Remember when President Trump sent acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney out of the Oval Office because he was coughing? Trump was being interviewed by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, a former Clinton political operative. It was during this interview that the president said he would probably accept dirt on his opponent from foreign sources, which s something that the Obama White House did. Oh, and the Clinton campaign in 2016, but ‘orange man, bad’ is the war cry on the Left.
Mulvaney pretty much being told to go was a funny moment, though there seems to be a little more to it. Apparently, Trump is starting to turn on Mulvaney, reportedly asking aides about Mulvaney’s worth to this White House. At the same time, Politico, who wrote about the souring relationship between Trump and his chief of staff, said that a) President Trump is snippy with anyone who gives him bad news which is just part of the job; and b) at some point, he finds everyone annoying apart from his family. Mulvaney is not at risk of being fired, but there’s also a good reason for why Trump won’t get rid of him; the renewed task of finding another chief of staff (via Politico):
Trump has long said that he prefers the flexibility offered by temporary titles, but Mulvaney’s ongoing “acting” status underscores the uphill battle he faces as Trump’s third chief of staff in less than two-and-a-half years. While Mulvaney is not in danger of losing his job any time soon, officials stressed, Trump’s treatment of him still signals to aides the slow deterioration of their relationship has begun.
One White House official called it “inevitable since any chief of staff has to deliver both the good and bad news,” and this president does not like hearing the latter. Other senior administration officials said Trump gets annoyed with almost everyone apart from family members, so measuring someone’s internal standing by how often Trump speaks sharply to him or her is futile.
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“The president doesn’t have any good reason to dislike Mulvaney in terms of him being disloyal,” said one Republican close to the White House. Still, the Republican added that the president has asked people in recent months what kind of leadership they think Mulvaney is offering in the West Wing and the value he is adding, often a sign the president is souring on a staffer.
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Despite the frustrations with Mulvaney, Trump is unlikely to replace him for the foreseeable future, several aides said. Ultimately, the president likes the hands-off approach Mulvaney has taken to his schedule, whims and decision-making style. More importantly, Trump is wary to embark on another chief of staff search after the last one played out in the press over several days with two top candidates turning down offers and a raft of negative headlines.
So, the good news from all of this is that for all the swiping, the short responses, and the occasional flare ups of Trump’s temper over bad news, Mr. Mulvaney will keep his job, unless he screws up royally.
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