Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that Donald Trump had tapped Brooke Rollins (his former director of the Domestic Policy Council, who now serves as president of the MAGA think tank America First Institute) to be his chief of staff if he were to return. It was reported that it was being considered as a market. White House.
Within 24 hours, there was talk that AFPI, dubbed the “White House in Waiting” for its quiet role in planning Trump’s second term, had been hacked by China.
But inside Trump’s inner circle, this wasn’t exactly news. The institute’s online security perimeter was breached nearly a year ago, and then again earlier this month.
Why did the news leak this time? That’s because some Trump associates speculate that someone who doesn’t like Rollins may have wanted it.
“There’s a knife fight going on,” one person said. “Someone would say, ‘Oh, does he want to be chief of staff? Well, she can’t even prevent her organization from being hacked.’”
This is just a vivid example of the behind-the-scenes fighting over a key role in the White House even before Trump won the election. The chief of staff position has always been considered particularly important and particularly difficult for Trump, who fired four chiefs of staff in four years during his first term. Despite their very different styles and personalities, they struggled to control Trump and focus on him and his administration.
People close to him say Trump himself is superstitious about making plans before winning and has been reluctant to discuss the issue much. However, among those who circle the former president, tongues are wagging freely.
A number of insiders see the job as critical to the success of a potential second Trump administration and have had a lot to say about the three most-discussed people for the role: Rollins, Suzy Wiles and Kevin McCarthy.
leader
Wiles, the de facto campaign manager, would likely take the job if he wanted it, nearly every insider said. After all, Trump has a history of rewarding those who help him win, including appointing RNC leader Reince Priebus as chief strategist and campaign CEO Steve Bannon as chief strategist after his 2016 victory.
But that’s not the only reason people are betting on Wiles, a veteran of Florida politics who moved closer to Trump when he was an unavoidable figure in politics after Jan. 6.
Insiders say she is the biggest reason Trump is running a more professional and organized campaign this cycle. They praise her for bringing order to a chaotic political zoo and credit her zero-tolerance policy for gossip with an era of relative peace in their orbit.
The most important thing is that her boss trusts her. Although Trump doesn’t always listen, they have built a relationship that allows Wiles to speak candidly to the former president and tell him when she disagrees. This is not something many people are willing to do in the face of Trump’s occasional temper tantrums.
Some of her detractors claim that Wiles has never held a modern-day government position. She briefly worked on the Hill for Rep. Jack Kemp (R-N.Y.) as a scheduler for Ronald Reagan and the Department of Labor before leaving for Florida, but Beltway politics have changed considerably since then.
Still, people who have seen Wiles up close say she is a quick study. Under Trump, she navigated big egos, sharp elbows, assassination attempts, court cases and convictions. “She’s unfazed,” said one insider.
One thing: It’s unclear whether Wiles actually wants the job, given its difficult nature and the way past Trump chiefs have left. She’s already had an incredible three years on Trump’s side, and people are wondering if she was content with the personnel drama earlier this year after Corey Lewandowski suddenly returned to the campaign.
hand of policy
According to the Times article, Trump has been soliciting people’s opinions of Rollins and suggesting she would make a “great chief of staff.” People who like Rollins say that’s an astute assessment. Rollins, they argue, is a sophisticated policymaker who could help pass Trump’s legislative agenda.
But the story has only crystallized opposition to Rollins among many Trump insiders who believe she has no business taking the job, and has cast her as a fixture in the Trump world whose main characteristics are self-promotion and close ties to AFPI’s influential donors. We cast him as a relative newcomer. Some worry that she is too close to traditional free-market conservatives and would clash with Trump’s embrace of tariff-heavy “MAGAnomics.”
Still, Rollins has a power base. Rollins, a Texan who emerged through Gov. Rick Perry’s administration, became close to Jared Kushner and gave fellow former administration officials a home at AFPI after leading domestic policy during the final half-year of Trump’s presidency. After the chaotic end of the Trump presidency.
Her critics argue that despite her policy stops, she is woefully lacking in political acumen. Some of those who have worked with her believe she would be eaten alive in the role. The counterpoint is that Trump will not seek re-election, so he primarily needs someone who can implement his agenda. Her supporters argue she is clear about her political shortcomings and can outsource the role. (Notably, she brought Kellyanne Conway to AFPI.)
But what does Trump think? One person said President Trump lavished praise on her, saying she could run any business in the country. But he has confronted her in the past about AFPI’s use of his “America First” brand, and the Times reports that he has sought up to $50 million in compensation.
ousted speaker
If Wiles had the political skills and Rollins had the policy know-how, McCarthy’s supporters argue that the former chairman has both. “I think there’s an argument to be made for having someone who was a member of Congress,” said one Trump aide. Trump had trouble getting his agenda across Capitol Hill in 2017.
Some questioned whether McCarthy would actually take the job. The longtime employee turned longtime lawmaker is now earning big money for the first time in his life.
But those who know him best know better. McCarthy is a passionate political animal who likes to play inside games. Perhaps no profession in Washington could better utilize the relationships he built throughout his life in politics. (McCarthy, who has been asked in the past about serving under Trump, has said he is not looking for a job but would not rule out getting one.)
In fact, some people believe that McCarthy ~ degrees passionate. Two Trump insiders pointed out to us that McCarthy’s longtime consigliere, Jeff Miller, has been lobbying for Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, who is leading Trump’s transition, about Miller’s influence on personnel decisions. I raised a question.
Miller said he is not involved in the playbook. “While Howard has been a friend and customer for quite some time, I have no role in the transition (officially, informally or in any way).”
Trump’s views are complex. Trump didn’t do much to intervene when MAGA diehards opposed McCarthy in the House of Representatives. Some say he viewed McCarthy as a weak negotiator during his time as speaker, and he remains angry that the Californian failed to keep his promise to “obliterate” his two impeachments.
Still, the two remain close and talk often. Trump praises McCarthy for being one of his early allies in Congress. But those closest to the former president are of the view that they would be surprised if he gave McCarthy the job.
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