New White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is "the first former general to occupy the gatekeeper's post since Alexander Haig played that role for President Richard M. Nixon during Watergate," The New York Times notes, and the hopes that he would be able to bring order to President Trump's chaotic White House were bolstered when Kelly fired garrulous White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci as one of his first official acts. But after less than a day on the job, the Times reports, "several administration aides fretted that the impetuous president and the disciplined Marine were already on a collision course that could ultimately doom the unlikely partnership."
Before accepting the chief of staff position, after several weeks of entreaties from Trump, Kelly got the president's assurance that unlike Reince Priebus, his predecessor, he would have the traditional full control over the stream of people and information heading to the president, with all West Wing aides and advisers passing policy proposals, personnel advice, and counsel from outsiders through him. "But the president gave Mr. Priebus many of the same assurances of control, and then proceeded to undercut and ignore him," the Times reports, "to the point where Mr. Priebus often positioned himself at the door of the Oval Office to find out whom the president was talking to."
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