President Donald Trump is considering Rep. Mark Meadows as his next White House chief of staff after Nick Ayers turned him down, according to three sources who spoke with Axios.
The Wall Street Journal earlier Sunday reported on Ayers’ decision – the chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence is committed to returning to Georgia with family at the end of 2018 – and does not want to commit to two additional years of service.
Meadows, a North Carolina congressman and chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, was rumored as a possible choice for chief of staff back in February.
If picked, he will replace John Kelly, a four-star Marine general who will leave his post by the end of the year.
Three other names were floated by Trump, but Axios didn’t have that information. Reuters reported that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was on the list.
Ayers was Trump’s top pick to replace Kelly, and the two held discussions for months about the position, according to a White House official. Instead, he will work for the super PAC supporting the president.
Trump is said to be reshuffling the West Wing to focus on his 2020 re-election campaign. Ayers, who has served as chief of staff for Pence for the last 17 months, has made his name off his political consulting.
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