musical chairs
James Mattis could be the next Cabinet official to go
President Trump's brief tenure in office has been marked by a record-setting rate of Cabinet dismissals and other high-profile staff resignations. Defense Secretary James Mattis has hung on longer than many, but a Monday NBC News report citing unnamed current and former administration officials says he is increasingly marginalized by the president.
Last month, for example, Mattis learned second-hand that Trump had decided to exit the Iran nuclear deal, and NBC reports he had to rush to get in touch with Trump to discuss the news before it was made public. Likewise, Trump told Mattis about his plan to suspend Korean "war games" after he'd promised the change to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Trump "blindsided and overruled his defense secretary by publicly directing the Pentagon to create a sixth military branch overseeing operations in space."
Mattis and Trump "don't really see eye to eye," one source told NBC, while another said the defense secretary, though garnering Trump's respect, has "never been one of the go-tos in the gang that's very close to the president." On foreign policy questions, Trump is more likely to seek the advice of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or National Security Adviser John Bolton, both of whom take a more hawkish approach.