Trump floats Kellyanne Conway as his next White House Chief of Staff
It appears that Mick Mulvaney, the Acting White House Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Management and Budget, could be the next official unceremoniously heaved headfirst out the revolving door of the Trump White House.
By now, this administration’s inability to retain staff for any kind of extended period has become infamous as it has constantly hemorrhaged high ranking staff since year one. It appears the trend is destined to continue. According to Bloomberg, behind closed doors, the president has been floating the idea of replacing Mulvaney for weeks. For his part, Mulvaney has been a lightning rod for criticism recently, with his botched handling of Trump’s Ukraine scandal constituting a particularly egregious PR mishap.
Reportedly, President Trump suggested to Secretary Treasury Steve Mnuchin in front of several people that he would make a good Chief of Staff. He’s also toyed with the idea of promoting Deputy Chief of Staff Chris Liddell to the incredibly powerful post. Former acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker is rumored as one possibility as is former New Jersey Governor and one-time close Trump ally Chris Christie. The name of Wayne Berman, the Senior Managing Director for Government Relations and noted former Republican operative, has also popped up for consideration.
Perhaps most disturbingly, Trump has also consulted with his advisors on the possibility of selecting his counselor Kellyanne Conway—one of his most dishonest, fervent acolytes—to be Chief of Staff.
Conway is one of the few original officials to have somehow managed to remain in Trump’s good graces over the past few years even as her husband, Republican attorney George Conway, has become one of the president’s most outspoken critics. She would be an atrocious choice and is deeply undeserving of the immense power that comes with the job, which are unfortunately irrelevant considerations to our profoundly incompetent leader.
While it’s as yet unclear when, if ever, Mulvaney will be replaced, these kinds of Trumpian rumblings often emerge before the ousting of a major White House player. The fact that he’s still Acting Chief of Staff rather than the official Chief of Staff could be interpreted as an indication that Trump never meant for him to serve indefinitely and has simply been waiting for a better option to present itself.
In any case, this game of administration musical chairs will ultimately prove irrelevant in the scheme of things. History books will record everyone who served in this administration, no matter the length of their tenure, as villains to be despised and mocked for all time.
