Zients replaces current Biden chief of staff Ron Klain. He worked with Biden for decades in Washington and is considered one of his closest and most trusted advisers.

Klain will be the first in the president’s inner circle to leave the White House since Biden took office.

Zients is portrayed as a seasoned technocrat, but lacks the strong political connections that Klain brought. The White House chief of staff decides who will have access to the president, sets his agenda and communicates with political lobbyists. At the same time, he constantly has to deal with small and large crises that may arise.

US media reported earlier in January that Klain is expected to step down within weeks. As chief of staff, Klain played a very central role in the Biden administration. He is credited with managing the complex negotiations that took place behind the scenes between the White House and Congress. These resulted in a number of policy decisions and victories for Biden – including the big climate, health and tax bill.

An important part of Zients’ job now will be to ensure that Biden can carry out policy decisions despite attempts by Republicans to oppose them.

Biden’s new chief of staff must also deal with the consequences of discoveries of classified documents, among others, at Biden’s residence, which is under investigation by a special investigator.

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