.@PressSec: "I expect General Kelly not to just be here for the next 3 years but the next 7 years." pic.twitter.com/BecoW7YTM1— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 23, 2018
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders on Tuesday denied a Vanity Fair report that chief of staff John Kelly runs the risk of losing his job and said she expects the retired general to remain President Trump's top staffer through 2020, and possibly even 2024.
"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."
"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.
Sanders criticized the media for its reports over the past year that various administration officials were about to be fired or resign.
The women's fashion magazine reported Monday that Trump, pushed by daughter and White House senior adviser Ivanka Trump, was considering Washington lobbyist David Urban to replace Kelly.
"I’ve got another nut job here who thinks he’s running things," Trump told a friend about Kelly.
The magazine wrote "Kelly acts like he’s running the government while Trump tweets and watches television."