Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., said Monday that he hadn’t spoken with President Trump before finding out that his name was on the short list for White House chief of staff – a sign of the fluidity of Trump’s search for a top aide.
“At this point, it’s too early to comment on ‘Would you take the job? Would you not take the job?’” Meadows told reporters at the Capitol Monday. “Obviously, if I’m honored and flattered to be on the list, it’s certainly something that I would consider if it’s right for my district and it’s right for my country.”
Meadows said that he hadn’t spoken to Trump about the job since the front-runner for the position, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence Nick Ayers, withdrew himself from consideration.
“I have not been out campaigning for the job,” Meadows said. “I was assuming, like you, that Nick Ayers was going to be the next chief of staff. The last 24 hours have been rather interesting.”
The North Carolina Republican has emerged as one of the most visible names to potentially take over in the role for General John Kelly, largely due to his proximity to the president and his relationship with the White House.
And while he had not spoken to Trump as of Monday evening, that could change at a moment’s notice. Meadows is known to speak frequently with the president — almost daily — on a myriad of topics. Throughout Trump’s first two years in office, Meadows has been among his top allies, particularly in multiple high-level negotiations in Congress and on the front lines on the president’s behalf to push back against the FBI’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. He, along with Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, have also led efforts to impeach Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and declassify sensitive documents in the Russia investigation.
Meadows currently headlines a short list for the post, along with David Bossie, the deputy campaign manager on Trump’s 2016 campaign, and acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.
Meadows is not planning on running for another term to chair the House Freedom Caucus and recently gave up a chance to become ranking member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, passing that job on to Jordan. As a result, some Republicans have wondered what Meadows will do next.
“I had so many messages that I thought something tragic happened,” Meadows said, referring to when he checked his phone following a Christmas party Sunday night, during which Ayers’ decision was made public.
