President Trump has reportedly considered eliminating the role of the White House chief of staff, NBC News reports. Amid administration shakeups and a dizzying number of vacant positions, Trump has floated firing Chief of Staff John Kelly and not naming a successor, people familiar with the president's thinking say.
Kelly has been described as a stabilizing force in the White House, serving as the gatekeeper of who can have an audience with the president and what papers can cross his desk. A forthcoming book about presidential chiefs of staff claims they have a huge impact on an administration's agenda, and that their "actions — and inactions ... have defined the course of our country."
Trump "appears to have tabled the suggestion" of eliminating the role of the chief of staff "for now," NBC News writes, although he is nevertheless "seriously considering" not replacing Kelly if he leaves on his own volition. Trump was reportedly intrigued by the prospect of running the government more like how he ran his business, with a small number of close aides reporting to him directly.
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One person close to the administration said such a scenario wouldn't be much different than how things already are. "Donald Trump is the chief of staff," the person said. "He already calls the shots."
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