Donald Trump 'interviewing some really great people' for new chief of staff as he 'fails to reach terms' with Nick Ayers

The coveted job of the US president’s chief of staff has been left wide open as Donald Trump struggles to find a successor for John Kelly.

The president is said to be weighing at least four people after plans to announce Nick Ayers as his top pick for the job fell through.

White House sources have been reported as saying that Mr Trump and Mr Ayers, who is chief of staff to vice president Mike Pence, could not agree on terms.

The high-profile hiring search comes at a pivotal time as the president looks to prepare his White House for the twin challenges of securing his re-election and fending off inquiries once Democrats gain control of the House next year.

On Sunday, Mr Trump tweeted he was interviewing some “really great people” for the role.

The president is said to be seeking input on at least for people including Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-NC, the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Mr Trump’s week, which centred around damaging developments in the Mueller investigation into his links with Russia, ended on Saturday with an announcement that Mr Kelly would leave the posting at the end of the year.

Mr Ayers was the favourite for the job but, a White House official said Sunday that Trump and Ayers could not reach agreement on Ayers' length of service and that he would instead assist the president from outside the administration.

Ayers confirmed the decision in a tweet Sunday, thanking Trump and Pence for giving him the opportunity to work in the White House. "I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause," he said.

Mr Ayers and Mr Trump had discussed the job for months, making the breakdown Sunday all the more surprising.

Mr Trump said Saturday that he expected to announce a replacement for Mr Kelly in a day or two.

But with Mr Ayers no longer waiting in the wings, Mr Trump may now take until the end of the year, according to a person familiar with the president's thinking.

It is reported Trump is reported to want a chief of staff – his third, after former Republican National Commitee chair Reince Priebus and Kelly, a retired Marines Corps general – in place through to the 2020 election.

Mr Priebus and Mr Kelly, whose last day on the job is set for January 2, both struggled to impose order on an impetuous president and an unruly White House.

Mr Ayers had earned the backing of the president's influential daughter and son-in-law, White House advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, but was viewed warily by other aides.

He will run a pro-Trump super PAC, according to a person familiar with his plans who was not authorized to discuss them by name.