Nick Ayers, Vice President Pence’s chief of staff, will not replace Donald Trump’s chief of staff, according to several reports.
Trump had been in negotiations with Ayers to fill the chief of staff job, but the two were unable to come to an agreement on a time frame for him to serve, according to CNBC.
Thank you @realDonaldTrump, @VP, and my great colleagues for the honor to serve our Nation at The White House. I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause. 🇺🇸 #Georgia
— Nick Ayers (@nick_ayers) December 9, 2018
NBC and The New York Times reported on Saturday that Ayers was only willing to commit to an interim term through the spring, as his family is expected return to Georgia, citing people familiar with the discussions. Yet the president, eager to tamp down on the storyline of his White House in chaos, wants Ayers to stay on full time.
Ayers is a bright, ambitious man who probably doesn’t want to be around when it hits the fan. No matter if Trump is indicted or impeachment proceedings begin, the White House is going to be a very difficult place to work for the foreseeable future.
Many people would put up with an ass like Trump for a boss just to be close to the seat of power. Speculation now centers on Rep. Mark Meadows as Kelly’s replacement:
President Trump has privately been floating the idea of replacing chief of staff John Kelly with Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), according to Axios.
The news outlet, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter, reported on Sunday that Trump has recently been asking many people about who he should name as his chief of staff when Kelly officially departs.
He’s asked many of them what they think of Meadows, a North Carolina congressman who is currently the chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. He’s also reportedly mentioned three other people as other possible candidates.
Axios said it did not have information about those possible candidates.
Meadows was rumored as a possible chief of staff contender back in February. Other people on Trump’s list of contenders now include Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney.
Mulvaney before Meadows, I should think. But it won’t matter. What John Kelly learned and what is becoming pretty obvious is that Trump wants to be his own chief of staff. He doesn’t want to be managed. He doesn’t want to be controlled. He doesn’t want to be “handled.”
This works insofar as Trump is free to follow his instincts without someone whispering in his ear. How’s that working out?
I guess we’ll find out in 2020.
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