Christie has been mentioned as a potential replacement for chief of staff John Kelly, whose relationship with the president has recently grown strained, but it’s unclear whether Christie would be willing to work in the West Wing, with its reputation for chaos. The people close to Christie said he also would not work in a White House alongside Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner, who advocated for firing him from the transition after Trump’s surprise 2016 victory.

But some Republicans close to the White House think that Trump will want to fire Attorney Gen. Jeff Sessions — who has been a target of Trump’s anger over special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign’s interaction with Russian operatives in 2016 and possible obstruction of justice since — after the midterms and put someone else in charge of the Department of Justice. That would potentially pave the way for Christie to be tapped as attorney general, the job friends and allies say he wanted all along.

“Christie has always said there will be a 2.0 to the Trump administration once you get through the first two years. And he’s kept his options open, post-gubernatorial, by not becoming affiliated with any big law firm and by giving speeches and getting a TV contract, which keeps him relevant,” said one Republican lobbyist close to both the White House and Christie.