President Trump thanked his chief of staff John Kelly for all his work after reports surfaced earlier in the week suggesting the retired Marine general was on the outs with the president.
“Thank you to General John Kelly, who is doing a fantastic job, and all of the Staff and others in the White House, for a job well done,” Trump tweeted. “Long hours and Fake reporting makes your job more difficult, but it is always great to WIN, and few have won more than us!”
Thank you to General John Kelly, who is doing a fantastic job, and all of the Staff and others in the White House, for a job well done. Long hours and Fake reporting makes your job more difficult, but it is always great to WIN, and few have won more than us!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 23, 2018
Reports in recent days indicated Trump may have been possibly looking for a replacement for Kelly after Kelly’s remarks last week suggesting Trump’s campaign trail statements on immigration were not fully formed.
A report in Vanity Fair indicated Trump was looking at David Urban, a Washington lobbyist, as a replacement for Kelly after the president reportedly told a friend, “I’ve got another nut job here who thinks he’s running things.”
The four-star general was one of the White House’s point people in negotiations with Congress before and during the government shutdown.
Kelly reportedly told Hispanic lawmakers Trump’s campaign trail statements about immigration and building a border wall with Mexico were the result of him not being totally informed on immigration policy.
He then repeated the remarks in a campaign interview.
It’s the second denial of the Vanity Fair report from the White House Tuesday morning after press secretary Sarah Sanders said she would only “use Vanity Fair as a coaster.”
"I would not use Vanity Fair for much other than a coaster. I don't think it is a reliable source of information and certainly not on this topic. Look, as chief of staff Kelly has said himself, as the president has stated, they both plan on being here for the long haul and doing it together. They have a great relationship. They're working well together," Sanders told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" Tuesday morning.
"I expect General Kelly not just to be here for the next three years but the next seven years. As he said, he's in it for the long haul. He has spent his entire life dedicated to public service and he sees this as one of the most important jobs he has ever had and a person like that doesn't walk away and he wants to see great things for this country just like the president and he wants to help push the president's agenda," she added.
