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U.S. NEWSMonday 21 September 2015
Visits by pope, China leader test Obama’s social secretary
DARLENE SUPERVILLE White House Social Secretary Deesha Dyer is seen in the East On Wednesday, Francis will vember 2009.
Associated Press Room of the White House in Washington. The diplomatic double become just the third pope Dyer and her team are final-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The whammy of back-to-back visits by Pope Francis and Chinese to visit the White House, izing checklists for separate
diplomatic double wham- President Xi Jinping is creating some pressure-filled days for one stop on his first U.S. trip. South Lawn arrival ceremo-
my of back-to-back visits Dyer, five months into her tenure as White House social secre- Xi arrives two days later on nies and Oval Office meet-
by Pope Francis and Chi- tary. a lavish state visit, putting ings, along with a black-tie
nese President Xi Jinping Obama in the awkward po- state dinner for the Chinese
is creating some pressure- (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) sition of toasting the head leader that will be attend-
filled days for Deesha Dyer, of a country he blames ed by hundreds of guests
five months into her tenure her into the top job in April. events since then, though for certain unacceptable at a cost to U.S. taxpayers
as White House social sec- The Philadelphia native none as important politi- practices, including cyber- of about $500,000. White
retary. has overseen the planning cally or on as grand a scale attacks against U.S. gov- House chefs will handle the
No wonder a scented can- and execution of scores of as the Francis and Xi visits. ernment and corporate menu.
dle is among the half-doz- computer systems. Some Republican presi-
en “must-have” items she China is the only country dential candidates have
keeps in her small office. whose leader Obama has called on Obama to can-
“It provides a calm, peace- invited for a repeat state cel or downgrade Xi’s red-
ful atmosphere, which is visit. carpet visit, citing China’s
important in this job,” Dyer That fact alone has Dyer “frenemy” status.
said. and her six-person team White House spokesman
Dyer has worked at the searching for answers to Josh Earnest has defend-
White House since 2009, a basic question: How to ed the invitation, saying
starting as an intern and make next Friday’s din- Obama believes engag-
rising to deputy social sec- ner better than the one in ing with China is an effec-
retary before Obama and 2011, for then-President Hu tive way to advance U.S.
his wife, Michelle, moved Jintao? interests around the world,
Lea Berman, who held the citing climate change and
social secretary job for policy toward Iran as ex-
a couple of years under amples.
President George W. Bush, Rogers noted that Dyer is
said the upcoming week overseeing the visits while
would test anyone, with continuing to plan daily
five months or five years of White House events, includ-
experience. ing Obama’s recent meet-
She said the 37-year-old ings with Saudi Arabia’s
Dyer, one of the youngest King Salman and Spain’s
social secretaries in recent King Felipe VI and Queen
memory, has an important Letizia, and an East Room
factor working in her favor: ceremony where Obama
the confidence of the pres- awarded national medals
ident and first lady. for contributions to the arts
“She knows what the ex- and humanities.
pectations are,” Berman Once the pope and Chi-
said. “She’s been there na’s president are en route
for years and knows how to their next stops, Dyer’s
things work.” focus will shift to New York
Desiree Rogers, the Obam- and events the Obamas
as’ first social secretary, are hosting there in con-
said having one day be- junction with the annual
tween such big visits could U.N. General Assembly.
create logistical challeng- Mrs. Obama typically wel-
es for the relatively small comes the spouses of many
White House staff. of the foreign leaders to a
“The flip side to that is gathering held in the New
you’re in a groove, so you York City area.
just keep going,” said Rog- Dyer came to the White
ers, who left the White House in 2009 as a 31-year-
House a few months after old unpaid intern, and at
the Obamas’ first state din- one point traveled with the
ner for Indian Prime Minister Obamas to manage their
Manmohan Singh in No- lodging and logistics.q
