Trump names new White House chief of staff

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Republican lawmaker Mark Meadows will become White House chief of staff.

"I have long known and worked with Mark, and the relationship is a very good one," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Meadows, a member of the House of Representatives, will replace Mick Mulvaney, who had been acting chief of staff for over a year. Mulvaney will become the US special envoy to Northern Ireland, Trump said.

Meadows, who announced he was not seeking reelection for his House seat from North Carolina, is effectively Trump's fourth chief of staff since the president took office in 2017. The position does not require confirmation by the Senate. John Kelly and Reince Priebus also served as Trump's chiefs of staff before Mulvaney.

"I want to thank Acting Chief Mick Mulvaney for having served the Administration so well," Trump added.

Trump: Meadows a "tremendously talented man"

Meadows was a staunch supporter of the president during his impeachment trial and garnered Trump's praise after the Senate acquitted the president.

"He's a tremendously talented man, not just as a politician. As a human being, he's incredible," Trump said at the time.

The move came the Trump administration faces criticism for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Mulvaney was heading the interagency response to the virus until Trump named Vice President Mike Pence to lead the effort over a week ago.

Trump, who left Mulvaney as "acting chief of staff" for over a year, has eyed a change in the position for months. Two anonymous sources told the Associated Press that Trump wanted to wait until after impeachment to make a switch.

Meadows, a close ally and friend of the president, has made clear that he has no plans to try to rein in Trump, as others have tried and failed to do.

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sms/ls (Reuters, AP)