John McEntee is a multifaceted entrepreneur, social media sensation, and former high-ranking government official who has uniquely bridged the worlds of Washington politics and digital influence. Born and raised in Orange County, California, to a Republican family, McEntee initially focused on sports rather than politics, serving as starting quarterback at the University of Connecticut after joining the team as a walk-on.
After college, McEntee moved to New York City and worked as a production assistant at Fox News. In 2015, inspired by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign announcement, he relentlessly pursued a position with the campaign, eventually starting as a volunteer in Trump Tower that July. McEntee quickly rose through the ranks to become Trump’s trusted “bodyman” – the personal aide who remained constantly at the President’s side, traveling with him both domestically and internationally.
His influence grew dramatically when President Trump promoted him to Director of Presidential Personnel in January 2020, overseeing 4,000 federal appointments while simultaneously maintaining his bodyman duties. This dual role earned him the moniker “Deputy President” and allowed him to lead sweeping personnel reforms that reasserted presidential control over the federal bureaucracy. McEntee famously orchestrated a troop withdrawal from Somalia by bypassing traditional review processes.
After leaving the White House, McEntee founded The Right Stuff, a conservative dating app backed by billionaire Peter Thiel. Through promoting the app, he became a viral TikTok celebrity with 3.3 million followers and 1.7 million Instagram followers, earning over 300 million likes across platforms with his satirical political content. USA Today dubbed him a “TikTok Icon” for his conservative commentary.
McEntee has also served as a Senior Advisor to Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s effort to prepare personnel and policy recommendations for future conservative administrations. He frequently appears on major news networks and has become a prominent defender of TikTok against Republican calls for bans, demonstrating his evolution from Washington insider to digital-age conservative influencer.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Start with a run or going to the gym before heading into the office. Working remotely is not nearly as productive. This routine served me well during my time in the White House. I found that having morning in-person meetings with the team was essential to our success. There’s something about meeting in the office every morning that contributes to productivity. Even now with The Right Stuff and my social media content, I find that being in a physical office space helps me focus on creating content that resonates with our 3.3 million TikTok followers.
How do you bring ideas to life?
When you sit down day after day and put the work in, ideas find their way to you. The grind is an essential part of the creative process. This philosophy took me from being a volunteer on the Trump campaign in 2015 to working at the White House. I literally started by emailing the campaign every day for weeks until they gave me a chance. Bottom line is you have to be active to come up with great ideas.
What’s one trend that excites you?
The trend of younger men being more conservative than their parents. It feels like we’re at the beginning of a generational shift. I see this firsthand through The Right Stuff and my social media presence. Gen Z has more conservative young men than millennials, and they’re looking for alternatives to the leftward shift in culture. They’re rejecting the woke ideology that’s been pushed on them and seeking authentic conservative voices. That’s why it’s such a mistake for conservatives to be anti-TikTok. TikTok is by far the best social media platform, and conservatives need to be on it instead of ceding that space to the left.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Waking up early. This habit was essential during my White House years when I was serving as both the President’s bodyman and running the Personnel Office. You need those quiet morning hours to think strategically about the day ahead, or get a jump start on work so that you have time to think strategically in the afternoon. The morning hours are the best time to get things done because no one is bothering you.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t compare yourself to others. The race is long. I went from being a walk-on quarterback at UConn to working in the White House to becoming a social media entrepreneur. None of those transitions happened overnight, and each required me to focus on my own path rather than what others were doing. When I was sleeping on a friend’s couch in New York after college, I could never have imagined the journey ahead.
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
The entire Covid saga was avoidable. The response was the most dystopian and harmful thing that ever happened. I’ve been willing to take unpopular positions before – like being one of the first people to defend TikTok when other Republicans wanted to ban it. Sometimes you have to be willing to stand alone on principle, even when it’s politically inconvenient.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Spend time with people you can learn from and people you can teach. There’s nothing more rewarding than teaching others. This philosophy guided my work with Project 2025, where I helped recruit and train candidates to work in the Trump Administration. It’s important to build networks of people who share your values and can help advance the conservative agenda together.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
Go for a walk. This also helps if you’re struggling to make a tough decision. Going for a walk can put things back in perspective. John Adams once told his son John Quincy Adams that in the course of an intellectual work day, when a man is becoming exhausted, he must rouse himself to physical activity in order to restore his vigor.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Utilizing social media. It’s free and can build you a loyal audience. We’ve gained over 300 million likes and over 2 billion views across platforms for The Right Stuff. Social media allowed me to connect directly with young conservatives who felt politically homeless, turning The Right Stuff into more than just a dating app – it’s become a cultural movement.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
My first startup endeavor. It didn’t work out but taught me a lot about developing an app. That experience was crucial preparation for The Right Stuff, where having learned those technical and business lessons early meant we could focus on building something that actually serves our conservative community effectively.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
A ride sharing service where the passenger has the option of driving the car themselves. Oftentimes I land at the airport and want to get home quickly but I’m dealing with a driver that doesn’t know the area or how to drive.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
A printer for my office. I like to read printed news articles so I can write notes on them. I think that reading things on a screen exhausts the mind more than reading from physical paper does.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles. You don’t need to compete and you don’t need to be doing what everyone else is doing. You need to create. The vast majority of people who’ve changed the world have had this mindset
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
I recently just rewatched Men of Honor. It was fantastic. I love the respect the main character has for tradition and I thought everyone was cast perfectly. The themes of honor, tradition, and perseverance resonate with my worldview.
Key learnings
- Keep things simple.
- The power of creativity is more important than outworking your competition.
- Old school work habits are the best: wake up early, go into a physical office, and go on walks to relieve stress and spark creativity.
- These principles guided me from the Trump campaign through the White House to building a social media empire that reaches millions of young conservatives who are hungry for authentic voices and real alternatives to liberal-dominated platforms.