Kevin McCarthy Emerges as Favorite for Trump Chief of Staff

This close to the election, everyone starts to talk about who will be filling Trump’s cabinet.

All of a sudden, Kevin McCarthy’s name is being tossed out there again, something I have been saying for months.

Getting Close

Before we start talking about a cabinet, there has to be a realistic chance that Donald Trump can win this election. I am here to tell you, that chance very much exists. I have stated before, that I see two clear paths for each candidate, and they intersect in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

For Donald Trump, it starts with winning Georgia and North Carolina. Trump is either tied or has a slight lead in most polls in those two states. If Trump wins those two states, he is almost guaranteed to win. Trump would have to split Michigan and Pennsylvania, then have a split on Nevada and Arizona. I will get into the Blue Wall states in a second, but in Nevada and Arizona, Trump is head in both recent polls.

For Harris, her best path is to win the Blue Wall states, with Trump needing that split between PA and MI. In Michigan, they are about even, with both taking leads in recent polls. In Pennsylvania, we are seeing the same thing, so a split is very much a possibility. Wisconsin is the third piece to that puzzle, but again, they are pretty much dead even in the state (I should mention, Trump was all but dead in this state a month ago, and he has come roaring back).

Predicting McCarthy

When McCarthy stepped down last year, I thought this was a clear sign that he was going to transition over to a surrogate for Trump and cement a spot in the Trump cabinet. McCarthy started off aggressively, but when his criticisms of Speaker Johnson (R-LA) fell flat, and his criticisms of Rep. Gaetz (R-FL) landed on deaf ears, he seemed to pull out of the limelight to take a breath and recover.

Even so, on December 11, 2023, I reported, “In terms of McCarthy serving in Trump's Cabinet, I can say fairly confidently that it will happen.

“Don't be surprised to see McCarthy's name show up as Chief of Staff. That seems like it would be the ideal fit for McCarthy, especially because Trump will have a real problem filling some of these roles in his Cabinet.

“Let's not forget, he has upset a lot of people, and crossed a lot of people, so the pickings for Trump are going to be relatively thin on that front.”

Playing Catch Up

Now that we are less than two weeks from the election, the rest of the pundits out there are finally catching up and placing their bets. While McCarthy has been quiet and is not openly seeking the role, insiders believe he would take this position in a heartbeat.

Along with McCarthy, two names that are starting to pop up fairly regularly are Trump campaign co-manager Susie Wiles and former White House domestic policy adviser Brooke Rollins. One Trump insider told the New York Post, “[McCarthy] knows DC better than Susie, but she knows Trump better than him.” The source went on to consider Wiles the favorite, but I am not buying it.

Spokesperson Steven Cheung recently addressed the rumors, stating, “President Trump announced a Trump Vance transition leadership group to initiate the process of preparing for what comes after the election.

“But formal discussions of who will serve in a second Trump Administration is premature. President Trump will oversee a smooth transition and choose the best people for his Cabinet to undo all the damage dangerously liberal Kamala Harris has done to our country.”

When you see McCarthy speak on Fox News, he is clearly still trying to gain favor with Trump. McCarthy seeks attention, and he still has revenge on his mind for having been kicked out of the Speaker role, so believe me, he wants this position to get back in the game. I have no problem eating crow on this if I am wrong, but I would be highly surprised if McCarthy does not get named Chief of Staff if Trump wins.