“Finding a successor who combines all these skills will not be easy and may be impossible,” said Ms. Tenpas. “He’s heading into a re-election campaign that adds to Ron’s appeal because of his campaign skills and political skills. In addition, his experience as a chief of staff on Capitol Hill will be invaluable as he navigates a divided government.
At this point in his presidency, Donald J. Trump was already on his third chief of staff and his third national security adviser and had lost more than half of his first 15 cabinet secretaries. In contrast, none of Biden’s official members who left. In fact, even Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen, who some thought might drop out of the midterm elections, recently told Mr. Biden that she would stay.
Mrs. Tenpas calculates the number of Mr. Biden in his most important places at 40 percent in the first two years, much lower than the number of 66 percent during the same period under Mr. Trump, even higher than other recent presidents, such as Barack Obama, himself. he saw only 24 percent in his first two years.
However, few of those who left were the highest or the inner circle of the president, which has remained strong. Biden’s overall approval rating is higher than it would have been because of the turmoil in Vice President Kamala Harris’ office, with staff members coming and going frequently.
Another departure is expected, possibly after the President’s State of the Union address, which is scheduled for February 7. Brian Deese, the President’s financial adviser, is expected to leave at the end of this year, while Cecilia Rouse is expected to leave her position as the chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers to return to Princeton University.
Mr. Klain, 61, who grew up in Indiana, graduated from Georgetown and received a law degree from Harvard, has now served under three presidents and brought more to the White House in his tenure than any other incumbent. He was a senior counsel to President Bill Clinton, counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno and chief of staff to Vice President Al Gore. The person at the center of Mr. Gore won the Florida election in 2000, Mr. Klain later starred with Kevin Spacey in the 2008 HBO film “Recount.”
Mr. Klain also worked in Mr. Biden’s Senate office and served as Mr. Biden’s chief of staff when he was vice president before becoming Mr. Obama’s Ebola coordinator. In all, they served under nine previous White House officials. “I’ve worked for more White House officials than White House officials,” Mr. Klain boasted.
