President Trump’s next chief of staff must have incredible political savvy, some allies believe, given that he or she will have to outflank House Democrats trying to destroy the president while simultaneously positioning Trump to win re-election in 2020.
“We’re walking into a new period where not only will the president be under relentless political attack, but preparing for a political campaign,” Michael Caputo, an aide to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, told the Washington Examiner. “And that calls for a more political chief of staff. While [Kelly] would certainly have been a solid contributor all the way to 2020 and beyond, if we have to make a change, let’s make a change toward someone who is more political.”
Trump announced Saturday the retired Marine Corps general would be leaving the White House in the coming weeks.
It was widely believed that Kelly’s replacement would be Nick Ayers, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence and a longtime Republican operative. Many thought him the perfect choice in the current environment. But Ayers announced via Twitter on Sunday that he would be departing the administration at the end of the year.
Ayers’ decision to leave the Trump administration has left the president without a natural front-runner for the chief of staff position. But as the search continues, allies hope Trump will tap a chief of staff with fierce political instincts, particularly as Democrats prepare to take the helm of key investigative committees in Congress and gain subpoena power, and as Trump gears up for the 2020 presidential election.
“Gen. Kelly was perhaps the least political person in Washington, D.C., and he held the most political job in Washington, D.C.,” a former Trump administration official said. “That created some inherent issues, especially since the president is about to go into re-election and start dealing with the House of Representatives led by Nancy Pelosi.”
Trump’s new chief of staff, the official said, should be “politically astute,” understand the president, his supporters, and his agenda, and have experience dealing with congressional investigators.
“Kelly in the beginning when he first came in did some things organizationally and was probably the right man at the time,” the official said. “But the circumstances changed, and now that those circumstances have changed, I think the president is 100 percent right to be looking for a more politically astute chief of staff.”
Among the candidates discussed to replace Kelly include former deputy Trump campaign chairman David Bossie, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Republican fundraiser Wayne Berman, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.
Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney was considered to be a candidate, but is not interested in the position.
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, was also on the short list. But White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Wednesday that Trump “told him we need him in Congress.”
Trump told reporters he has narrowed the list of candidates for chief of staff down to five finalists and is conducting interviews.
Caputo said Trump’s pick has to “traverse very precarious ground” with the forthcoming investigations mounted by Democrats, “keeping the president on an even keel as he’s attacked unfairly and relentlessly.”
“That person needs to be not just a Trump loyalist, but have Trump all the way in his DNA,” he said.
Caputo said Bossie could fill that role, calling him a “warrior who knows the way Washington works.”
An issue for Bossie, however, could be his close relationship to Corey Lewandowski, former Trump campaign manager. The pair authored two books about Trump together and are expected to have lunch with the president Friday.
“There are certain elements of the White House who don’t want Corey anywhere near it,” the former Trump administration official said.
But the official described Bossie as a “smart tactician” who would be unafraid to push back on Trump.
“If Bossie thinks something’s stupid, he’ll tell anyone. He doesn’t care,” the official said.
