Trump White House Boots Senior Trade Official After Wedding Photo Surfaces

A senior trade official from the Trump administration has been quietly removed from his position, reportedly due to connections with the author of a 2018 anonymous anti-Trump Op-Ed.

The Washington Post reported that George E. Bogden, who served as the executive director of the Office of Trade Relations at Customs and Border Protection, was dismissed last week.

According to the Post, Bogden’s removal was allegedly tied to his presence at the 2019 wedding of Miles Taylor — the official later revealed to have authored the anonymous Op-Ed critical of President Donald Trump, published by The New York Times. The report also noted that Bogden attended Taylor’s second wedding in 2023.

Citing unnamed sources, the Post indicated that a Facebook photo from Taylor’s 2019 wedding had been circulated among Trump allies, raising concerns.

Taylor’s controversial 2018 Op-Ed asserted that a broad internal “resistance” was working against Trump during his first term in office. Taylor only publicly acknowledged his role in writing the piece two years later, in 2020.

Following his departure, Bogden shared a statement on social media, expressing that he was “proud” of his contributions during Trump’s second administration.

“I continue to support President Trump and I remain fully behind the policies that are delivering real results for the American people,” Bogden stated.

The Post further reported that at the time of his exit, Bogden had been involved in internal disputes with fellow Trump officials over how to effectively promote the administration’s tariff policies.

Meanwhile, Taylor recently had his security clearance revoked, a move the White House suggested was influenced by his involvement with the 2018 Op-Ed.

“Taylor stoked dissension by manufacturing sensationalist reports on the existence of a supposed ‘resistance’ within the Federal Government that ‘vowed’ to undermine and render ineffective a sitting President,” the White House said.

They continued, stating that Taylor “abandoned his sacred oath and commitment to public service by disclosing sensitive information obtained through unauthorized methods and betrayed the confidence of those with whom he served.”

However, a Politico report offered a different explanation for Bogden’s departure.

According to Politico, Bogden’s dismissal may have been connected to the approaching termination of a policy that permitted low-value goods to bypass customs inspections and tariffs.

Unnamed sources cited by Politico suggested that the Department of Commerce sought to replace the senior political appointee overseeing customs operations before the policy’s scheduled end on May 2.