Trump, Christie met to discuss chief of staff job: report

President Trump on Thursday met with former Republican Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.) amid his search for the next White House chief of staff, according to an Axios report.

A source told Axios that the president is considering Christie because he’s “tough” and “politically-savvy.”

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

{mosads}The former governor was once one of Trump’s opponents for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 but abandoned his campaign after the New Hampshire primary.

He quickly endorsed Trump after dropping out of the race and went on to become an adviser throughout the remainder of the campaign.

Christie has a history in law and was also reportedly considered to replace former Attorney General Jeff Sessions last month.

Christie notably sent Trump senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father to prison during while he served as a U.S. Attorney for New Jersey.

Kushner has also reportedly been considered for the chief of staff position. 

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Thursday night that she was not aware whether Kushner was under consideration for the role.

“But as I think all of us here would recognize, he will be great in any role that the president chooses to put him in, Sanders said. “He has done a tremendous job on a number of fronts, whether it was on trade or what we’ve seen play out over the last week on criminal justice reform. He’s done a great job on all those efforts.”

Sources told Reuters that Kushner is not inclined to take the job because he is happy in his current role. 

Trump on Thursday said he has narrowed the list of candidates for the position down to five.