Mulvaney positioning himself to be Commerce Secretary: report

Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is telling allies he’d like to be Commerce Secretary should Wilbur Ross be swept up in a White House staff shakeup people familiar with the conversations told Politico.

While initially eyeing John Kelly’s job as chief of staff, Mulvaney reportedly pivoted to vying for Ross’s position but a Mulvaney ally told Politico he and President Trump have not yet discussed the possibility.

{mosads}Mulvaney could be an appealing replacement for Ross as he’s already been confirmed to his role by the Senate and would likely face no major speedbumps as he transitions to a potential new job.

But Mulvaney is not the only contender, as Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon, Ray Washburne, a major Republican donor and the President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and Karen Dunn Kelly, undersecretary for economic affairs at Commerce, have all been floated as possible Ross replacements. 

Ross’s successor would take the reins of Trump’s trade war with Canada, Mexico, Europe and China and would oversee the 2020 census, which would determine the redistribution of congressional seats. 

While there is constantly a simmering level of speculation that any staffer can be fired at any moment in the Trump White House, the days following last week’s midterm elections raised the stakes for a more widespread administration overhaul, especially after Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions the day after the polls closed.

Kelly, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke are just some of the high profile names who seem to be making their way to the chopping block. 

“Morale is a low point,” one former administration official told Politico. “There is all of this uncertainty about who will still be in the White House in a few months and anxiety about what anyone has to look forward to – just the Democratic Congress making everyone’s lives miserable.”