The toughest job in Washington is proving just as tough to fill, as Donald Trump lacks an immediate successor for Chief of Staff John Kelly following the president’s announcement on Sat
Jennifer Jacobs and Margaret Talev
December 11 2018 2:30 AM
The toughest job in Washington is proving just as tough to fill, as Donald Trump lacks an immediate successor for Chief of Staff John Kelly following the president’s announcement on Saturday that the retired Marine general would leave the White House.
Mr Trump failed to line up a replacement before abruptly announcing Mr Kelly’s departure to reporters. That sets up a potentially chaotic transition for a job crucial to maintaining a semblance of stability under a commander in chief famed for his unpredictability.
The president said on Sunday evening that he was interviewing chief-of-staff candidates after vice president Mike Pence’s top aide, Nick Ayers, turned him down.
People Mr Trump is actively weighing, or has mentioned as possibilities, include Republican representative Mark Meadows, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus; US trade representative Robert Lighthizer; budget director Mick Mulvaney and Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, according to several people familiar with the matter.
Other names mentioned by some White House aides and advisers include David Bossie, who was Mr Trump’s deputy campaign manager in 2016, and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.
But several of the people Mr Trump’s considering would come at a cost. Mr Lighthizer is leading sensitive trade negotiations with China. Mr Mulvaney is trying to prevent fights over the budget and debt ceiling from getting worse than they already are. Mr Meadows is a key White House ally in Congress. Mr Whitaker is supervising Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Any vacuum in the White House’s top management job risks encouraging the return of internal strife. Mr Trump’s administration is characterised by independent-minded senior officials and an improvisational president who relies on a network of friends and outside advisers for counsel.
