Washington
Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner is on the short-list of potential candidates for the President’s next chief of staff, US media said on Thursday.

Kushner, an influential White House adviser and husband of Trump’s daughter Ivanka, met the Republican leader to discuss the job, according to the Huffington Post, which first reported the story.

“I am not aware that he is under consideration but, as I think all of us here would recognise, he would be great in any role that the President chooses to put him in,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said of the news, which was also reported by CBS.

Nick Ayres, the 36-year-old chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, had been touted as favourite to get the job, but announced he was taking himself out of the running, dealing a blow to the President.

Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican who heads the hard-right Freedom Caucus in the House of Representatives, showed more interest–but also ultimately withdrew his candidacy.

Kushner was a key player in negotiations with Canada and Mexico to preserve a free trade pact between the North American countries.

He has also led efforts to draft a Middle East peace plan that the Trump administration said it would unveil in early 2019.

The 37-year-old has also cultivated close ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is accused of playing a role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a case that has rattled the kingdom’s ties with the West.