Mnuchin Says He'll Stay in Trump's Cabinet Until 2020 or Beyond

(Bloomberg) -- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he plans to stay in his post through the 2020 presidential election -- and perhaps longer if asked.

“I foresee myself here at least through the first term and if the president wants me here for a second term when he’s re-elected, I would seriously entertain that,” Mnuchin said Tuesday in a roundtable interview at Bloomberg’s Washington office.

Mnuchin has reliably supported Donald Trump through some of the president’s lowest moments and has played a central role in some of the president’s most significant policy moves, including the ongoing trade war with China and sanctions targeting Iran, Russia and Venezuela. Rumors about Mnuchin’s future in the administration have abounded.

In November, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Treasury secretary might become a casualty of Trump’s Cabinet shakeup. But Mnuchin’s fortunes swung dramatically just a month later, when he was mentioned as a top candidate to replace White House Chief of Staff John Kelly.

Mnuchin said he was happy at Treasury but would serve as Trump’s top aide if asked. In the end, Trump kept him where he is, instead selecting White House budget director Mick Mulvaney to fill in as acting chief of staff.

To contact the reporters on this story: Saleha Mohsin in Washington at smohsin2@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, Saleha Mohsin

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