Office of Public Liaison OPL

The Office of Public Liaison grew out of outreach to interest groups begun in the Nixon White House and was formally established under Gerald Ford in 1974. It gave organized constituencies, such as business associations, labor unions, religious groups, veterans, and ethnic and advocacy organizations, a standing point of contact inside the White House, and gave the President a way to enlist those groups in support of his agenda.

The office arranges meetings, briefings, and events at the White House for outside groups, relays their concerns to policy staff, and mobilizes allies to lobby Congress or speak publicly on the President's behalf. Its staff is typically organized by constituency, with liaisons assigned to particular communities and sectors, and it works closely with the Office of Legislative Affairs and the communications office.

Administrations have renamed and reshaped it to reflect their priorities. Under President Obama it became the Office of Public Engagement, merged with the office for intergovernmental affairs, and the Public Liaison name returned in the second Trump administration in 2025. Critics of every administration have argued that it offers privileged access to favored groups, while defenders see it as a normal and transparent channel between government and organized citizens.