Trump's Transients Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rex Tillerson

Rex Wayne Tillerson was born in Witchita Falls, Texas in 1952. An imposing man with a deep voice, he served as the 69th United States Secretary of State in the Trump administration. Appointed shortly after Trump's inauguration, he held the position from February 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, i.e., slightly over one year. Prior to his appointment, he served as Chief Executive Officer of ExxonMobil from 2006 to 2017, and was clearly not a fan of "clean energy". Tillerson was replaced by CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

Answer: Jeff Sessions

Politician Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III was born in Selma, Alabama in 1946. He served as the 84th US Attorney General from February 8, 2017 until his ouster on November 7, 2018. Prior to his cabinet appointment, Sessions served as a U.S. senator from Alabama from 1997 to 2017, resigning his seat to serve in Trump's administration. Prior to that, he was attorney for the Southern District of Alabama and, in 1994, Alabama's Attorney General.

As US Attorney General, he recused himself from the Russian investigation into election meddling.

Answer: James Mattis

James Norman "Mad Dog" Mattis was born in Pullman, Washington in 1950. He is a retired Marine Corps general who served in three conflicts, i.e., the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan and the Iraq War. However, he was not able to survive his tenure as Secretary of Defense and lasted from Trump's inauguration on January 20, 2017 until the end of the following year.

In order to serve as Secretary of Defense he needed a Congressional waiver, since federal law requires that military personnel need to be separated from the service for seven years for the position, and Mattis had only three years.

Answer: James Comey

If you have lived in the United States during the Trump regime, you will be familiar with the name James Comey (unless you have had no contact with the outside world). James Brien Comey was born in Yonkers, NY in 1960. He was a lawyer who had been appointed as the seventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the administration of George W. Bush, i.e., on September 14, 2013 until his firing on May 9, 2017.

It has been suggested that his firing was to relieve the pressure created by the Russian investigation.

Answer: John Kelly

John Francis Kelly was born in Boston, MA in 1950. For approximately seven months, from January 20, 2017 until July 31, 2017, Kelly served as Secretary of Homeland Security. From there he was appointed as the 28th White House Chief of Staff, a position he held until January 2, 2019. Kelly enlisted in the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and rose through the ranks to become a four-star general.

He replaced Reince Priebus (remember him?) as White House Chief of Staff until his dismissal in 2019.

Answer: Steve Bannon

Possibly one of Trump's least popular appointments was that of Stephen Kevin Bannon, former executive chairman of the ultra-conservative, far-right Breitbart News, as Senior Counsel to the President on January 20, 2017. Bannon was born in Norfolk, VA in 1953.

He served in his appointed position for the first seven months of Trump's presidency, until August 18, 2017. He also served on the board of Cambridge Analytica, the scandal plagued data-analytics firm. Bannon also supported convicted felon Roy Moore in his run for the US Senate.

Answer: John Bolton

Conservative 'hawk' John Bolton may be remembered more for his mustache than his tenure as National Security Adviser. Born in Baltimore, MD in 1948, Bolton served as US Ambassador to the United Nations from August 2005 to December 2006, having been appointed by President George W. Bush. On April 9, 2018, Trump appointed him as the 27th US National Security Advisor, a position held previously by H.R. McMaster. On September 10, 2019 Trump tweeted that Bolton's "services are no longer needed", given their disagreements.

Answer: Sean Spicer

Before Stephanie Grisham, before Sarah Huckabee Sanders, there was White House Press Secretary Sean Michael Spicer ("Dancing with the Stars"). Sean was born in Manhasset, NY in 1971, and was one of Trump's younger appointees. He was the 28th White House Press Secretary from January 20th to July 21, 2017.

He alienated the press corps on January 21, 2017 by exaggerating the size of the crowd at the inauguration, and he continued to present "alternative facts". Spicer resigned on July 21, 2017, but remained at the White House until August 31, 2017.

Answer: Chris Christie

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie inserted himself into the Trump Administration while he was still governor, by becoming Chair of the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission, from March 29, 2017 until November 1st of the same year. It was a position established just for him and was abolished after his departure in November. Christie started as a very popular, effective governor; that is until the Fort Lee lane closure scandal where he was accused of abusing his power. Christie left office at the conclusion of his second term as governor.

Answer: Anthony Scaramucci

The date above is not a typo! American financier Anthony Scaramucci, "the Mooch", was born on Long Island, NY in 1964. He served as White House Director of Communications for less than a week! In an interview with "The New Yorker" correspondent Ryan Lizza, 'the Mooch' showed his true colors by making obscene and derogatory statements about members of the Trump administration during the interview.

He was summarily dismissed at the suggestion of John Kelly. Scaramucci was succeed by Hope Hicks.