Trump eyes former aides as West Wing staffers depart
Behind closed doors, the president has lately been talking up the outside advisers who helped usher him into the White House, fueling speculation about new additions in 2018.
By ANDREW RESTUCCIA and ANNIE KARNI 12/21/2017 07:48 PM EST Updated 12/22/2017 08:17 AM EST
President Donald Trump is basking in the first big legislative victory of his presidency — but the strong end to a shaky first year in office hasn’t stopped him from privately ruminating on potential changes he could make to his inner circle in 2018.
Speculation about additions to the cast of characters in Season 2 of Trump’s West Wing has ramped up as the administration braces itself for a wave of staff departures expected in the coming weeks, according to a dozen White House aides and outside advisers who have spoken with the president.
In recent weeks, these people say, Trump has been particularly high on Larry Kudlow, an outside economic adviser to the president and a former adviser to President Ronald Reagan. He helped lobby senators on the tax bill and was on hand at the White House on Wednesday for the South Lawn celebration after it passed.
Kudlow has been discussed internally as a potential successor to National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, who has announced no immediate plans to leave but has told friends he will be weighing his options over the holidays.
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https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/21/trump-white-house-staff-shakeup-313721
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