Trump reportedly told John Kelly to fire Jared and Ivanka because they 'didn't know how to play the game'

(Image credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

published 12 March 2019

When President Trump brought on John Kelly as his chief of staff in 2017, he reportedly had a task for him: "Get rid of my kids."

This is according to the new book Kushner Inc., in which reporter Vicky Ward describes the president asking Kelly to remove Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner from the White House early on in his tenure as chief of staff, telling him to get his children "back to New York," per The New York Times. The president reportedly fumed that they "didn't know how to play the game" and were generating negative news coverage.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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