In the video, then-congressman Mulvaney is shown debating with his opponent, Democrat Fran Person, on Nov. 2 of 2016, less than a week before Trump was elected president, the Daily Beast reported. After slamming the Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, by claiming that she would take the country in the wrong direction, Mulvaney explained that he supported Trump more by default than by choice.
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“Yes, I am supporting Donald Trump, but I’m doing so despite the fact that I think he’s a terrible human being,” he said, cited by the State newspaper.
Mulvaney won his race by more than 20 points, becoming a part of Trump’s administration, serving as both the White House budget director and head of the Consumer Protection Bureau.
However, regardless of his remarks, there is a chance that Mulvaney won’t stay long as the acting White House chief of staff. Two sources familiar with the matter told the Daily Beast that Mulvaney has indicated in recent weeks that he definitely would not want the chief of staff position beyond a temporary, interim assignment. The sources suggested that Mulvaney didn’t want the reputational damage that could come with this role.
Trump has been experiencing problems finding a new chief of staff as John Kelly, a retired Marine general, is set to leave the post at the end of the year. The President’s first choice, Nick Ayers, Vice-President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, declined after being unable to agree on how long he would serve in the position, while another candidate, Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, also ruled himself out of contention.