Ron Klain set to depart as Biden’s chief of staff

Ron Klain, President Joe Biden’s chief of staff, plans to leave his post at the White House after a record run in the role, according to a person familiar with the move.

The longest-serving first chief of staff for any Democratic president, Klain oversaw an up-and-down two years for the administration. Last year’s difficult Afghanistan withdrawal and stubborn inflation also weakened Biden’s standing with the public. Biden, with his party holding narrow congressional majorities, piled up a number of major legislative wins and returned the U.S. to an alliance-first foreign policy, most notably in rallying the West in defense of Ukraine. It culminated with Democrats scoring better than expected results in the midterms.

Klain is expected to depart in the coming weeks. It comes as the administration enters a new phase of Biden’s presidency, pivoting from legislating to fending off investigations by the new House GOP majority and preparing for the president’s likely reelection campaign.