Jacob Reses, the chief of staff to Vice President JD Vance, will leave the administration at the end of the summer, people close to the vice president’s office said Thursday.
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Reses, who has served in the role since Vance and President Donald Trump took office in January 2025, informed Vance of his plans several months ago, after his wife became pregnant with their first child.
His future job plans were not immediately known.
“Jacob’s been by my side for my whole career in public life,” Vance said in a statement shared first with NBC News. “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.”
Reses built a close relationship with Vance dating to Vance’s successful 2022 Senate campaign in Ohio. Before that, he worked for Heritage Action, an affiliate of the conservative Heritage Foundation, and for Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Reses was a constant presence on Vance’s campaign plane after Trump picked Vance as his running mate for vice president in 2024.
Vance offered a toast at Reses’ wedding in January, a source close to the vice president said. This person added that Reses also developed strong working relationships with senior White House staff and Trump administration officials.
“Jacob has been an important part of our White House leadership team and has served the Vice President with absolute distinction,” White House chief of staff Susie Wiles said. “From diplomacy and war, to complicated matters, to the most minute logistics, there has been no task too big or too small for him to tackle.”
Several Cabinet members chimed in with praise for Reses.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who, like Vance, is seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender, said Reses’ “intellect, leadership, and humor will be missed.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Reses as having “been invaluable as we have fought to reshore critical industries and rebalance the economy from debt-driven consumption to production, saving, and investment.” And Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called Reses “tough, smart, hardworking, and loyal — the perfect combination to succeed in the Trump White House.”
Steve Witkoff, the Trump administration’s special envoy to the Middle East, alluded to Reses’ low-key stature and long-held aversion to the press.
“Don’t let Jacob fool you — beneath his kind exterior he’s a killer,” Witkoff said. “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. We haven’t seen the last of him.”
The source close to Vance said it would not be a surprise if Reses returns to the vice president’s office at some point.
Vance has kept much of his core team from his 2022 Senate campaign intact between his White House staff and collection of outside advisers. Reses is one of several recent staff departures or job changes inside the vice president’s office. Vance has cycled through two deputy chiefs of staff, and his top lawyer, Sean Cooksey, left for a lobbying and public affairs firm in February.
