As Donald Trump began announcing nominees and top advisers last fall, data journalist Christopher Keller started tracking the information—who was named, when they were appointed, and their ties to Trump. He created a user-friendly input system within AP’s custom data collection platform to allow easy updating and maintenance of the list.
Drawing on AP’s deep political reporting, the team added profiles for each nominee and high-level staff member. Data visualization designer Humera Lodhi built a fully custom visual interface, while developer Parker Kaufmann brought it to life with animations and interactive features.
The result is a sleek, searchable, and expandable interactive graphic that lets users explore the web of Trump’s post-presidency connections. AP customers received access to the data and an embeddable version of the interactive, which will continue to be integrated into future stories across multiple beats.
Editors Linda Gorman and Sara Burnett guided the effort, coordinating closely with the Washington bureau and reporters across beats to ensure the project was tightly aligned with political coverage.
This ongoing tool showcases the power of data journalism and cross-department collaboration—offering newsrooms and readers an essential resource during a pivotal election year.
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