Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University and author, with Kevin Kruse, of the forthcoming Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN.

(CNN) President Donald Trump has announced his final choice in the chief of staff sweepstakes: Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. The announcement, made predictably via Twitter on Friday, ends more than a week of "Apprentice"-like scrambling to figure out who would replace outgoing Chief of Staff John Kelly. Nick Ayers (Vice President Mike Pence's former chief of staff), Newt Gingrich, Chris Christie and David Bossie were all in the mix.

Julian Zelizer

Mulvaney, who will serve as "acting" chief of staff, brings skills to the table that might be helpful in this job under normal circumstances. He was elected as a congressman for the 5th District of South Carolina in 2010 and became part of the Tea Party Revolution on Capitol Hill. Mulvaney has fostered strong relationships with Republicans in Congress (although House Democrats don't like him). He also has experience managing things: He is director of the Office of Management and Budget and recently stepped down as the acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

But skill sets don't matter in what might be the most thankless job in Washington. The Trump White House is in turmoil and under investigation. It is run by a President who refuses to listen to any adviser and eventually turns on almost everyone around him, and is in conversation with a political party desperately trying to figure out why it should stay loyal to its leader.

None of these conditions makes the chief of staff position appealing. Mulvaney, who will be Trump's third chief of staff, is stepping into a political hurricane, not unlike when Al Haig became President Richard Nixon's chief of staff in May 1973.

But while there will be speculation about whether Mulvaney can turn things around, there is no hope. What we see is what we will continue to get. The structural problems facing any chief of staff working for this President are immense and won't go away.

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