NATO partners quietly agreed to postpone their chief’s departure from his role in order to prevent Donald Trump from choosing the successor, according to the Times of London. Last week, Jens Stoltenberg was reconfirmed as secretary-general of NATO for another three years. Most NATO heads don’t stay longer than five years in the role, but if Stoltenberg completes the extended term he’ll have been there for eight. Two sources told the newspaper that the partners had worked to push back the debate over Stoltenberg’s successor until after 2020 election—in the hope that Trump will no longer be U.S. president and have no influence on the selection. One source said the extension was to stop Trump from “meddling” in the process, while the other said: “There was a feeling it would be better to push it past the presidential election.” Trump said Tuesday that he wanted Stoltenberg reappointed, saying: “He’s done an excellent job and when it came time to renew... I had no doubt in my mind who I wanted.”