President Trump wouldn’t say for sure that White House chief of staff John Kelly will remain in his current role through 2020.
Back in July, Kelly told colleagues that Trump had asked him to stay on through the next presidential election.
But when pressed about it on this week’s “Fox News Sunday,” following reports of another impending upheaval in the Trump administration, the president indicated that Kelly’s exit could come sooner.
“We — I wouldn’t — look, we get along well,” Trump told host Chris Wallace when asked about 2020. “There are certain things I love what he does. And there are certain things that I don’t like that he does, that aren’t his strength. It’s not that he doesn’t do — you know he works so hard. He’s doing an excellent job in many ways. There are a couple of things where it’s just not his strength. It’s not his fault, it’s not his strength.”
Trump wouldn’t comment on specific qualms related to Kelly, noting that his chief of staff at “some point, is going to want to move on,” but also suggested 2020 “could happen.”
After the forced resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions earlier this month, speculation began about who might follow.
At the top of the list was Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The Washington Post reported that Trump told advisers that he would soon boot Nielsen, despite opposition from Kelly, who preceded Nielsen as DHS secretary.
Trump told Wallace there’s “a chance” she’ll go.
“But there’s a chance everybody [will],” he cautioned. “I mean, that’s what happens in government. You leave, you make a name, you go. The people that have left have done very well. The people that have left [that] have done very well from my White House. I like [Nielsen] very much, I respect her very much. I’d like her to be much tougher on the border. Much tougher, period.”
Trump said he is thinking about “three or four or five positions,” even though it might end up being just two that ultimately are shaken up.”
“I need flexibility,” he said.
