One less Fireman?

[Dill]

Rumor has it Trump's Chief of Staff is about to resign. Will we get another fireman for this critical position--or an arsonist? Who would want this job, given the challenge of managing Trump?

Kelly expected to resign soon, no longer on speaking terms with Trump
https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/07/politics/john-kelly-chief-of-staff-donald-trump/index.html

Kelly has been on the verge of resigning or being fired before, only to bounce back every time. But aides feel the relationship can't be salvaged this time. Trump is becoming increasingly concerned about Democrats taking over the House in January, and has privately said he needs someone else to help shape the last two years of his first term, which he predicts will be politically focused. He has complained repeatedly that Kelly is not politically savvy.

The expected departure would end a tumultuous tenure for Kelly, who was brought on to bring order to the White House but whose time as chief of staff has often been marked by the same infighting and controversy that has largely defined Trump's presidency from its beginning. Many of the storms in which Kelly became embroiled were by his own making.

[Dill]

Will John Kelly Resign? 7 Reasons Why Donald Trump's Chief of Staff Could Be About to Quit
https://www.newsweek.com/will-john-kelly-resign-reasons-why-donald-trump-chief-staff-quit-out-1249321
Here are a few quick reasons—there are likely many more—why Kelly, a retired Marine general, might be ready to leave the White House.

1. He and the president no longer talk
That's got to be a big one. It's kind of difficult to do your job when your boss just won't talk to you. But that's where they are, according to Collins's report.
"Though Trump asked Kelly over the summer to stay on as chief of staff for two more years, the two have stopped speaking in recent days," Collins wrote.

2. Trump reportedly has been floating Kelly replacements
Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, has regularly come up as the heir apparent to Kelly amid the ongoing resignation rumors, including the most recent report from Collins.

3. He has clashed with first lady Melania Trump
In November, the last time resignation rumors reached a boil, NBC News reported that Kelly had angered the first lady over "staffing issues and travel requests."
"There have been instances where the East Wing staff were not treated as equals to the male-dominated decision-makers in chief Kelly’s office," a White House official told NBC at the time. "Promotions were denied, then finally granted, after months of requests."

4. There's a lot of damage control with Trump
Reports have frequently described Trump's White House as a strenuous work environment, one where a great deal of time and energy is devoted to managing the president's impulsiveness. This seems to have been no exception for Kelly. According to Bob Woodward's recent book, staff would have to steal papers off Trump's desk to prevent them from being signed.
Kelly's job often sounds like baby-sitting. He reportedly instituted "policy time" in an effort to get Trump to focus on working.

5. Kelly doesn't seem to have much respect for Trump's intelligence
It's hard to work for someone you don't respect. That might be the case for Kelly. In Woodward's book, secondhand sources claim the chief of staff insulted the president in a meeting, then wondered aloud why he even works in the White House.
"He's an idiot. It's pointless to try to convince him of anything. He's gone off the rails. We're in crazytown," Kelly is quoted as saying, according to CNN. "I don't even know why any of us are here. This is the worst job I've ever had."

6. He's had his own foul-ups
Kelly's tenure as chief of staff is certainly not without fault. At times, he has made questionable decisions, perhaps most notably in his handling of domestic abuse allegations against Rob Porter, his former top aide. Kelly's story about how he handled the allegations didn't add up, and CNN's Collins reported that he lost credibility within the White House because of it.

7. He's almost been fired (or maybe he was fired and just...didn't go?)
Sometimes it's best to just get out before they get you. That New York piece revealed that Trump had seemingly tried to oust Kelly, who seemingly ignored him.
"When the president says, I need you to leave, Kelly just ignores him," an administration official told the magazine. "I think the president just doesn't know who to call to fire him. Normally, if the president wanted to fire somebody, he would call Kelly to do it. But there’s nobody else to call."

[Dill]

Fireman will remain until the end of the year.

Nick Ayers, Trump’s once-likely replacement for chief of staff Kelly, won’t take the job
https://www.denverpost.com/2018/12/09/nick-ayers-trump-chief-of-staff/amp/

Trump had previously spoken with Ayers about the top administration job and had settled on him as Kelly’s likely replacement, the president’s advisers said.

But Ayers, who has young children, had insisted on serving temporarily,frustrating Trump, who had wanted a replacement to stay on through 2020.

Ayers was also skeptical of taking the job based on the challenges that Kelly and his predecessor, Reince Priebus, faced in the position, and talks between the two sides broke down, according to an administration official with direct knowledge of the negotiations.

The 36-year-old Ayers also had faced opposition among many senior White House aides, who worried that his elevation could trigger departures of other high-level staffers.

After initially agreeing that Kelly would announce his departure on Monday, Trump abruptly shifted course andannounced Saturday that Kelly would leave the White House by the end of the year. The position might be filled on an interim basis, he added then.

Brian Williams calls WH chief of staff under Trump a "subpoena magnet." It will be interesting to see who finally accepts the position. I am reminded here of all the law firms which have turned down Trump representation--and before that the banks who refused to loan him money, leading to his Russian connections.

Trump Seeks New Chief After Ayers Roils Kelly Succession Plan
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-09/ayers-won-t-be-trump-s-chief-of-staff-white-house-official-says

President Donald Trump said he’s interviewing candidates to replace outgoing chief of staff John Kelly, and declared it “fake news” that top vice presidential aide Nick Ayers had been certain to get the job before withdrawing.

The White House now faces a potentially chaotic transition in a vital leadership role with Ayers out of the running, despite months of advance conversations with the president.
The focus now turns to other candidates to fill Kelly’s shoes. Among the people Trump is actively weighing, or has mentioned as possibilities, are Republican Representative Mark Meadows, chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus; U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer; budget director Mick Mulvaney and Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, according to several people familiar with the matter.

[*wildcats forever*]

Earlier today I read an MSN article in which it stated that Trump is eager to get his re-election campaign up and running. Maybe his successful COS candidate will have strong campaign experience. Either function would require an enormous capacity in dealing with a lot of controversy, frequently. The campaign activities could be fun (at times), but Chief of Staff in the current political climate would be more of a challenge than most would want. I can only imagine ....

[Dill]

(12-11-2018, 02:36 AM)wildcats forever Wrote: Earlier today I read an MSN article in which it stated that Trump is eager to get his re-election campaign up and running. Maybe his successful COS candidate will have strong campaign experience. Either function would require an enormous capacity in dealing with a lot of controversy, frequently. The campaign activities could be fun (at times), but Chief of Staff in the current political climate would be more of a challenge than most would want. I can only imagine ....

Well, consider what happened to previous CoSs--publicly demeaned, advice rejected, blamed for Trump's failures.  And yet, those failures stick to Priebus and Kelly because they jumped aboard ship.  Smart, up-and-coming politicos recognize the job is a career breaker.

All that is probably first on potential picks' minds. After that comes the chaos and infighting. This is the leakiest WH in livining memory, which indicates dissension, stress, people who feel either they have been treated unjustly or are genuinely concerned about legality and damage to the country in what they overhear.

[GMDino]

(12-11-2018, 02:36 AM)wildcats forever Wrote: Earlier today I read an MSN article in which it stated that Trump is eager to get his re-election campaign up and running. Maybe his successful COS candidate will have strong campaign experience. Either function would require an enormous capacity in dealing with a lot of controversy, frequently. The campaign activities could be fun (at times), but Chief of Staff in the current political climate would be more of a challenge than most would want. I can only imagine ....

Mr. Trump announced his candidacy the day of his inauguration.  He has attended NUMEROUS campaign rallies in his two years in office.

In essence he never stopped running for office.

Probably because he knows the rallys are filled with people who will cheer him no matter what he says..but also because he can continue to raise money.  And money is the only think Trump cares about other than himself.

That no one wants to work with him now just speaks volumes.

[*wildcats forever*]

(12-11-2018, 03:18 AM)Dill Wrote: Well, consider what happened to previous CoSs--publicly demeaned, advice rejected, blamed for Trump's failures.  And yet, those failures stick to Priebus and Kelly because they jumped aboard ship.  Smart, up-and-coming politicos recognize the job is a career breaker.

All that is probably first on potential picks' minds. After that comes the chaos and infighting. This is the leakiest WH in livining memory, which indicates dissension, stress, people who feel either they have been treated unjustly or are genuinely concerned about legality and damage to the country in what they overhear.

I have serious doubts that I could support anyone who would happily accept that position in 45's administration. 

(12-11-2018, 09:53 AM)GMDino Wrote: Mr. Trump announced his candidacy the day of his inauguration.  He has attended NUMEROUS campaign rallies in his two years in office.

In essence he never stopped running for office.

Probably because he knows the rallys are filled with people who will cheer him no matter what he says..but also because he can continue to raise money.  And money is the only think Trump cares about other than himself.

That no one wants to work with him now just speaks volumes.

You're right! How could have I overlooked all the campaigning he's done so far? Guess I blocked it when I read the article, as it wasn't something that immediately popped up. This whole fiasco has worn me down to one point - just two more years. Get us through two more relatively unscathed, and we should recover. 

[Dill]

(12-11-2018, 12:06 PM)wildcats forever Wrote: I have serious doubts that I could support anyone who would happily accept that position in 45's administration. 

You're right! How could have I overlooked all the campaigning he's done so far? Guess I blocked it when I read the article, as it wasn't something that immediately popped up. This whole fiasco has worn me down to one point - just two more years. Get us through two more relatively unscathed, and we should recover. 

I think Kelly, like McMaster and Mattis, was taking one for Team USA.  But at this point even that may seem pointless, as Trump is so impulsive and uncontrollable.  The nation is really at risk without more firemen around Trump. But even the bravest, most effective firemen won't rush into a burning building if he thinks no one can be saved.

[Dill]

(12-11-2018, 09:53 AM)GMDino Wrote: That no one wants to work with him now just speaks volumes.

He will find someone. And that is a problem in itself. What kind of person would take that job right now?  That person would have to be a tool (literally), with little sense of how the job might damage his own career.

No doubt SOME of the people around him are pressuring him to go to knowledgeable, decisive people who know how to organize and know Congress; but those people's phones are off the hook; they are already on vacation, can't be reached. 

[fredtoast]

Sean Hannity.

[Dill]

(12-11-2018, 06:21 PM)fredtoast Wrote: Sean Hannity.

Funny. I was thinking that yesterday. "The Left" would be bashing them both from the get go because "they don't want Trump to succeed." LOL

But I think, deep down inside, Hannity knows that before long Trump would be humiliating him publicly and blaming him for failures. Also, other staff members would resent Hannity. On the plus side, he might mesh with the new UN Ambassador.