Chris Christie asks Trump to take his name out of consideration for White House chief of staff

• Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on Friday that he was not interested in serving as President Donald Trump's chief of staff.

• Christie is among several others who were under consideration to succeed John Kelly to have bowed out of the running in recent days.

---

Former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said on Friday that he was not interested in serving as President Donald Trump's chief of staff, becoming yet another high-profile Republican to decline to take on one of the most gruelling jobs in politics.

"It's an honour to have the President consider me as he looks to choose a new White House chief-of-staff," Christie said in a statement. "However, I've told the President that now is not the right time for me or my family to undertake this serious assignment. As a result, I have asked him to no longer keep me in any of his considerations for this post."

Read more:
Who's next? Jared Kushner now among the potential replacements for John Kelly

Christie's decision mirrors that of several others who have been rumoured to be under consideration to become the president's top aide when John Kelly departs later this year.

Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who chairs the conservative House Freedom Caucus, removed himself from consideration on Wednesday, citing his desire to stay in Congress even after Republicans lost their House majority in the November midterm elections.

"I've had the best job in the world, representing the people of western North Carolina and working alongside President Trump these last two years to give the forgotten men and women of America a voice in their government," Meadows said. "I'm fully committed to continuing in both of those roles. I know the President has a long list of tremendous candidates for his next chief of staff, and whomever it is will have my total support moving forward."

Another name to drop out of the running was Nick Ayers, the outgoing chief of staff for Vice President Mike Pence. Ayers was rumoured to be a favourite for the position.

Other names that have been floated include Jared Kushner, a White House senior adviser; Steven Mnuchin, the treasury secretary; and Mick Mulvaney, who heads the White House's budget office and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.