Obama’s inner circle

As President Barack Obama embarks on his second term, some of his most trusted allies will leave the administration. He has already filled some of the gaps in his inner circle of advisers and must now make the final appointments to complete his team.

Find out more about the people whom Barack Obama considers his “brain trust”.

Reporting by Johanna Kassel, Aaron Stanley and James Politi

Note: Cabinet positions are the 15 heads of the executive departments and have the title of secretary. The cabinet-level positions are key advisers to the president and also head up non-executive departments. They often take part in cabinet meetings, but are not part of the official cabinet. Presidential advisers are chosen by the president and are not subject to congressional approval. They do not sit in on official cabinet meetings.