WASHINGTON- President Donald Trump is announcing that budget director Mick Mulvaney will be his next chief of staff.

Trump tweeted Friday that Mulvaney “has done an outstanding job” in his administration and would take over next year.

I am pleased to announce that Mick Mulvaney, Director of the Office of Management & Budget, will be named Acting White House Chief of Staff, replacing General John Kelly, who has served our Country with distinction. Mick has done an outstanding job while in the Administration….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 14, 2018

Trump deemed Mulvaney his “acting chief of staff” but it was not immediately clear what that meant for the length of his tenure.

He will replace John Kelly. Trump praised Kelly’s service and called him a “great patriot” in the tweet.

Trump announced last week that Kelly, who served in the post for more than a year, would soon be departing.

The president’s first choice was Nick Ayers, the vice president’s chief of staff, who bowed out after being unable to come to an agreement on how long he would serve in the post.

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