Trump favorite's sudden demotion fuels White House gossip mill

A top aide of Donald Trump has been mysteriously demoted after a meteoric rise through the administration’s ranks.

Josh Gruenbaum, 40, will now only work for Trump’s Board of Peace, according to a report by Politico.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told the outlet that Gruenbaum “will continue to advance the President’s agenda of enhancing stability in his role at the Board of Peace.”

The former Wall Street executive began working in the White House during this administration alongside billionaire Elon Musk, serving in the General Services Administration for the highly controversial Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE.

Using his position with the budgeting taskforce as a stepping stone, Gruenbaum then began working in high-profile foreign policy work with Special Envoys Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, and Steve Witkoff. According to Politico, Gruenbaum helped in the original ceasefire negotiations for the Gaza Strip.

All three government aides continued their foreign policy work, despite their lack of experience, and failed to negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine, and later Iran.

Sometime last week, according to Politico, Gruenbaum was subtly dismissed from most of his foreign policy assignments. An anonymous source said Gruenbaum clashed with senior advisors across the White House – alienating them through his abrasive work style and constant self-promotion.

"Gruenbaum’s penchant for self-promotion and an abrasive work style rankled some of Trump’s other senior advisers, one of the people said," according to Politco's report.

"He flooded various administration officials with phone calls and was seen as very focused on how his name appeared in stories and official communications, the person added."

While Kushner and Witkoff were not involved with his change in rank, Politico reports they remain Gruenbaum’s allies.

An anonymous source mocked the aide’s fall from grace. “This is a guy that a couple of months ago, Steve and Jared brought to meet Putin, and now he’s gonna be sharing an office with Kristi Noem, basically,” the source told Politico.

Brad Klapper, the Board of Peace spokesperson, said, “We are very grateful to have Josh helping us advance one of the president’s signature foreign policy objectives: peace and prosperity in the Middle East,” reassuring he is a “critical leader of this effort.”