Nick Ayers, in talks with President Donald Trump to become his new White House chief of staff, is a 36-year-old political whiz-kid who could help with the looming re-election campaign, but critics question whether he has the grit needed to keep Trump and an often chaotic administration under control.
A photogenic Georgia native, Ayers has advised a series of high-profile Republican governors and has been Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, running one of the most effective political teams in Washington.
He has spent his entire career in Republican politics — a sharp contrast to the man he might replace, retired Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly — and earned a fortune selling ads to political campaigns.