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| Now hiring for 'the worst job in government': Trump's chief of staff | Now hiring for 'the worst job in government': Trump's chief of staff |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| James Baker famously called it “the worst fucking job in government”. But it is also arguably the second most powerful, with past occupants including Dick Cheney (who blamed it for his first heart attack), Donald Rumsfeld, Leon Panetta, Rahm Emanuel and Baker himself. | James Baker famously called it “the worst fucking job in government”. But it is also arguably the second most powerful, with past occupants including Dick Cheney (who blamed it for his first heart attack), Donald Rumsfeld, Leon Panetta, Rahm Emanuel and Baker himself. |
| The White House chief of staff is the president’s gatekeeper, controlling the flow of information and access to the Oval Office. In normal times, it is widely coveted. But when the president is Donald Trump and he is tweeting around the clock, it is seen as a poisoned chalice. | The White House chief of staff is the president’s gatekeeper, controlling the flow of information and access to the Oval Office. In normal times, it is widely coveted. But when the president is Donald Trump and he is tweeting around the clock, it is seen as a poisoned chalice. |
| John Kelly is just the latest victim of Trump's dumpster fire of calamities | Richard Wolffe | John Kelly is just the latest victim of Trump's dumpster fire of calamities | Richard Wolffe |
| “Frankly, if I were to become chief of staff, I’d take that damn tweeter and throw it out the window,” said Leon Panetta, who held the position under Bill Clinton from 1994 to 1997. “You cannot operate with a president who is tweeting his own messages without any kind of policy analysis, without any discussion, without any kind of organised policymaking process that supports whatever message he wants to give. ” | |
| John Kelly took the job in July 2017 to instill order to a White House in disarray after Reince Priebus left the post. But Trump and the retired Marine Corps general have reportedly been at loggerheads for months. Kelly will now leave at the end of the year. | |
| Panetta, a former defence secretary for whom Kelly was a military aide, will not be surprised if Trump struggles to fill the vacancy. “The president has to make a decision whether or not he really wants an effective chief of staff or he just wants somebody to basically kind of play the role of chief of staff without really making a difference. In order for a new chief of staff to be effective, the president is going to have to change. | Panetta, a former defence secretary for whom Kelly was a military aide, will not be surprised if Trump struggles to fill the vacancy. “The president has to make a decision whether or not he really wants an effective chief of staff or he just wants somebody to basically kind of play the role of chief of staff without really making a difference. In order for a new chief of staff to be effective, the president is going to have to change. |
| “Number one, he really does have to have a trusting relationship with that individual and be willing to have that individual be able to tell truth to power and tell the president when he’s making mistakes. A big part of that job is the ability to be honest with the president. And secondly, he’s going to have to be willing to accept some discipline in the way he operates.” | “Number one, he really does have to have a trusting relationship with that individual and be willing to have that individual be able to tell truth to power and tell the president when he’s making mistakes. A big part of that job is the ability to be honest with the president. And secondly, he’s going to have to be willing to accept some discipline in the way he operates.” |
| Like anyone working for Trump, the new chief of staff runs the risk of constant humiliation and being publicly undermined by the boss. They will also be well advised to “lawyer up” as the White House braces for an onslaught of political and legal challenges in the face of the Russia investigation, multiple lawsuits and Trump’s efforts to win re-election in 2020. | Like anyone working for Trump, the new chief of staff runs the risk of constant humiliation and being publicly undermined by the boss. They will also be well advised to “lawyer up” as the White House braces for an onslaught of political and legal challenges in the face of the Russia investigation, multiple lawsuits and Trump’s efforts to win re-election in 2020. |
| Internally, also, this is no ordinary management role. Trump, a former corporate chief executive and reality TV star, rebels against all attempts to rein him in. In addition, he has empowered his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, both of whom are understood to have clashed with Kelly. | Internally, also, this is no ordinary management role. Trump, a former corporate chief executive and reality TV star, rebels against all attempts to rein him in. In addition, he has empowered his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, both of whom are understood to have clashed with Kelly. |
| New setback for Trump as Pence aide Nick Ayers turns down chief of staff role | New setback for Trump as Pence aide Nick Ayers turns down chief of staff role |
| Chris Whipple, the author of The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, said: “Trump seems to think if everyone would get out of the way and let Trump be Trump, everything will be fine. But you cannot run a government the way you ran a business from the 26th floor of Trump Tower. Trying to function as his chief of staff so far has been mission impossible and there’s no evidence that will change any time soon.” | Chris Whipple, the author of The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, said: “Trump seems to think if everyone would get out of the way and let Trump be Trump, everything will be fine. But you cannot run a government the way you ran a business from the 26th floor of Trump Tower. Trying to function as his chief of staff so far has been mission impossible and there’s no evidence that will change any time soon.” |
| Just as the role of press secretary has been diminished by Trump as he effectively becomes his own spokesman, the role of chief of staff has been marginalized to near oblivion. The experiment has been tried before: President Jimmy Carter started out without a chief of staff. It did not go well. | Just as the role of press secretary has been diminished by Trump as he effectively becomes his own spokesman, the role of chief of staff has been marginalized to near oblivion. The experiment has been tried before: President Jimmy Carter started out without a chief of staff. It did not go well. |
| Whipple added: “It took two and half years for Carter to appoint a chief of staff but by then it was too late. If Trump wants to be a Carter, a one-term president, he should continue to do what he’s doing. | Whipple added: “It took two and half years for Carter to appoint a chief of staff but by then it was too late. If Trump wants to be a Carter, a one-term president, he should continue to do what he’s doing. |
| “If not, he should name a chief of staff who can tell him hard truths. He desperately needs someone who can tell him what he doesn’t want to hear.” | “If not, he should name a chief of staff who can tell him hard truths. He desperately needs someone who can tell him what he doesn’t want to hear.” |
| In March this year Trump claimed, “Everybody wants to work in the White House. They all want a piece of that Oval Office.” | In March this year Trump claimed, “Everybody wants to work in the White House. They all want a piece of that Oval Office.” |
| But among those to turn down the job is Nick Ayers, 36, currently chief of staff to the vice-president, Mike Pence. On Tuesday, Trump claimed that more than 10 people were vying for it but offered no names. | But among those to turn down the job is Nick Ayers, 36, currently chief of staff to the vice-president, Mike Pence. On Tuesday, Trump claimed that more than 10 people were vying for it but offered no names. |
| According to media reports the president is considering the Republican congressman Mark Meadows, former campaign adviser David Bossie, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and the US trade representative, Robert Lighthizer. Other potential contenders, including the treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and the White House budget director, Mick Mulvaney, are understood to have ruled themselves out. | |
| How Sarah Sanders became Trump's liar-in-chief | How Sarah Sanders became Trump's liar-in-chief |
| Whoever takes it will be making a huge personal sacrifice. David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron who is co-writing a book on chiefs of staff, said that even in normal times, “You work longer hours than anybody. The stress of the job is incomprehensible. You get little of the credit when things go well but shoulder most of the blame when they go wrong.” | Whoever takes it will be making a huge personal sacrifice. David Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron who is co-writing a book on chiefs of staff, said that even in normal times, “You work longer hours than anybody. The stress of the job is incomprehensible. You get little of the credit when things go well but shoulder most of the blame when they go wrong.” |
| He added: “It was always the hardest job in Washington before the Trump era. Now it’s close to impossible.” | He added: “It was always the hardest job in Washington before the Trump era. Now it’s close to impossible.” |
| Whoever takes the job will need to build mutual trust with Trump. Mack McLarty, another former chief of staff under Clinton, said: “I had a longstanding relationship with President Clinton. You have to have the ability to communicate with the president candidly and straightforwardly. There has to be a level of trust and empowerment. I don’t think that’s happened to date for sustained periods of time.” | Whoever takes the job will need to build mutual trust with Trump. Mack McLarty, another former chief of staff under Clinton, said: “I had a longstanding relationship with President Clinton. You have to have the ability to communicate with the president candidly and straightforwardly. There has to be a level of trust and empowerment. I don’t think that’s happened to date for sustained periods of time.” |
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