Washington, Dec 16 (IANS): US President Donald Trump's budget director and his pick to be the acting Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, called Trump "a terrible human being" during a campaign debate in 2016.

In a video posted by The Daily Beast news website on Saturday, Mulvaney said at the debate with his then-Democratic challenger for South Carolina's 5th Congressional District seat, Fran Person, that he was supporting Trump for President, albeit reluctantly, CNN reported.

"Yes, I'm supporting Donald Trump," the incumbent Republican, who later won re-election, says in the video.

"I'm doing so as enthusiastically as I can, given the fact that I think he's a terrible human being, but the choice on the other side is just as bad."

During the transition, Trump tapped Mulvaney to be director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

On Friday, the President also named him to take over as acting Chief of Staff at the end of the year after incumbent John Kelly leaves the administration.

The White House has not commented on the development.