The hardest job in Washington? A look at those who have served as chief of staff for Trump

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets his campaign manager Susie Wiles (L) during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greets his campaign manager Susie Wiles (L) during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on November 6, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 10 November 2024

The hardest job in Washington? A look at those who have served as chief of staff for Trump

The hardest job in Washington? A look at those who have served as chief of staff for Trump

WASHINGTON: Susie Wiles will be the latest occupant of the hottest hot seat in Washington — Donald Trump’s chief of staff.
It’s a tough job under the best of circumstances, responsible for networking with lawmakers, administration officials and outside groups while also keeping the White House running smoothly.
But it’s been particularly challenging under Trump, who has a history of resenting anyone who tries to impose order on his chaotic management style. Four people served as chief of staff during his first term, and sometimes things ended on acrimonious terms.




This combination photo of President-elect Donald Trump's longtime friends, aides and allies shows Boris Epshteyn, from top row left, Richard Grenell, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Howard Lutnick, from center row left, Linda McMahon, Stephen Miller, Elon Musk, Brooke Rollins and from bottom row left Lara Trump, Dana White and Susie Wiles. (AP)

Will past be prologue? It’s impossible to know. So far, Wiles has fared better than most in Trump’s orbit, and she just steered his presidential campaign to victory.
Here’s a look at who came before her.
Reince Priebus
Priebus chaired the Republican National Committee while Trump ran for president in 2016, and he became Trump’s first chief of staff in the White House. Priebus was symbolic of the awkward alliance between the party establishment and Trump’s insurgency, and he struggled to balance the two.
The White House was plagued by infighting and failed to advance legislative goals such as repealing the Affordable Care Act. Priebus was sometimes viewed as untrustworthy by various factions vying for Trump’s favor. Anthony Scaramucci, who memorably but briefly served as Trump’s communications director, profanely attacked him for allegedly leaking information to the media.
Six months into his first term, Trump pushed out Priebus on July 28, 2017. The decision was announced on Twitter, which was par for the course in those tumultuous years.
John Kelly
Next up was Kelly, who had been Trump’s first Homeland Security secretary. Trump liked the way that Kelly, a former four-star Marine general who had served in Iraq, led his immigration crackdown.
But he soon became frustrated by Kelly’s attempts to impose military-style order on the chaotic White House. Kelly clashed with the president and some of his allies, ultimately becoming more isolated and less influential.
Trump appeared so eager to get rid of Kelly, he announced his departure on Dec. 8, 2018, without having a replacement lined up.
While Kelly served longer in the role than anyone else, his break with Trump was ultimately the most acrimonious. He described his former boss in acidic terms last month, saying Trump met the definition of a fascist and once praised Adolf Hitler as having done “some good things.”
Mick Mulvaney
It took days for Trump to settle on a replacement for Kelly, an unusual delay for a such a critical role. He chose Mulvaney, a former South Carolina congressman who was running the White House budget office at the time.
The decision came with an asterisk — Trump called Mulvaney his “acting” chief of staff, suggesting the position would be temporary.
Mulvaney abandoned Kelly’s strict management approach and decided to “let Trump be Trump.” Instead of managing the seemingly unmanageable president, Mulvaney focused on overseeing the staff and working with lawmakers.
He held the job for a little more than a year, departing on March 6, 2020, after Trump was acquitted in his first impeachment trial.
Mark Meadows
Trump turned to Meadows, a North Carolina congressman and leader of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, to serve as his fourth chief of staff. It was a challenging time, with the coronavirus spreading in the United States and around the globe.
Long viewed as one of the roadblocks to congressional deal-making, Meadows played a leading role in negotiating pandemic relief legislation. He also proved himself as a loyalist as Trump was running for reelection against Joe Biden. Meadows oversaw a White House awash in conspiracy theories about voter fraud as Trump tried to overturn his defeat.
A former aide said Meadows frequently burned papers in his office fireplace during this time. Meadows refused to cooperate with a House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol, and he was indicted in election-related cases in Georgia and Arizona. He’s pleaded not guilty.


UK summer storm sows travel chaos

UK summer storm sows travel chaos
Updated 16 sec ago

UK summer storm sows travel chaos

UK summer storm sows travel chaos
  • Meteorologists warned that gusts could reach a record-breaking 145 kilometers per hour
  • Several train operators in northern England and Scotland canceled services

LONDON: High-speed winds disrupted trains and blew over trees in Scotland and northern England where residents were advised against traveling as an “unusually” fierce summer storm hit the UK on Monday.
Meteorologists warned that gusts could reach a record-breaking 145 kilometers per hour (90 miles per hour) as Storm Floris made landfall overnight.
The second-most serious amber wind warning was in place across swathes of Scotland as officials sought to minimize damage.
“Storm Floris is an unusually strong storm for the time of year,” the UK’s Meteorological Office said in a statement.
The Met Office said it was only the third time an amber wind warning had been issued in August since the system launched in 2011, adding some gusts in Scotland were “likely” to beat records.
Scientists say human-induced climate change is driving more intense and frequent extreme weather events around the globe, as the planet continues to warm.
Several train operators in northern England and Scotland canceled services, warning passengers not to make their journeys.
A tree was removed after it fell onto overhead railway wires in Glasgow, causing a fire, according to Network Rail Scotland. Multiple trees were also blown over in the northeastern Scottish region of Aberdeenshire, blocking roads.
In Scotland’s capital, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo marching parade was canceled and Edinburgh Zoo said it would be closed for the day.
Storm Floris is the second named storm to hit the UK this year, and the sixth one this storm season, which will run from early September 2024 to late August 2025.


Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge’ ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says

Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge’ ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says
Updated 04 August 2025

Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge’ ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says

Afghanistan has its ‘sharpest surge’ ever of child malnutrition, UN agency says
  • Almost 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan’s population, face acute food insecurity
  • Rise in child malnutrition was linked to a drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan is seeing its sharpest-ever surge of child malnutrition, the World Food Programme said Monday, adding it needed $539 million to help the country’s most vulnerable families.

Almost 10 million people, a quarter of Afghanistan’s population, face acute food insecurity. One in three children is stunted.

The WFP said the rise in child malnutrition was linked to a drop in emergency food assistance over the past two years because of dwindling donor support. In April, the administration of US President Donald Trump cut off food aid to Afghanistan, one of the world’s poorest countries.

The US had been the largest funder of the WFP, providing $4.5 billion of the $9.8 billion in donations last year. Previous US administrations viewed such aid as serving national security by alleviating conflict, poverty, extremism and curbing migration.

Food insecurity in Afghanistan is being worsened by mass returns from neighboring countries, which are deporting foreigners they say are living there illegally.

The WFP said it has supported 60,000 Afghans returning from Iran in the last two months, a fraction of those crossing the border.

“Going forward, the WFP does not have sufficient funding to cover the returnee response at this time and requires $15 million to assist all eligible returnees from Iran,” said WFP Communications Officer Ziauddin Safi. He said the agency needs $539 million through January to help vulnerable families across Afghanistan.

Climate change is also hurting the population, especially those in rural areas.

Matiullah Khalis, head of the National Environmental Protection Agency, said last week that drought, water shortages, declining arable land, and flash floods were having a “profound impact” on people’s lives and the economy.


Russia urges caution in nuclear ‘rhetoric’ after Trump comments

Russia urges caution in nuclear ‘rhetoric’ after Trump comments
Updated 04 August 2025

Russia urges caution in nuclear ‘rhetoric’ after Trump comments

Russia urges caution in nuclear ‘rhetoric’ after Trump comments
  • Trump said he had ordered the deployment in response to what he alleged were highly provocative comments by Medvedev, saying the submarines would be positioned in “appropriate regions.”

MOSCOW: Russia urged caution on Monday after US President Donald Trump said he would deploy two nuclear submarines following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.
Trump said he had ordered the deployment in response to what he alleged were highly provocative comments by Medvedev, saying the submarines would be positioned in “appropriate regions.”
Trump did not say whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines.
He also did not elaborate on the locations, which are kept secret by the US military.
“Russia is very attentive to the topic of nuclear non-proliferation. And we believe that everyone should be very, very cautious with nuclear rhetoric,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP, on Monday.
The row between Medvedev and Trump erupted against the backdrop of the US leader’s ultimatum for Russia to end its military offensive in Ukraine or face fresh economic sanctions, including on its remaining trading partners.
Medvedev — one of Russia’s most prominent anti-Western hawks — accused Trump of “playing the ultimatum game” and said that Trump “should remember” that Russia was a formidable force.
“Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step toward war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,” he said.
Medvedev, who has not posted on social media since the spat, is currently the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council.
He served one term as president from 2008 to 2012, effectively acting as a placeholder for Putin, who was able to circumvent constitutional term limits and de facto remain in power.
The chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday backed Trump’s actions.
“The concept of peace through strength works,” Andriy Yermak wrote on social media.
“The moment American nuclear submarines appeared, one Russian drunk — who had just been threatening nuclear war on X — suddenly went silent.”


German interior ministry reviewing projects to treat children from Gaza

German interior ministry reviewing projects to treat children from Gaza
Updated 04 August 2025

German interior ministry reviewing projects to treat children from Gaza

German interior ministry reviewing projects to treat children from Gaza
  • The German cities of Hanover and Duesseldorf have said in recent days that they would accept children from the Gaza Strip and Israel who are particularly vulnerable or traumatized

BERLIN: Germany’s interior ministry is reviewing the feasibility of projects that would involving bringing children from Gaza to Germany for treatment, a ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
“The feasibility of such initiatives depends crucially on the security situation, the possibility of leaving the country, and other factors,” said the spokesperson.
The German cities of Hanover and Duesseldorf have said in recent days that they would accept children from the Gaza Strip and Israel who are particularly vulnerable or traumatized.
The ministry has not yet received any inquiries from German cities about the issue, the spokesperson said at a regular government press conference in Berlin.


Spain breaks up ring smuggling Yemenis to UK, Canada

Spain breaks up ring smuggling Yemenis to UK, Canada
Updated 29 min 9 sec ago

Spain breaks up ring smuggling Yemenis to UK, Canada

Spain breaks up ring smuggling Yemenis to UK, Canada
  • Group allegedly facilitated more than 40 irregular migration attempts, charging up to 3,000 ($3,250) per person

MADRID: Spanish police said Monday they have dismantled a criminal network suspected of smuggling mainly Yemeni migrants into Britain and Canada with fake passports.

After obtaining refugee documents in Greece, the migrants went to European airports where gang members would deliver them counterfeit passports to allow them to “irregularly” go to the two countries, police said in a statement.

The group allegedly facilitated more than 40 irregular migration attempts, charging up to 3,000 ($3,250) per person.

Police said they started investigating in September after Canada’s border agency alerted Spanish authorities to multiple cases of Yemeni nationals trying to enter from Spanish airports using forged travel documents.

Officers arrested 11 suspected gang members, including its alleged leader, in raids in northern Spain and Madrid.

Police said they traced flight bookings, money transfers, credit card payments, airport surveillance footage, and electronic travel authorizations as part of their probe into the network.

Authorities in Austria, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and Britain helped the investigation, and the European Union’s Europol agency helped analyze data from mobile devices that were seized from the suspects.