White House strife seen after Kelly’s exit
With Ayers set to take over, some Trump aides fear that independentminded officials may seek to fill the vacuum
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US President Donald Trump risks reviving the strife and turf battles that characterised his West Wing before Chief of Staff John Kelly’s arrival after announcing on Saturday that the retired Marine general would depart by the end of the year.
Kelly’s authority, drawn from more than 40 years in the military, helped him tamp down infighting that broke out between factions of Trump’s administration almost from the day he took office. In his absence, some White House aides fear that independent-minded senior officials and Cabinet members may once again seek to fill the vacuum.
Trump said he’ll name a successor within days. The most likely replacement is VicePresident Mike Pence’s top aide Nick Ayers, a young political operative who’s largely kept Pence out of the daily drumbeat of drama that’s been Trump’s hallmark. But for Trump, the job of chief of staff is almost the opposite — how to maintain order under a boss who always seeks to be the story, often through his Twitter feed.
Kelly gave up trying to control Trump’s tweets, and his most notable success was breaking up warring factions and limiting unscheduled visitors to the Oval Office.
Ayers, who already has West Wing detractors, may struggle to keep those forces at bay.
The political stakes for the White House are rising, as Democrats take control of the ■ House and federal prosecutors inch closer toward implicating the president in crimes related to his election.
Ayers, a 36-year-old with a boy band-style mop of blonde hair and a soothing southern drawl, lacks the respect and authority of Kelly, a 68-yearold Marine combat veteran, retired four-star general and former Cabinet member.
Strong personalities
The Trump White House remains full of strong personalities. National Security Adviser John Bolton is renowned as a brutal bureaucratic infighter. Economic adviser Larry Kudlow and trade adviser Peter Navarro are both skilled at pursuing their personal agendas via television appearances. Senior advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner enjoy blood ties with the president.
Ayers may find it even harder to assert himself if he’s appointed on an interim basis. Trump and Ayers have discussed the job for weeks and Ayers, who would like to return to his home state of Georgia by the end of the school year, has asked to serve in a brief transitional role, people familiar with the matter said. Trump wants a two-year commitment.