President Trump obviously has the right to rebuke his critics. But just as liberal elitists who do much the same, he was wrong to personally insult former White House chief of staff John Kelly by saying he had been in “way over his head.”
Kelly served in that position between July 2017 and January 2019, and Trump attacked him in a tweet on Thursday.
When I terminated John Kelly, which I couldn’t do fast enough, he knew full well that he was way over his head. Being Chief of Staff just wasn’t for him. He came in with a bang, went out with a whimper, but like so many X’s, he misses the action & just can’t keep his mouth shut,.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020
Trump’s particular anger seems rooted in comments Kelly made on Wednesday. According to the Atlantic, Kelly defended the recently fired National Security Council official, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. Kelly apparently suggested that Vindman was right to report his concerns over Trump’s dealings with Ukraine up his chain of command.
Don’t get me wrong: I get why Kelly’s words upset Trump.
Kelly isn’t just the former head manager of Trump’s White House workforce: He’s a combat veteran and retired Marine general. His words on military issues thus carry immense import with conservatives in the country and the commentariat. They damage Trump’s claims that his firing of Vindman was necessary and legitimate.
Regardless, Trump is wrong to attack Kelly as he does.
Because while it’s true that Kelly did not fully master the politics of executive branch leadership, his White House tenure ultimately failed for two different reasons. Neither of which speaks to flaws on Kelly’s part.
Kelly’s first problem was that he lacked what any senior leader needs in order to lead effectively: common respect for his clear chain of command. Seeking to unify Trump’s workforce in shared action, Kelly was relentlessly obstructed by various vying factions. Numerous reports have suggested that Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were particularly successful in circumventing Kelly’s authority.
But Kelly also faced a deeper challenge, one that has limited the efficacy of all of Trump’s chiefs of staff thus far. Namely, the president does not like countermanding advice and often acts on whims. That is the president’s prerogative, of course. After all, he’s chief executive and the only elected official actually in the White House on most days. But it also explains why Kelly could not bring his 41 years of Marine Corps service to bear effectively.
There’s one final reason the president shouldn’t have posted his tweet: Kelly’s lifetime record and continuing conduct.
Even where he has criticized Trump since leaving the White House, Kelly has done so with careful language and only on specific points. And that fits with his legacy of national service. It’s a choice of service that has cost Kelly’s family a great deal.
