George W. Bush's former chief of staff is worried about Reince Priebus

(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

published 21 November 2016

White House chief of staff is already considered one of "the most grueling jobs in Washington," The New York Times Mark Leibovich writes, with most lasting no more than two years in the job. But Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, who President-elect Donald Trump recently tapped for the position, might have an especially tough couple years ahead of him.

Andy Card, who served as George W. Bush's chief of staff for five years, admitted to Leibovich that he has more than one concern as Priebus readies himself to tackle the task. Card pointed to Priebus' two young children as an "area of angst," as the job is "24-7 and never stops." He also voiced his concern about how Trump's tendencies could make a hard job even harder. "I'm thinking he would be a very hard president to work for if he doesn't accept people speaking candidly to him," Card said, noting a red flag was raised when Trump "jumped all over" Fox News host Megyn Kelly after the first Republican presidential primary debate.

Moreover, Card said, "chief of staff is the only job in Washington that is really defined by what the president's idiosyncrasies are." "Are they a morning person or an evening person?" Card said. "Disciplined or not? Do they suffer fools kindly or not?"