Sep 17, 2025 - Politics & Policy

Alex Pfeiffer leaves White House for Watchtower Strategy

Mike Allen

Alex Pfeiffer (right) in the Oval Office with (from left) White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, chief of staff Susie Wiles and communications director Steven Cheung. Photo: The White House — Alex Pfeiffer *(right)* in the Oval Office with *(from left)* White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, chief of staff Susie Wiles and communications director Steven Cheung. Photo: The White House

Alex Pfeiffer — the White House's principal deputy communications director, and a key voice in the West Wing — is joining Watchtower Strategy, a rising public affairs firm in President Trump's Washington, as a managing director specializing in strategy and crisis communications.

Why it matters: Pfeiffer is one of the most senior officials to leave the administration, which has had little Year 1 turnover — and is a veritable Rock of Gibraltar compared with Trump I.

Pfeiffer, 29, quietly departed in early September after three years with the Trump operation — starting with the MAGA Inc. super PAC in 2022.

Pfeiffer joined the Trump campaign in West Palm Beach, Florida, in August, then moved into the White House on Inauguration Day. Pfeiffer earlier worked for Tucker Carlson at Fox News.

Between the lines: Watchtower Strategy, a public affairs firm formed in January to help C-suites navigate government, has deep wiring into Trump World, Capitol Hill leadership and upper echelons of the Fortune 100.

Arthur Schwartz, a Watchtower partner, told me: "Alex is one of the most effective communicators in the Republican Party, and we're thrilled to share his talents with our clients."

The Watchtower chairman is House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The CEO is Dan Conston. In addition to Schwartz, other partners are Jeff Miller, Cliff Sims and Brian O. Walsh.

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Alex Pfeiffer leaves White House for Watchtower Strategy

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