Reince Priebus said Friday that serving as White House chief of staff was “one of the greatest honors” of his life, and he vowed to continue to support President Trump after being replaced six months into his tenure.
“It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve this President and our country,” Priebus said in a statement. “I want to thank the President for giving me this very special opportunity. I will continue to serve as a strong supporter of the President’s agenda and policies.”
In an interview with CNN later on Friday, Priebus confirmed that he resigned from his position on Thursday, as some news outlets reported. But he suggested his job status was in doubt for awhile, saying that he and Trump had frequent discussions on the matter.
“We talked all the time about this subject,” Priebus told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
Priebus offered praise for his replacement John Kelly, Trump’s secretary homeland security, calling him a “brilliant” pick. Priebus said he helped Trump pick Kelly as the new chief of staff.
“I think it’s a good time to hit the reset button,” Priebus said. “I think [Trump] was right to hit the reset button. I think its something the White House needs.”
The former chief of staff showed no hard feelings for Trump, and refused to comment on the tirade this week by Anthony Scaramucci, the new White House communications director. Scaramucci called Priebus a “fucking paranoid schizophrenic.”
“This is not like a situation where there is a bunch of ill will feelings,” Priebus said. “I’m always going to be a Trump fan. I’m on team Trump.”
