack said. 'The best way for us to correct that potential attrition is to sell, sell, sell the agenda we're going to pass over the next few months.'
But if Jack — a sports fanatic who fervently follows college basketball and roots for Georgia's teams — is open about his concerns, he is just as confident in his ability to beat the odds.
'I also know that I've got a specialty,' Jack said. 'I'm a political guy, I understand politics, I understand candidates, I understand races. That's a skill set that I want to deploy to help our conference out,' he said.
'For me, this is the best place for me to be, as deputy chair of the NRCC in charge of candidate recruitment and as one of the principal points of contact at the White House,' he added.
NRCC Chair Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) said Jack's political experience has been 'invaluable.'
'It's like, take a five-, six-year veteran and put him in that role, but he happens to be a freshman,' the NRCC chair said.
While Jack was eager to talk about his current gigs, he was far less chatty when it came to discussing his aspirations, if any, to climb the House leadership ladder.
'I don't want to be coy. But candidly speaking, I'm extremely excited about being deputy chair of the NRCC, I want to see how we do, that's really my commitment and focus,' he added. 'And as it relates to the broader scope, to me, I — like any member — want to accrue seniority and have an opportunity to be in a better position to help people in my district.'
Pressed on if he has an interest in being NRCC chair, Jack left the door open.
'There's no question that I'm interested in being one of President Trump's political eyes and ears, and if Chairman Hudson and I are successful at growing the majority, I'd love to continue to serve in whatever capacity that is,' he said.
While Jack is maintaining a modest approach, others are emphasizing the stock they see in him. Gingrich — a fellow Georgian whom Jack said he looks up to — said 'the sky's the limit' for the first-term congressman.
'I certainly don't know anybody who has a broader range of contacts or a greater trust — certainly as a freshman, but just in general — when you get below the leadership,' Gingrich said. 'He's a remarkable standout, and I think that is likely to grow because he works so hard and he thinks and he learns.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Is Trump's troop deployment in LA a prelude to martial law?
Is Trump's troop deployment in LA a prelude to martial law?

Boston Globe

time13 minutes ago

  • Boston Globe

Is Trump's troop deployment in LA a prelude to martial law?

Neither did Hegseth announced that National Guard members and the Marines will stay in Los Angeles for Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up At a Advertisement This is a Trump made-for-TV spectacle of authoritarianism disguised as law and order. It's likely a prelude to martial law. Rob Bonta, California's attorney general, is Advertisement Protests were sparked last week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials conducted several workplace raids in Los Angeles, including a But what began as boisterous but peaceful protests against Trump's anti-immigrant scheme which now demands 'If I didn't ''SEND IN THE TROOPS,'" Trump said Tuesday on social media, Los Angeles 'would be burning to the ground right now,' before he disparaged Bass and Newsom. Yes, there has been looting, and some cars have been burned and vandalized. But Trump is lying about the extent of lawlessness. Trump is following his bad policies with even worse provocations that could portend a modern-day Kent State tragedy with soldiers firing live bullets at protesters. But for Trump, the more chaos, the better. As a White House official said, 'We're happy to have this fight.' To some extent this fight to suppress dissent has been boiling in Trump for five years. During nationwide demonstrations after the police murder of George Floyd in 2020, Trump, then in his first term, asked members of his Cabinet whether protesters could be shot. 'He thought that the protests made the country look weak, made us look weak, and 'us' meant him,' Mark Esper, Trump's former defense secretary, Advertisement Esper recalled Trump saying to now-retired General Mark Milley, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ''Can't you just shoot them, just shoot them in the legs or something?' … It was a suggestion and a formal question. And we were just all taken aback at that moment as this issue just hung very heavily in the air.' Ultimately, Trump was talked out of it. That won't happen this time, with an administration packed with people whose only loyalty is to him, not to the Constitution or rule of law. After Tom Homan, Trump's bloviating border czar, If not for the ICE arrest of But not now. Everything in Trump's second administration is designed to codify his authoritarianism. If Trump can convince enough people, especially among his white base, that he alone represents the thin orange line between civilization — as Advertisement Right now, the administration claims the military is in Los Angeles to protect federal buildings and assets — theoretically. Trump has not invoked the Insurrection Act, but neither has he ruled out unleashing US troops on protesters. With his draconian policies, Trump has lit the fuse for what could be a long and difficult summer of protests. With an occupying military force in this nation's second largest city, he has declared war against America itself. Renée Graham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at

Trump promised not to send in military to tamp down on NYC protests — if NYPD keeps demonstrators in line
Trump promised not to send in military to tamp down on NYC protests — if NYPD keeps demonstrators in line

New York Post

time13 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Trump promised not to send in military to tamp down on NYC protests — if NYPD keeps demonstrators in line

President Trump promised NYPD brass over the weekend that he will not send in the military or National Guard to tamp down on anti-ICE protests in New York City — as long as cops keep the demonstrators in line, The Post has learned. Trump's pledge was made to Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Kaz Daughtry and NYPD Chief of Department John Chell as the pair palled around with the president at his New Jersey golf club. Sources with knowledge of the meeting said Trump had voiced concerns over the destructive mass protests engulfing Los Angeles and them being replicated in the Big Apple. Advertisement But Chell reassured the president that any demonstrations in the city would not get out of hand, the sources said. Kaz Daughtry and John Chell though didn't tee it up with the commander in chief. Linkedin/john-chell The two Big Apple police officials met with Trump on Sunday. Linkedin/john-chell Advertisement Trump then told the two he didn't believe the National Guard would be necessary in New York City. It came after he ordered an initial 2,000 National Guard troops to LA Saturday amid the raging protests over federal immigration enforcement raids. Since then, the Trump administration has in total dispatched roughly 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines to the city– sparking an emergency request by California Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday for a federal court to block the deployment. On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams and his police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, decried the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and issued a stern warning to New Yorkers to not follow suit. 'The escalation of protests in Los Angeles over the last couple of days is unacceptable and would not be tolerated if attempted in our city,' Adams said. Advertisement Tisch added that 'any attacks against law enforcement will be met with a swift and decisive response from the NYPD.' Earlier Monday, dozens of protestors calling for an end to the ICE raids were arrested at Trump Tower after refusing to leave the Manhattan high-rise. The meeting between Trump and Adams' allies raised eyebrows in New York City political circles — after Daughtry and Chell posted photos on social media from the Bedminster club. 'Great day on the links today with POTUS, #45-#47 – Donald J. Trump. Good conversation with a few laughs and a great lunch. Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Kaz Daughtry and I were grateful for the invite,' Chell wrote. Advertisement Sources said the two Big Apple officials didn't actually tee it up with the prez, despite the photos showing them chatting with him on the links. Still, Adams defended the outing on Tuesday, telling reporters, 'A lot of great deals have been made on the golf course.' 'I thank the two of them for doing it,' he said. 'Many of you who play golf know that great decisions are made on the golf course.' Both Chell and Daughtry also joined the mayor at Trump's inauguration earlier this year.

IQVIA Holdings (NYSE:IQV) Sees 11% Share Price Rise Over Last Week
IQVIA Holdings (NYSE:IQV) Sees 11% Share Price Rise Over Last Week

Yahoo

time15 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

IQVIA Holdings (NYSE:IQV) Sees 11% Share Price Rise Over Last Week

IQVIA Holdings experienced a 10% rise in share price over the last week, correlating with its recent developments, notably the dosing of the first patient in the RENEW Phase 2 trial and its strategic alliance with Sarah Cannon Research Institute to optimize oncology trials. These initiatives likely provided a positive sentiment boost, aligning well with the broader market momentum, as indices such as the S&P 500 also reached new highs. The market's anticipation over US-China trade talks and overall strong corporate earnings have supported the upward trend, further enhancing IQV's market performance. We've identified 1 warning sign for IQVIA Holdings that you should be aware of. Uncover 18 companies that survived and thrived after COVID and have the right ingredients to survive Trump's tariffs. The recent 10% rise in IQVIA Holdings' share price has been influenced by important developments like the dosing in the RENEW Phase 2 trial and a key alliance with Sarah Cannon Research Institute. These initiatives are expected to potentially drive revenue growth, particularly as the strategic alliance optimizes oncology trials. The company's past performance, with total returns of 10.45% over five years, suggests modest growth in investor value. However, compared to the US Life Sciences industry's one-year return of 27% decline, IQVIA's recent rise highlights positive market sentiment. These initiatives, combined with FDA reforms and NVIDIA collaboration, may lower operational costs and have a favorable impact on earnings forecasts. Analysts predict revenue to grow by 5.2% annually over the next three years, which is somewhat cautious compared to the general expectations for the life sciences sector. The recent share price movement to US$146.2 remains below the consensus price target of US$216.31, indicating potential for future appreciation if the projected growth in revenue and earnings materializes. Click here to discover the nuances of IQVIA Holdings with our detailed analytical financial health report. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include NYSE:IQV. This article was originally published by Simply Wall St. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store