President Donald Trump on Thursday met with former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and considered him a top contender for the job of White House chief of staff, a position some advisers urged him to give to senior aide Jared Kushner, sources said.A source familiar with Trump’s thinking said the president had a positive meeting with Christie, confirming a report by Axios.com, and considered him a top-tier candidate for the position. Christie, a brash, tough-talking politician, was a contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 but abandoned the attempt after a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary and subsequently endorsed Trump, becoming his adviser throughout the 2016 campaign. Other sources said Trump was hearing appeals from some advisers to consider Kushner, a top White House aide who is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, for the chief of staff job. But one source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Kushner was currently not inclined to pursue the position. On Thursday, Trump said he was considering as many as five people to fill the vacancy that will be left when his current chief, retired General John Kelly, leaves the job early in the new year. Published in Daily Times, December 15th 2018.