Amid White House turmoil, Trump mused about life without a chief of staff

[highplainsdem]

Source: NBC

In the midst of a Cabinet shake-up and a possible staff upheaval, President Donald Trump considered firing his chief of staff this month and not naming a successor, according to three people familiar with the discussions. Trump has mused to close associates about running the West Wing as he did his business empire, essentially serving as his own chief of staff, these people said.

In conversations with allies outside the White House, the president envisioned a scenario in which a handful of top aides would report directly to him — bypassing the traditional gatekeeper position. The president hasn't publicly discussed his deliberations.

Trump, who is said to always be reimagining his staff positions, appears to have tabled the suggestion for now. His second chief of staff, John Kelly, remains in his role after intense speculation about his job security. But the president was intrigued by, and seriously considered, the idea of not replacing him had he left.

Trump liked the idea particularly because it would be more in line with how the former CEO conducted business in the private sector: with a more open-door policy that allowed him unfettered access to outsiders and fewer roadblocks to decision making. And he has privately pointed to precedent in the presidencies of Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter, people familiar with the discussions said.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/amid-white-house-turmoil-trump-mused-about-life-without-chief-n859301

[brush]

1. He's used to running things himself without a chief of staff.

And he's been so successful in his businesses .

We're in even sorrier state now with Bolton in place and possibly no chief of staff—preemptive Iran and NK attacks here we come.

And don't put it past this orange putz as a way to become a "war president" like W in hopes that the country will rally around him as the country traditionally does during a war and, conveniently forget about the Russian investigation.

[LisaM]

2. Yes! Do it! Do it!

I just picture him sitting in front of a TV all day long, wearing a bib and eating ice cream, Big Macs, and chicken wings all day long, tweeting away. (I mean, he kind of does this anyway, but he would just do it for longer periods of time).

[H2O Man]

3. What could go wrong?

[PatSeg]

4. I just commented somewhere else

that we can start the countdown to Kelly's departure. There is no way he will last long with a clown like Bolton in the White House. We should all be very afraid right now.

[djacq]

5. It will be an excellent experiment in utter stupidity

[hibbing]

6. Well he is a genius, so it makes sense n/t