The White House denied a report Thursday evening that said President Trump had decided to boot national security adviser H.R. McMaster.
“Just spoke to Trump] and Gen. H.R. McMaster – contrary to reports they have a good working relationship and there are no changes at the [National Security Council],” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a tweet.
Just spoke to @POTUS and Gen. H.R. McMaster – contrary to reports they have a good working relationship and there are no changes at the NSC.
— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) March 16, 2018
In the report that incited the latest talk of McMaster’s ouster, sources told the Washington Post that Trump had already made the decision to oust him and was actively discussing prospects for who should take over his post.
The report also said Trump was in no rush though to find a successor, in part because he does not want to embarrass McMaster and also because he wants a good candidate to replace him.
McMaster’s future at the White House has long been a topic of speculation, and some have noted he and President Trump have a rocky relationship. Then, as now, McMaster and others dismissed the rumors and reports.
Earlier this month, the White House waved off suspicion that McMaster would be leaving in the near future. “We frequently face rumor and innuendo about senior administration officials,” White House principal deputy press secretary Raj Shah said in a statement. “There are no personnel announcements at this time.”
“I have a job. It’s a tremendous honor to do this job … and it is my intention to go as long and as hard as I can to serve the president and the nation,” McMaster said in January. The statement came in response to an NBC News report that the White House was planning to oust him.
The report Thursday comes after Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, by tweet, earlier this week and announced he would be nominating CIA director Mike Pompeo to take his place.
McMaster was hired in 2017 after former national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned from his post after it was revealed he provided misleading information to Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with Russian officials.
