>>> ALL RIGHT, SO WHO WILL REPLACE GENERAL JOHN KELLY AS
THE PRESIDENT’S CHIEF OF STAFF?
THAT’S THE QUESTION BUZZING
AROUND WASHINGTON, D.C. THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. YESTERDAY, THREE MEMBERS FROM
WITHIN THE PRESIDENT’S OWN
CABINET WHO WERE UNDER
CONSIDERATION SIGNALED THEY’RE
NOT REALLY INTERESTED IN THE
JOB.
JOB. ANOTHER TOP CONTENDER,
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN MARK
MEADOWS, WHO CHAIRS THE HOUSE
FREEDOM CAUCUS, HE SEEMED OPEN
TO THE IDEA.
>> I’M HONORED TO BE CONSIDERED.
I’VE GOT ONE JOB NOW.
THAT’S REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE
OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA.
THAT’S WHAT I’M FOCUSED ON.
THAT’S WHAT I’LL CONTINUE TO
FOCUS ON.
FOCUS ON. AND YET AT THE SAME TIME, ANY
TIME THAT YOUR NAME’S FLOATED TO
HELP THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES ACCOMPLISH THINGS FOR THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE, IT’S
FLATTERING.
FLATTERING. >> ANOTHER CONTENDER WHO IS
GETTING A LOT OF BUZZ, MATTHEW
WHITAKER WHO FACED BACKLASH FOR
HIS APPOINTMENT TO THAT
POSITION.
POSITION. MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST PHIL
RUCKER HAS BEEN COVERING THIS
STORY.
STORY. GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
YOU REPORT THE PRESIDENT REALLY
HAD NO PLAN B AFTER NICK AYERS,
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE’ CHIEF OF
STAFF, TURNED HIM DOWN.
WHERE DOES THE PRESIDENT GO FROM
HERE?
HERE? WHAT’S GOING ON BEHIND THE
SCENES IN THE WEST WING WHEN YOU
SEE SO MANY OF THESE
HIGH-PROFILE NAMES ON THE LIST
SAYING THANKS BUT NO THANKS.
SOME ALREADY SERVING IN THE
PRESIDENT’S CABINET.
PRESIDENT’S CABINET. >> YOU’RE RIGHT, AS WE REPORTED,
THERE WAS NO PLAN B.
THE PRESIDENT IS BACK TO SQUARE
ONE, TRYING TO SERVE A BROAD
ARRAY OF NAMES.
BEEN MAKING A TON OF PHONE
COUPLES TO HIS FRIENDS, FAMILY
MEMBERS, ASSOCIATES, BRINGING IN
STAFFERS TO ASK WHAT THEY THINK.
FLOATING A LOT OF DIFFERENCE
NAMES.
NAMES. TO TRY TO CROWD SOURCE THIS.
TO GET PEOPLE’S OPINIONS ON THE
MATTER.
MATTER. HE FEELS HE HAS THE END OF THIS
MONTH TO MAKE THIS DECISION.
THAT’S ACCORD TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT WITH HIM.
HE’S NOT IN ANY URGENT RUSH TO
SELECT SOMEBODY TODAY, FOR
EXAMPLE.
EXAMPLE. ALTHOUGH I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED
IF HE DID.
AT THE MOMENT, HE ALSO FEELS
FREE THAT HE DOESN’T HAVE JOHN
KELLY AS CHIEF OF STAFF ANYMORE.
HE HAD FELT VERY RESTRAINED
UNDER KELLY.
UNDER KELLY. WAS EAGER FOR KELLY TO LEAVE.
FINALLY DID IT OVER THE WEEKEND.
AND FEELS READY FOR A NEW
CHAPTER.
CHAPTER. >> LET ME GET YOUR THOUGHTS ON
HOW JARED KUSHNER REACTED TO
THIS.
THIS. HE SPOKE ABOUT THE SEARCH LATE
LAST NIGHT IN A RARE INTERVIEW.
>> THE PRESIDENT WILL MAKE THE
RIGHT CHOICE FOR CHIEF OF STAFF
WHEN HE’S READY.
HOPEFULLY HE’S CHOOSE SOMEBODY
HE’S GOT GREAT CHEMISTRY WITH
WHO WILL HELP HIM NAVIGATE THE
NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS THROUGH ALL
OF THE GOOD OPPORTUNITIES THAT
EMERGES TO KEEP PUSHING FORWARD.
>> WE KNOW THE PRESIDENT TRUSTS
THEM VERY MUCH.
PREVIOUS PEOPLE WHO FILLED IN
THAT POSITION AS CHIEF OF STAFF,
THEY DIDN’T ACTUALLY IN SOME
CASES DIDN’T GET ALONG WITH
IVANKA AND JARED.
I’M CURIOUS TO GET YOUR THOUGHTS
IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH JARED AND
IVANKA PLAY IN THE SEARCH.
HOW MUCH SAY DO THEY HAVE?
COULD THEY THEMSELVES ACTUALLY
BE ONE OF THE REASONS WHY
PEOPLE, POTENTIAL CANDIDATES,
DON’T WANT TO TAKE THIS JOB?
>> CERTAINLY HAVING FAMILY
MEMBERS SERVING ON THE STAFF IN
THE WHITE HOUSE IN THAT MIXED
ROLE HAS BEEN PROBLEMATIC FOR
OTHER STAFFERS THESE PEOPLE TWO
YEARS.
YEARS. THAT’S TRUE.
THAT’S TRUE. JARED AND IVANKA BOTH PLAYED A
BIG ROLE IN HELPING INFLUENCE
THE DECISION TO REMOVE KELLY.
THEY WERE SEEN INTERNALLY AS BIG
ADVOCATES FOR NICK AYERS TO TAKE
THE JOB.
THE JOB. AL THOEL
AL THOEL ALTHOUGH NICK AYERS TURNED DOWN
THE PRESIDENT FOR THAT ROLE.
SO I THINK AT THIS POINT,
THEY’RE TRYING TO SEE WHO THE
PRESIDENT IS GOING TO BE LOOKING
AT.
AT. THE PROBLEM FOR TRUMP, YOU KNOW,
HE BOATSTED HE HAD SO MANY PEOPL
WANTING THIS JOB, TEN PEOPLE ARE
VYING FOR IT.
THAT’S NOT REALLY TRUE.
A LOT OF THE MOST QUALIFIED
SEASONED PEOPLE IN TOWN DON’T
WANT TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR THE
CHIEF OF STAFF POSITION.
EVEN PEOPLE IN TRUMP’S OWN
CABINET WHO ARE UNDER
CONSIDERATION FOR THE JOB HAS
SIGNALED THROUGH THEIR
INTERMEDIARIES AND CERTAINLY I
ASSUME TO THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF
THEY’RE NOT REALLY THAT
INTERESTED.
INTERESTED. THEY PREFER TO STAY IN THEIR
COUNTERROLES BECAUSE THIS IS A
JOB WHERE PEOPLE’S REPUTATIONS
GET DAMAGED.
GET DAMAGED. WHERE YOU REALLY CAN’T CONTROL
THE PRESIDENT.
THE PRESIDENT. YOU CAN’T ENFORCE THE SORT OF
DISCIPLINE YOU MIGHT LIKE INSIDE
THE WHITE HOUSE.
IT’S VERY MUCH TRUMP’S WHITE
HOUSE.
HOUSE. HE OPERATES AS HIS OWN CHIEF OF
STAFF AND THAT CAN MAKE THIS A
DIFFICULT JOB.
DIFFICULT JOB. >> YOU CAN LOOK AT MARK MEADOW’S
COMMENTS AND SAY THAT WAS ABOUT
POLITICAL POLITENESS AND NOT
NECESSARILY SINCERITY, SAYING HE
WOULD CONSIDER.
WOULD CONSIDER. I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT
THE PRESIDENT’S FRUSTRATION.
YOU WROTE ABOUT THIS PROCESS,
SAYING ALTHOUGH AIDES SAID THE
PRESIDENT IS COMMITTED TO
FINDING A REPLACEMENT FOR KELLY,
THEY SAY HE HAS BEEN
FACILITATING, VACILLATING,
FACILITATING, VACILLATING, EXCUSE ME, CASTING ABOUT IN ALL
CORNERS.
CORNERS. AND FRUSTRATED BY NEWS COVERAGE
DEPICTING HIS WHITE HOUSE AS A
POLICE WHERE TALENTED PEOPLE DO
NOT WANT TO WORK.
THE PRESIDENT, AS WE SAID
EARLIER, HE HAD A SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT TAKE.
DIFFERENT TAKE. HE SAID FAKE NEWS HAS IT
PURPOSEFULLY WRONG.
PURPOSEFULLY WRONG. MANY, OVER TEN, ARE VYING FOR
AND WANTING THE WHITE HOUSE
CHIEF OF STAFF POSITION.
WHY WOULDN’T SOMEONE WANT ONE OF
THE TRULY GREAT JOBS IN
WASHINGTON?
WASHINGTON? PLEASE REPORT NEWS CORRECTLY,
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU. SO IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE SEEING
WHEN HE SAYS, LIKE, MORE THAN
TEN PEOPLE VYING FOR THE JOB, DO
WE HAVE ANY IDEA WHO THESE
PEOPLE PEOPLE ARE?
ARE THEY CREDIBLE?
IS HE JUST THROWING THAT NUMBER
OUT THERE?
OUT THERE? >> WHAT WE’RE REPORTING IS
ACCURATE.
ACCURATE. THE PRESIDENT DID NOT HAVE A
PLAN B.
PLAN B. HE WAS TURNED DOWN FOR THE TOP
CHOICE FOR THIS JOB.
OTHER PEOPLE ARE NOT INTERESTED
IN THE JOB.
THAT SAID THERE ARE A NUMBER OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE IN THE MIX FOR
THIS JOB.
THIS JOB. INCLUDING CONGRESSMAN MARK
MEADOWS.
MEADOWS. DAVE BOSSE, FORMER DEPUTY
CAMPAIGN MANAGER, MARK WHITAKER,
THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL,
WHO’S BECOME CLOSER TO THE
PRESIDENT.
PRESIDENT. AND OTHERS AS WELL ARE IN THE
MIX.
MIX. BUT IT’S VERY MUCH AN OPEN
FIELD.
FIELD. THE TROUBLE FOR TRUMP IS HE
DOESN’T LIKE THE NEWS COVERAGE
DEPICTING CHAOS INSIDE HIS WEST
WING.
WING. HE DECIDED TO MAKE A MOVE ON
REMOVING JOHN KELLY AS CHIEF OF
STAFF WITHOUT HAVING FIRMED UP A