Trump reportedly considers moving Kelly out of the White House to lead the VA

John Kelly.
(Image credit: Kevin Dietsch/UPI)

Former Secretary of Homeland Security and current White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is reportedly under consideration for his third Cabinet post in less than two years. With White House physician Ronny Jackson's decision to withdraw from consideration to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump is considering Kelly as one of several candidates for the job.

"There have been discussions among the senior staff and the president directly about the possibility of Gen. Kelly going [to the VA]," an unnamed source "familiar with the matter" told the Journal. Other contenders reportedly include Anthony Tersigni, head of nonprofit health-care giant Ascension, and former Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), who chaired the House Veterans Affairs Committee and advised Trump about veterans issues on the campaign trail.

While Kelly's military background and strong organizational skills might make him a reasonable choice, the timing of this news seems suspect: On Monday, NBC News reported the chief of staff called Trump an "idiot" in private. Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly called Trump a "moron" and, well, he is no longer part of the Trump administration.

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.