The White House has denied reports that President Donald Trump is searching for a replacement for John Kelly following repeated resignation threats by the fed-up chief of staff.
Tensions have been high between the pair for some time. The president is irritated by the strict system that Kelly has imposed on him, which Trump beleves conflicts with his freewheeling leadership style, CNN reports. Kelly in turn has been horrified by Trump's unpredictable outbursts and has threatened to quit on a number of occasions.
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Time magazine reports Kelly as saying that “he’d be happy if he made it to the one-year mark in the position” - an anniversary that he is due to reach in late July.
Rumours are already circulating about who might replace him as chief of staff, despite the White House denying the reports.
“It is absolutely not true and that it is fake news. I’ve also spoken to General Kelly, who said this was news to him,” White House spokesperson Lindsay Walters said yesterday.
But similar denials have meant nothing in the past. The White House dismissed reports of the departure of then-national security adviser H.R. McMaster shortly before he left.
According to sources close to Trump, possible candidates to take over from Kelly include the president’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, and Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers, says Time.
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