The worst job in the world? Chief of staff to Donald Trump

Mark Meadows, the fourth lucky person to be chosen as White House chief of staff is having a hard time apparently. Well there's a surprise. It surely must go down as one of the worst jobs on the planet. Although you are supposed to be the White House chief of staff, coordinating everything that passes in and out of the Oval Office and masterminding piorities for the administration, in reality you end up being Trump's chief of staff. And to be any good at that you need to get everything right. But since Mark Meadows took over from Mick Mulvany as the top dog in March, things have definitely not gone right for him or for Trump. In fact a period of total disaster. First of all there's the pandemic screwing everything up, then there was that unbelievably disastrous PR exercise when Trump got a bunch of armed henchmen to clear a path for him through the Black Lives Matter protestors outside the White House so he could walk with his chums to grandstand outside St.John's Episcopal church the other side of the White House park to point out the vandalism to the church while holding a Bible in one hand. What else? Oh yes, Trump's plummeting popularity, with Joe Biden scooping up the votes in polls by not doing very much, Trump's decision, against the advice of William Barr, the Attorney General, to commute the prison sentence of Roger Stone, charged under the Russia collusion investigation, the reemergence of virus spikes all over the place, total confusion over wearing masks in public, the list goes on. Poor Meadows who claims he is a good friend of Trump's, can't be blamed for everything but the fact is all this happened under his watch and there are people in Washington who are now saying this chap Meadows is just not up to the job. The truth is no one is up to this job. It's impossible, whoever is president, but especially with Trump in charge because he rules by instinct and chief of staff Meadows, however good he is at reading the runes, can never know from day to day what new problem he is going to have solve or resolve. You plan for one thing and get something else. All Meadows's predecessors - Mulvaney, General John Kelly and Reince Priebus - all left with a huge look of relief on their faces. Mulvaney apparently broke down in tears at least twice while he was acting chief of staff. He is now Trump's special envoy for Northern Ireland. Not an easy job at the best of times but the stress levels nust have dropped by a factor of 100. How long Meadows will last is anyone's guess. But after three and a half months in the White House job I bet he is already looking ahead to when he can get a life once again. Mind you, flying around in Air Force One with allegedly the most powerful man in the western world must boost the old ego a bit. Stick with it, Mr Meadows.