WASHINGTON — One of Vice President JD Vance’s most trusted advisers is set to depart President Donald Trump’s administration by the end of this summer, flanked by the highest praise from the vice president and top cabinet officials. Jacob Reses told Vance several months ago that he planned to leave the administration after he and his wife learned they were expecting their first child. Reses has served as Vance’s chief of staff since January 2025 and has worked closely with him since Vance’s 2022 Senate campaign in Ohio. “Jacob’s been by my side for my whole career in public life,” the vice president said. “I can’t imagine having been on this life-changing journey without him. From day one of my time as a Senator-elect, I could not have asked for a more loyal and discerning advisor and friend as my chief of staff.” “I’ll miss him dearly, but he won’t be far, and I plan to keep his counsel close until our paths cross again,” added Vance, who gave a toast at Reses’ wedding in January. Prior to his time working with Vance, Reses worked for Heritage Action, the advocacy arm of the Heritage Foundation, and for Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. Reses has been described by The New York Intelligencer as “one of the most influential Republican operatives in Washington,” focused on “helping the president’s heir apparent build the intellectual and ideological scaffolding for the post-Trump Republican Party.” During his time at the White House, Reses earned the trust and praise of many of Trump’s top officials, including White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.   (Photo by Matt Rourke-Pool/Getty Images) Wiles called Reses “an important part of our White House leadership team” who has “served the vice president with absolute distinction,” as well as humility, discretion, and loyalty. “He will be missed in the halls of the West Wing, but he will always be a friend and ally we can all rely upon, and I hope will come back often,” Wiles said. Rubio said Reses served Vance and the whole administration with distinction. “He understands the moment we’re in, and he spent every day fighting to deliver results for the President,” Rubio said. “His intellect, leadership, and humor will be missed.” Bessent called Reses’s counsel “invaluable,” while Blanche described him as “tough, smart, hardworking, and loyal—the perfect combination to succeed in the Trump White House.” Witkoff, who traveled with Vance during foreign policy negotiations, praised Reses’s presence during those efforts. “Don’t let Jacob fool you — beneath his kind exterior, he’s a killer,” he said on Thursday. “It’s been a delight to get to know him through the vice president, and our foreign adventures from Israel to Pakistan have been historic.” “He commands respect in every room he walks into, and I’ve been proud to have him by my side in negotiating some of the toughest deals for the President,” Witkoff said, adding, “We haven’t seen the last of him.”