50 Least Powerful People in the World

Source: Jdarsie11 / Wikimedia Commons

1. Anthony Scaramucci
> Occupation: White House Communications Director

Over the nearly five decades that the position of the White House Director of Communications has existed, no tenure has been shorter than that of Anthony Scaramucci. Fired in late July 2017, less than two weeks after his appointment, the White House’s official reason for releasing Scaramucci was to give its new Chief of Staff, General John Kelly, a clean slate. Scaramucci’s tenure in Trump’s cabinet was tumultuous despite being short. The highlights included apparent protocol breaches with the FBI, conflicting statements about his relationship with then Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and a profanity laced interview with The New Yorker, in which he spoke ill of several other Trump administration officials, including Priebus and Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. In the midst of his brief stint in the White House, Scaramucci’s wife filed for divorce.

Source: Gage Skidmore / Flickr

2. Chris Christie
> Occupation: Governor of New Jersey

Governor of New Jersey and contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination Chris Christie has the lowest approval ratings of any governor in the country and in the history of the Garden State. It’s not hard to see why. The lame duck two-term governor fawned over Donald Trump after the bombastic billionaire won the presidential election. Many speculated Christie was angling for a post in the new administration. Trump did name Christie to head his transition team, but eventually replaced him with Mike Pence. In the end, Trump decided not to include Christie in his cabinet, possibly because Christie was damaged goods. Indeed, Christie’s reputation was sullied by the Bridgegate scandal in which allies created a traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge in early September 2013, hoping motorists would blame a local Democratic mayor for the tie-up.

The outgoing governor said he does not care about poll numbers. That seemed to be the case last month when Christie and his family were spotted lounging on a state-owned beach while the general public was denied beach access due to a statewide government shutdown.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

3. James Comey
> Occupation: Director of the FBI

James Comey has been a controversial figure since the middle of the 2016 presidential election. Initially, Comey was criticized for publicly attacking Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s judgment in using a private email server during her time at the State Department. Comey garnered even more ire when, in an apparent break with bureau protocol, he announced candidate Clinton was the subject of an FBI investigation only days before the election. While some attribute President Donald Trump’s electoral victory to Comey’s investigation of Clinton, Trump abruptly fired the FBI Director less than five months into his presidency.

Comey had served as FBI Director since 2013, when he was appointment by President Barack Obama, until he was terminated by Trump in May 2017. The White House has since provided multiple conflicting justifications for Comey’s firing.

Source: media.ford.com

4. Mark Fields
> Occupation: CEO of Ford Motor Company

Mark Fields, formerly chief executive of Ford Motor Company, is one of several high profile CEOs who were shown the door in 2017. A loyal company man, Fields had been with Ford since 1989, working his way up to COO in 2012 and CEO in 2014.

Fields’ time at the top was limited largely due to his failure to inspire confidence on Wall Street. Ford shares fell by nearly 40% during his tenure as CEO — even as corporate revenue climbed over 5% from 2014 to 2016. Shareholder confidence was mostly undermined by Fields’ determination to take on Tesla, investing in electric and autonomous vehicle technology. Despite attempts to woo shareholders by announcing a 10% reduction in its global workforce in early May 2017 in order to boost profits, Fields was let go later that month.

Source: Flickr / Keith Allison

5. Tiger Woods
> Occupation: Professional golfer
With 14 major wins to his name, including four Masters Tournaments and three U.S. Opens, Tiger Woods spent many years as the top-ranked golfer in the world. The golf superstar has been embroiled in controversy on and off since reports of his infidelity came to light in late 2009. He has not won a major tournament since.

The latest scandal surrounding Woods was what appeared to be a DUI arrest. Found by police stopped on the side of the road early morning on Memorial Day, Woods failed a field sobriety test and was arrested. At the station, Woods passed a breathalyzer, however, and it was later revealed that the golfer was suffering from a dangerous combination of prescription medications. Following the widely publicized incident, Woods checked into a clinic to help him manage his drug use. In the realm of professional golf, Woods is currently ranked 899 — his lowest ranking ever.