WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 25: The American flag that flies over the White House is lowered to half staff in honor of the passing of country music icon Dolly Parton on August 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the lowering of flags for one week after Parton died today at the age of 80. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The US flag is flown at half-staff, while a red-tailed hawk sits atop the flag pole, at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2026. US President Donald Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff until sunset on September 1, 2026, to honor the life and legacy of entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton, who passed away at age 80. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)

Julia Curlee, a former senior CIA officer, poses for a photo in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2026. When President Donald Trump returned to power last year in 2025, Julia Curlee, a longtime CIA analyst and transgender woman, opted to continue serving as a senior official at the White House despite right-wing attacks on trans issues. But after a far-right influencer publicized her transgender identity online, the White House immediately dismissed her. "They needed me. They asked me to stay" when Trump succeeded Joe Biden in the presidency, Curlee told AFP in an interview, over a year after she was fired. "But the moment (my gender identity) became public and a political problem with their supporters, that's when they got rid of me." (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

Julia Curlee, a former senior CIA officer, poses for a photo in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2026. When President Donald Trump returned to power last year in 2025, Julia Curlee, a longtime CIA analyst and transgender woman, opted to continue serving as a senior official at the White House despite right-wing attacks on trans issues. But after a far-right influencer publicized her transgender identity online, the White House immediately dismissed her. "They needed me. They asked me to stay" when Trump succeeded Joe Biden in the presidency, Curlee told AFP in an interview, over a year after she was fired. "But the moment (my gender identity) became public and a political problem with their supporters, that's when they got rid of me." (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

Julia Curlee, a former senior CIA officer, poses for a photo in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2026. When President Donald Trump returned to power last year in 2025, Julia Curlee, a longtime CIA analyst and transgender woman, opted to continue serving as a senior official at the White House despite right-wing attacks on trans issues. But after a far-right influencer publicized her transgender identity online, the White House immediately dismissed her. "They needed me. They asked me to stay" when Trump succeeded Joe Biden in the presidency, Curlee told AFP in an interview, over a year after she was fired. "But the moment (my gender identity) became public and a political problem with their supporters, that's when they got rid of me." (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

Julia Curlee, a former senior CIA officer, poses for a photo in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2026. When President Donald Trump returned to power last year in 2025, Julia Curlee, a longtime CIA analyst and transgender woman, opted to continue serving as a senior official at the White House despite right-wing attacks on trans issues. But after a far-right influencer publicized her transgender identity online, the White House immediately dismissed her. "They needed me. They asked me to stay" when Trump succeeded Joe Biden in the presidency, Curlee told AFP in an interview, over a year after she was fired. "But the moment (my gender identity) became public and a political problem with their supporters, that's when they got rid of me." (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

Julia Curlee, a former senior CIA officer, poses for a photo in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2026. When President Donald Trump returned to power last year in 2025, Julia Curlee, a longtime CIA analyst and transgender woman, opted to continue serving as a senior official at the White House despite right-wing attacks on trans issues. But after a far-right influencer publicized her transgender identity online, the White House immediately dismissed her. "They needed me. They asked me to stay" when Trump succeeded Joe Biden in the presidency, Curlee told AFP in an interview, over a year after she was fired. "But the moment (my gender identity) became public and a political problem with their supporters, that's when they got rid of me." (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

Julia Curlee, a former senior CIA officer, poses for a photo in Washington, DC, on August 25, 2026. When President Donald Trump returned to power last year in 2025, Julia Curlee, a longtime CIA analyst and transgender woman, opted to continue serving as a senior official at the White House despite right-wing attacks on trans issues. But after a far-right influencer publicized her transgender identity online, the White House immediately dismissed her. "They needed me. They asked me to stay" when Trump succeeded Joe Biden in the presidency, Curlee told AFP in an interview, over a year after she was fired. "But the moment (my gender identity) became public and a political problem with their supporters, that's when they got rid of me." (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)