Donald Trump has appointed John Kelly to be his new chief of staff. Kelly leaves the Department of Homeland Security and replaces Reince Priebus. This is a good appointment.
It was clear that Priebus had lost control in the White House. As I noted yesterday, the effort by newly appointed communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, to replace Priebus was gathering steam. While Trump has treated Priebus poorly, leaking his concerns to the press for months, it was clear something had to give. And that wasn’t going to be Trump.
That said, Priebus deserves credit for sticking it out this long. One can only imagine how stressful it is to try and manage team Trump.
Still, Kelly is a good pick. A former Marine infantry officer who rose to four-star general, Kelly knows how to lead. Equally important, his penchant for plain speaking and results-oriented action is desperately needed. In addition, Trump clearly respects his new chief of staff, so might be willing to listen to him. Kelly is also unlikely to engage in press-related antics.
But there’s one big question mark here. How much power will Trump give Kelly?
In the end, Priebus failed because Trump never gave him the authority to fire and hire. He lacked the ability to impose discipline on the troops. And that meant what we have seen for the last six months: a waltz of chaos at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
But what now? How, for example, will Kelly deal with Scaramucci and Bannon? Neither has shown any desire to defer to the top boss in the staffing chain. And when Kelly tries to stamp his authority as the president’s gatekeeper, he will need Trump’s support. Put simply, Kelly will need the authority to fire anyone who doesn’t defer to his decisions. Or send them through “the Quigley.” If Kelly doesn’t have that command presence, he’ll fail before he begins.
