Ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy emerges as dark horse candidate for Trump chief of staff role
WASHINGTON — Kevin McCarthy could lead a new house soon, The Post has learned.The ousted former speaker of the House of Representatives is widely seen as a top contender to be former President Donald Trump’s first chief of staff if he retakes the White House following the Nov.5 election, according to sources familiar with the deliberations.No final decision has been made and there is no sign that McCarthy is campaigning for the coveted role — though one person said the Californian has shown openness to being part of a second Trump administration in some capacity.Trump, 78, has vowed to rapidly enact tax cuts on everything from tips and overtime to Social Security benefits and car loan interest — while shaking up the federal bureaucracy and sharply pivoting US foreign policy — possibly giving McCarthy, 59, an edge due to his significant experience in Washington.Trump campaign co-manager Susie Wiles and former White House domestic policy adviser Brooke Rollins also are considered top contenders for the chief of staff job — with Wiles currently viewed as the front-runner due to her closeness with the Republican nominee and her highly praised management of his 2024 presidential bid.“[McCarthy] knows DC better than Susie,” one source handicapped the sweepstakes to The Post, “but she knows Trump better than him.”“I think Susie is most likely,” this person added, “and Brooke least likely, but all three are being considered.”Another GOP source — who agreed that Wiles is most likely to be chief of staff at least for part of Trump’s first year in office, should he become the 47th president — said McCarthy is so widely believed to be interested in the chief of staff gig that insiders speculate on stories he may be involved with that could be shaping the ex-president’s thinking.
A third source, however, told The Post that McCarthy expressed disinterest in being White House chief of staff as recently as this week, saying: “Kevin legit doesn...