Nobody wants to work with Pete Hegseth, and now Trump has to deal with the chief he tried to boot

Donald Trump’s advisors have stopped looking for a permanent chief of staff for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meaning Ricky Buria will keep doing the job temporarily.

This happened even though the White House had doubts about Buria at first, seeing him as a possible problem. Not being able to find a new chief of staff shows how hard it is to get people to work with Hegseth, leaving the administration stuck with a situation it didn’t want.

The chief of staff job, which manages the day-to-day work of Hegseth’s office and helps run the massive, trillion-dollar defense department, opened up after Joe Kasper left earlier this year amid major internal conflicts. Even though Buria isn’t likely to get official White House approval for the permanent role, their efforts to stop him from taking over have mostly faded.

This change is partly because the news has moved on from the scandals that hurt Hegseth earlier. According to sources from The Guardian, the White House has lost interest in micromanaging Pentagon staffing decisions.

The White House gives in and leaves the Chief of Staff role unfilled because no one wants it

Buria’s rise to this powerful role has been surprising. He started as a junior military assistant to the former defense secretary, Lloyd Austin. luck changed when Hegseth fired his senior military aide, Lt. Gen. Jennifer Short. Buria quickly stepped into that role as a temporary replacement, which was unusual for someone at his level.

Buria then tried to switch to a political appointee role, gaining more influence just as Hegseth’s office was dealing with a messy leak investigation. That investigation led to three other top aides leaving and Kasper’s early exit, which cleared the way for Buria. With those people gone, Buria took over the chief of staff duties. He also won Hegseth’s favor by framing these changes as a way to stop the leaks.

At first, the White House was very worried about Buria getting more power. They were concerned about reports that he was part of a Signal group chat that may have included classified information, as well as his access to Hegseth’s phone. They also doubted his lack of political experience and his role in ongoing office drama at the Pentagon, seeing him as part of the growing dysfunction in Hegseth’s office.

Despite these concerns, Hegseth kept defending Buria. The White House eventually agreed to a compromise: Buria could stay on Hegseth’s team, but he wouldn’t be officially named the permanent chief of staff. However, by keeping Buria and giving him all the responsibilities of the job, Hegseth has basically made him the chief of staff anyway, as some Trump advisors have pointed out.

Buria has become a regular presence in the West Wing, joining briefings in the situation room and working closely with top White House officials. Inside the Pentagon, he’s often called “Chief Ricky,” showing how firmly he’s settled into the role. This has been a relief for Hegseth, who faced the possibility of losing his closest aide due to White House concerns.

Still, it’s unclear whether the White House’s increased contact with Buria means they actually trust him or if they’re just accepting that he’s the only Hegseth aide who can act as his top staffer. The White House could still decide later to appoint a permanent chief of staff.