John Kelly Unhappy With His Job? He Says White House Is ‘A Miserable Place To Work’
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is seemingly unhappy with his job. According to a report by the New York Times, he told a group of group of senators last week that the White House is “a miserable place to work.”
Kelly is currently accompanying President Donald Trump to Singapore for the summit with North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un. On the tasks pertaining to North Korea, Joe Hagin, deputy chief of staff in the White House, was organizing the logistics.
According to the Times, White House aides are mocking Kelly’s new deputy chief of staff, Zachary Fuentes, by calling him “deputy president” for taking over some of Kelly’s duties.
According to sources who spoke to The Hill, he has lost influence over Trump. Kelly, who took over as chief of staff from Reince Priebus last year, was specifically appointed to bring order to the White House. He had threatened to quit several times to exert leverage over Trump.
According to a report by NBC News, his job may be in jeopardy as he called Trump “an idiot.” Kelly, however, denied the allegation, calling it “total BS.” He said that he spends more time with the president than anyone else and added that he and Trump have an “incredibly candid and strong relationship.”
“He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS. I am committed to the president, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes,” he said.
Kelly was responsible for the ouster of former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, and former White House aide, Omarosa Manigault Newman.
John Kelly confirms here what I reported last year: His phone was hacked. https://t.co/VFRIuwcmyRhttps://t.co/tjs1GalIH2
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) June 8, 2018
Trump is also growing increasingly agitated with Kirstjen Nielsen, the Secretary of Homeland Security, a candidate who was recommended by Kelly. According to a report by the Washington Post, Trump blamed Nielsen for not doing her job, which, in his opinion, has resulted in an increase in illegal border crossings at the Mexico border.
According to sources who spoke to the Washington Post, Nielsen and Kelly — close allies in the Trump administration — would mock the idea of a border wall being built at the southern border, Trump’s most central campaign promise to date.
According to The Hill, the chief of staff also reportedly erupted at Trump in March, threatening to quit. Other officials, including Nielsen, calmed Kelly down.
