‘Fake News’ — Donald Trump Denies Considering Kellyanne Conway as Chief of Staff

President Donald Trump denied a report from Bloomberg News claiming he had floated the idea of hiring Senior Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway as his new chief of staff.

“Wrong,” he wrote, sharing a link to the report. “Never even discussed this with Kellyanne Conway or Steve Mnuchin. Just more Fake News!”

Trump’s allies criticized Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney for his difficult week after he stepped into a press briefing to defend the president. He ended up walking back some of his remarks about the Ukraine defense funding controversy that led Democrats to start the impeachment process. His performance on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace was also criticized as he tried to further clarify his remarks.

Other Trump fans appreciated Mulvaney’s combative briefing with the press, including his comment for reporters to “get over it,” which sparked a campaign t-shirt. But sources in Washington are freely talking behind the scenes with reporters about his replacement, suggesting that the president is thinking about a change.

Conway’s husband George Conway’s continued criticism of the president might be a sticking point for some in the White House, despite her continued role as the White House Counselor to the president. Conway remains one of the few advisors from the 2016 campaign that remain in the White House despite rapid staff turnover.

Mulvaney continues to hold the position of “Acting White House Chief of Staff” since Trump appointed him in December 2018 after former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie withdrew his name from consideration.

Other reports cite rumored candidates including White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, son-in-law Jared Kushner, Rep. Mark Meadows, or Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Other sources have named Deputy Chief of Staff Daniel Walsh, Businessman and lobbyist Wayne Berman, political operative and lobbyist David Urban, and Vice President Mike Pence’s former Chief of Staff Nick Ayers as potential candidates.