Reince Priebus Named Chief Of Staff By Donald Trump In Controversial Move
Donald Trump, President-Elect of the United States, has chosen Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as his future White House Chief of Staff, a key position in American government that would place Priebus in a position to guide Executive branch policy.
Donald Trump, who was elected as a member of the Republican Party in an Electoral College victory on November 8 in the United States general election, has spent the last days at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York City determining government appointments. The process has faced a great deal of scrutiny as a public that is skeptical of a Trump administration protests outside and supporters and critics alike wait to see just what sort of government Mr. Trump will create.
Reince Priebus, who Donald Trump has chosen as his designated Chief of Staff, is the current Republican National Committee chairman and has a long history in the Republican Party. He was formerly the chair of the Republican Party in his native state of Wisconsin, where he was instrumental in bringing to the public foreground such major GOP figures as Paul Ryan, who is currently the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, both of whom were potential Republican candidates for President and controversial figures in their own right.
Priebus was elected to the position of RNC Chairman in 2011. In accepting the appointment to White House Chief of Staff, BBC News writes that Priebus stated it was “truly an honor” to be part of the upcoming Trump administration.
“I am very grateful to the President-elect for this opportunity to serve him and this nation as we work to create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace Obamacare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism,” Priebus added.
Problematically for Donald Trump, Priebus is seen by many in his right-wing base to be part of the Washington establishment, and Trump won the election largely on the perception that he was an anti-establishment candidate. Even before the announcement that Reince Priebus would be the future Chief of Staff, Roger Stone, a close Trump ally and himself a lobbyist and senior GOP political operative, commented negatively on the decision.
The selection of @reince for COS in a @realDonaldTrump WH would cause a rebellion in Trump's base. #RyansBoy
— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) November 12, 2016
The hashtag “#RyansBoy” in the above Twitter message refers to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Speaker Ryan and Donald Trump sparred off and on throughout the campaign season, with Ryan long refusing to endorse Mr. Trump. Paul Ryan is seen as an establishment Republican, who does not share the Donald Trump vision of governance. Politico ran a story recently in which they interviewed several GOP members.
“I think we should put people’s minds at ease: that is not what our focus is. That is not what we’re focused on. We’re focused on securing the border. We think that’s first and foremost, before we get into any other immigration issue, we’ve got to know who’s coming and going into the country — we’ve got to secure the border,” Speaker Ryan said.
Many in the Republican base see the appointment of Reince Priebus to the position of White House Chief of Staff as a capitulation to the establishment politics he railed against the entire campaign. However, as pointed out by the LA Times, Donald Trump values loyalty, and Preibus was among the few establishment figures in the GOP to rally around Trump early on. The Priebus appointment suggests that Mr. Trump appreciates those personal relationships more then he believes in his anti-establishment stance.
[Featured Image by John Locher/AP Images]
