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The Latest: More candidates emerge for Trump chief of staff

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the White House chief of staff (all times local):

9:25 p.m.

As President Donald Trump ponders picking a new chief of staff, more names are emerging as possible contenders for the job.

People familiar with the discussion at the White House tell The Associated Press that among the people being considered are the White House budget chief, Mick Mulvaney, and a Republican congressman from North Carolina, Mark Meadows.

Other names in the mix include Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Trump's former deputy campaign manager, David Bossie.

Once thought to be the president's top choice, vice presidential chief of staff Nick Ayers tweeted Sunday that he's no longer in the running for the position.

Trump says in a tweet that he'll be making a decision "soon."

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8:05 p.m.

Now that President Donald Trump's top choice to be chief of staff has passed on taking the job, he is considering four others for the post.

A person familiar with Trump's thinking tells The Associated Press that the president is considering the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, and a Republican congressman from North Carolina, Mark Meadows, who is chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Thought to be the president's top choice, vice presidential chief of staff Nick Ayers tweeted Sunday that he's no longer in the running for the position.

A White House official tells the AP that Trump and Ayers could not reach agreement on Ayers' length of service. Trump wants his next chief of staff to hold the job through the 2020 election.

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5 p.m.

President Donald Trump is considering four people as he determines who will be his next chief of staff.

A person familiar with Trump's thinking tells The Associated Press that the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, is among those under consideration to replace John Kelly.

The person thought to be the president's top choice for the job, vice presidential chief of staff Nick Ayers, tweeted Sunday that he's no longer in the running for the position. Instead, he will begin overseeing a pro-Trump political action committee next year.

A White House official tells the AP that Trump and Ayers could not reach agreement on Ayers' length of service. Trump wants his next chief of staff to hold the job through the 2020 election.

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4:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump's top pick to replace John Kelly as chief of staff, Nick Ayers, is no longer expected to fill that role.

That's according to a White House official who is not authorized to discuss the personnel issue by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Ayers is Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff.

The official says that Trump and Ayers could not agree on Ayers' length of service. The father of young children, Ayers had agreed to serve in an interim capacity though the spring, but Trump wanted a two-year commitment.

The official says that Ayers will instead assist the president from outside the administration.

Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would be departing the White House around the end of the year.

In this June 21, 2018 photo, White House chief of staff John Kelly listens as President Donald Trump speaks during a lunch with governors in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Trump says chief of staff John Kelly will leave his job at the end of the year.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) The Associated Press
In this Nov. 1, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump walks in to the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, to talk about immigration and border security. Chief of Staff John Kelly is at right. Trump says chief of staff John Kelly will leave his job at the end of the year.(AP Photo/Susan Walsh) The Associated Press
President Donald Trump talks to media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, for the short trip to Andrews Air Force Base en route to Philadelphia to attend the Army-Navy Football Game. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) The Associated Press
President Donald Trump greets people after arriving via Air Force One at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. Trump is attending the Army-Navy football game. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) The Associated Press
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