John Kelly reportedly wanted to quit, but Trump asked him to stay until 2020
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has put in his two years' notice.
Kelly wanted to be the next member of the Trump administration to take an early departure, but President Trump convinced him to stay until 2020, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The chief of staff has had a fraught relationship with the president in recent months, but he told his staff Monday that he had agreed when Trump had asked him to remain at his post through the next presidential election. Tensions between the two men have reportedly calmed, and Trump congratulated Kelly for reaching the one-year mark as chief of staff.
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Still, it's very possible that Kelly won't make it all the way through the remainder of Trump's "keep America great" campaign. The Journal reports that officials have offered differing opinions when it comes to whether Trump is preparing to replace Kelly with other staffers, like Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney. The White House has called reports of possible successors "fake news," but Trump recently said he didn't know whether Kelly would resign soon or not. Read more at The Wall Street Journal.
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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.
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