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Robert Costa
National policy reporter covering the White House, Congress and Campaigns
President Trump did not have Plan B.
After announcing the Exit of his chief of staff, John F. Kelly, and pushed back by his choice to replace him, Nick Ayers, Trump found himself on Monday in an unplanned situation – rushing to hire someone to help him to direct the executive power of the federal government and guide the administration through the political tumult and possible future legal danger
In any White House, the chief of staff is undoubtedly the most punitive position. But in this White House – a den of chaos led by an impulsive president – it turned out to be a particularly thankless job. The two people in this position lost their reputation after failing to coerce the president, who often prefers to assume his duties as chief of staff.
Three members of Trump's cabinet discussed in the West Wing. Chiefs of Cabinet – Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, and the US Trade Representative, Robert E. Lighthizer – said Monday that they do not have to do anything. were not interested in this post.
Another buzz was carried. Representative Mark Meadows (RN.C.) emphasized his interest in the position by issuing a statement that "the position of Chief of Staff would be an incredible honor."
"This is not an objective for which I am militant," Meadows told reporters on Monday on Capitol Hill, adding that his phone had "exploded" after the announcement of the news. Ayers. "The president has a good list of candidates. I am honored to be part of it. "
Rep. Mark Meadows (CR), chairman of conservative House Freedom Caucus, is met by reporters on a day-long summons from former FBI director James B. Comey on Friday. (J. Scott Applewhite / AP)
Acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker, who visited Trump in Kansas City, Missouri, last week, is seen by the President and his allies as a loyalist.
But Trump's counselors and assistants warned that there was no favorite yet. Although some of his associates claimed that the president was determined to find a replacement for Kelly before the Christmas holidays, they claimed that he was hesitant – that he was looking for potential candidates and that he was frustrated by the press coverage describing his White House as a place where talented people do not want to work.
In a series of private conversations with family members, friends and staff members, Trump has crowdsourcing under different names to solicit feedback, according to people who have spoken to him. Some of these names ended up in the media as job candidates.
In addition to Meadows and Whitaker, David N. Bossie, former deputy director of the Trump campaign, is also considered a candidate. adviser; Kellyanne Conway, White House Counselor; Chris Christie, former governor of New Jersey and former Trump transition president; Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, former Texas Governor; Rick Santorum, a former US Senator from Pennsylvania; and Wayne Berman, executive of investment firm Blackstone and former Republican agent
Trump seriously examines a few other people whose names have not been revealed in the media, according to people familiar with the president's deliberations.
Acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker discusses the opioid crisis on Nov. 29 in Nashville. (Mark Humphrey / AP)
Kelly led the meeting of senior White House officials Monday morning, but did not say he would leave for the staff, said one attendee.
As with other aspects of Trump's presidency, the search process took on the mood of a season of "The Apprentice", his former NBC reality show. Candidates for this position are unsure of the status of the President's deliberations and are largely left in the shadow of the White House. And they are aware of not seeming to want to do it publicly.
Among some of Trump's current and former advisers, the Chief of Staff's search is a kind of joke going on.
machine, "commented a Republican close to the White House who spoke under the seal of anonymity to speak frankly, a reference to the president's claims that documented chaos does not exist. "I do not even know why they need a chef de cabinet. I guess they need someone to pour oil from time to time, but it's a part-time job, right?
Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor and leader of the oil sector, said "the needs of the president are unique". [19659021] "Trump has to find someone strong enough to execute his ever-changing plan, tolerate his abrasive and thoughtless management style and deal with a hostile media and a future democratic home," Eberhart said. .
Publicly, Trump sought to project an air of absolute calm.
"I am interviewing really great people for the position of Chief of Staff of the White House" President said Monday on Twitter. "Fake News said with certainty that it was Nick Ayers, a spectacular person who will always be at the rendezvous of our #MAGA calendar. I will soon make a decision! "
In reality, however, Trump was left at the altar.
After months of discussions, Trump decided to poach Ayers, who is the chief of staff of Vice President Pence, his own. Ayers had the enthusiastic support of Trump's daughter, Ivanka, and her husband, Jared Kushner, both senior advisers to the White House.The president was not eager to consider 39 other options and, according to people familiar with the dynamics, Ayers acted as de facto chief of staff, according to people familiar with the dynamics.
Trump had charged Ayers to run the company from top to bottom. review of White House staff and cabinet in order to prepare the administration for the upcoming partisan and legal battles, including the takeover of the majority in the House by the Democrats, the expected conclusion of the investigation of Russia and the beginning of the real-life campaign ection 2020, depending on who knows the projects.
But Ayers was careful not to get involved in this work, and the weekend – right after Trump told reporters that Kelly would be leaving by the end of the year – Ayers he had refused because he would not accept Trump's request to serve for two years, said these people. Ayers, the father of young triplets, had long been considering settling in his home country, Georgia, late this year, White House officials said.
Trump, who had told his friends over the weekend that the Ayers were going to do it. take the job, was frustrated by the native of Georgia refused, said aid. But Trump also insisted he had too many talented people eager to be his chief of staff.
Ayers was to undergo a thorough review because of his lucrative work as a private consultant, notably for Eric Greitens, former governor of Missouri. tens of millions of dollars. A manager familiar with Ayers' thinking said his finances were not a factor in his decision and stated that he had already made public revelations related to his work with Pence.
Kushner's prominent position in the internal deliberations of the position drew the attention of his critics, who claim that the president's son-in-law was pressuring Ayers to incite Kelly to leave. Kushner played a similar role in the summer of 2017 by recruiting Anthony Scaramucci as the director of communications at the White House to speed the departure of Trump's first chief of staff, Reince Priebus.
"There was no plan B. Anyone informed him that Nick Ayers was the right person and would accept the job. The president would have served very poorly, "said Stephen K. Bannon, former chief strategist of the White House, a frequent critic of Kushner. "You know you had to make this change for months and now you have this hearing in the middle of the period when the Democrats are getting ready to shoot you down?"
Chris Whipple, author of "The Gatekeepers" a history of White House Chiefs of Staff, recalled what James A. Baker III – chief of staff of two former presidents, Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush – said to his successors: "Congratulations! You have the worst job of laundering in the government. "
" This is true in the best case, with presidents who understand and value the position, "said Whipple," but these are not the best moments. "[19659034] Rudolph W. Giuliani, Trump's lead counsel for the investigation of Russia, stated that he did not expect – or did not want – that the president hire a chief of state- Major who would strongly criticize the investigation of the special lawyer Robert S. Mueller III, because the legal team can handle this.Trump rather needs "politicians, since the president begins his reelection."
Trump said to his staff that he wanted to have a more politically aware and more public-minded chief of staff than Kelly – a strategist guide him in his 2020 campaign, thwart the Democrats and find ways to strengthen his popularity
Several suitors adapt to this measure Meadows, who heads the conservative group House Freedom Caucus, is an informal Trump political advisor and an avid advocate of cable television, just like Bossie, who has # 39; experie nce as an investigator in the House of Clinton scandals. Bossie and co-author Corey Lewandowski, a former Trump campaign director, have lunch with Trump at the White House on Friday, which was expected before the Chief of Staff's vacancy, according to people close to the session .
Conway was mentioned Monday as a possibility because of his work as Trump's campaign manager, his fighting instincts, his television presence and his relationship with the president. But we did not know if she was even interested in this job.
Trump's allies also encouraged friends of the administration to consider Perry, the plaintiff because of his strong understanding of immigration and border policy, as well as his experience in management large projects. State and federal agency, according to a person involved in the discussions.
Christie's allies stated that they were not expecting the position to be offered for a position as long as Kushner remains one of the best White House employees, describing their relationship as largely repaired by his past. tensions, but not yet strong enough to allow Christie to fully enter Trump's orbit. Nevertheless, Christie's rappers continue to urge Trump to take him into consideration, citing his government experience and his keen political sense.
The game of guessing has led to intense speculation about Trump's interactions in recent days. For example, Trump's advisers mentioned Santorum as a candidate after being seen with the president during the army-navy football match Saturday in Philadelphia. They noted that Santorum's political skills and conservative populist ideology could make him a candidate.
Another black candidate makes a recipe even before having a job interview. After being mentioned as an impromptu choice, New York Yankees president Randy Levine announced that he would remain in baseball.
"I did not tell anyone about his position as chief of staff," Levine said in a statement Monday to Fox. New. "I have a lot of respect for the president, but I am very happy to be president of the Yankees."
Mike DeBonis contributed to this report.
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