Trump appoints new chief of staff, sends Mulvaney to Northern Ireland

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday named Rep. Mark Meadows as his new chief of staff, replacing Mick Mulvaney, who been acting in the role for more than a year.

Trump announced the staff reshuffle in Friday night tweets, saying Mulvaney would become the U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland.
 

I am pleased to announce that Congressman 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....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 7, 2020

The long-rumoured move makes Meadows, who announced he was not seeking re-election for his House seat from North Carolina, effectively Trump's fourth chief of staff since taking office in 2017.

The decision comes as the Trump administration has faced criticism for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Mulvaney had been leading the interagency response to the virus until Trump designated Vice President Mike Pence to lead the government effort more than a week ago.