The hardest job in Washington? A look at those who have served as chief of staff for Trump

WASHINGTON — Susie Wiles will be the latest occupant of the hottest hot seat in Washington — Donald Trump's chief of staff.

It's a tough job under the best of circumstances, responsible for networking with lawmakers, administration officials and outside groups while also keeping the White House running smoothly.

But it's been particularly challenging under Trump, who has a history of resenting anyone who tries to impose order on his chaotic management style. Four people served as chief of staff during his first term, and sometimes things ended on acrimonious terms.

Will past be prologue? It's impossible to know. So far, Wiles has fared better than most in Trump's orbit, and she just steered his presidential campaign to victory.

Here's a look at who came before her.

Reince Priebus

Priebus chaired the Republican National Committee while Trump ran for president in 2016, and he became Trump's first chief of staff in the White House. Priebus was symbolic of the awkward alliance between the party establishment and Trump's insurgency, and he struggled to balance the two.

Six months into his first term, Trump pushed out Priebus on July 28, 2017. The decision was announced on Twitter, which was par for the course in those tumultuous years.

John Kelly

Next up was Kelly, who had been Trump's first Homeland Security secretary. Trump liked the way that Kelly, a former four-star Marine general who had served in Iraq, led his immigration crackdown.

But he soon became frustrated by Kelly's attempts to impose military-style order on the chaotic White House. Kelly clashed with the president and some of his allies, ultimately becoming more isolated and less influential.

Trump appeared so eager to get rid of Kelly, he announced his departure on Dec. 8, 2018, without having a replacement lined up.

Mick Mulvaney

It took days for Trump to settle on a replacement for Kelly, an unusual delay for a such a critical role. He chose Mulvaney, a former South Carolina congressman who was running the White House budget office at the time.

The decision came with an asterisk — Trump called Mulvaney his ''acting'' chief of staff, suggesting the position would be temporary.

Mulvaney abandoned Kelly's strict management approach and decided to ''let Trump be Trump.'' Instead of managing the seemingly unmanageable president, Mulvaney focused on overseeing the staff and working with lawmakers.

He held the job for a little more than a year, departing on March 6, 2020, after Trump was acquitted in his first impeachment trial.

Trump turned to Meadows, a North Carolina congressman and leader of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, to serve as his fourth chief of staff. It was a challenging time, with the coronavirus spreading in the United States and around the globe.

Long viewed as one of the roadblocks to congressional deal-making, Meadows played a leading role in negotiating pandemic relief legislation. He also proved himself as a loyalist as Trump was running for reelection against Joe Biden. Meadows oversaw a White House awash in conspiracy theories about voter fraud as Trump tried to overturn his defeat.