Pence aide out of running to be Trump’s next chief of staff
Two parties unable to agree on length of service
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump evaluated new candidates to serve as his next chief of staff Sunday after plans for an orderly succession for departing John Kelly fell through.
The new hire was to be key to a West Wing reshuff ling to shift focus toward the 2020 re-election campaign and the challenge of governing with Democrats in control of the House.
Nick Ayers, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, was seen as the favorite for the job Saturday. But, Sunday, Trump and Ayers couldn’t reach agreement on Ayers’ length of service and said that he would instead assist the president from outside the administration.
Ayers confirmed the decision in a tweet, thanking Trump and Pence for giving him the opportunity to work in the White House.
With Ayers out of the running, Trump was considering four candidates for the post, including Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney, according to a person familiar with the president’s thinking. Also emerging as a candidate was Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican and the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.
But Mulvaney was not interested in becoming chief of staff, but has said he was more interested in becoming commerce or treasury secretary.
Also among those thought to be in the mix were Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who said that he hadn’t spoken to anyone at the White House about the job and was “entirely focused” on his position. A person familiar with Mnuchin’s thinking said he, too, was happy with his work at Treasury and had not sought the job of chief of staff.
Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Trump’s former deputy campaign manager, David Bossie, were also among the names being floated by those close to the White House.
Trump wants his next chief of staff to hold the job through the 2020 election.