Joe Biden to appoint Ron Klain as White House chief of staff

President-elect Joe Biden announced Wednesday that Ronald Klain will be his chief of staff. Klain, who served as Mr Biden’s chief of staff when he was vice president, as well as former vice president Al Gore, is a natural fit for the post. Klain, 59, served as the Ebola “czar” for the Obama administration and has frequently criticized President Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ron has been invaluable to me over the many years we have worked together, including when we saved the US economy from one of the worst downturns in our history in 2009 and later overcame a severe public health emergency in 2014, ”Biden said in a statement. “His deep and varied experience and ability to work with people from all political walks of life is precisely what I need in a White House Chief of Staff as we face this moment of crisis and bring our country together again. .

Klain called the selection “the honor of a lifetime” and said he was eager to tackle Mr Biden’s agenda.

Additional high-level White House posts are expected to be appointed soon, according to sources familiar with the transition plans. These will include longtime Biden advisers like Bruce Reed and Steve Ricchetti, who also served as Biden’s chiefs of staff while he served as vice president, as well as campaign strategist Mike Donilon.