Acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney may soon become the permanent head of White House staff simply for remaining aloof in the West Wing, Politico reported.
According to four current and former senior administration officials who spoke to Politico, Mulvaney has figured out how to maintain strong relationships with President Trump — they speak several times a day — and senior advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, while also hiring at least eight “loyal aides,” in the White House, in Politico’s words. But his main strength: “staying out of people’s way.”
“He has stayed out of a lot of people’s way,” one senior administration official told Politico. “No one is saying he is killing it but staying out of people’s way has helped.”
Keeping Mulvaney permanently is also the least embarrassing option, Republicans close to the White House told Politico. Trump doesn’t want to get turned down again, after Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence’s former chief of staff, and ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie deflected his advances in December.
Read the full Politico report here.
