The Atlantic

What Happens When the President Doesn’t Have a Science Adviser

Trump left a key position vacant for 19 months.
Source: Sue Ogrocki / AP

Editor’s Note: This article is one of 50 in a series about Trump's first two years as president.

Since 1976, the president of the United States has relied on a science adviser—a kind of nerdy consigliere—to offer counsel on nuclear disasters, disease

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