White House Chief of Staff John Kelly says that he’s not going anywhere, at least for the time being.
Mr Kelly told reporters during a daily White House press briefing that he had no plans of quitting his post, and that he had spoken to the President recently and did not expect to be fired.
“Unless things change, I’m not quitting, I’m not getting fired, and I don’t think I’ll fire anyone tomorrow,” Mr Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general and former secretary of homeland security, said. “I don’t think I’m being fired today, and I’m not so frustrated in this job that I’m thinking of leaving.”
Reports have swirled indicating that Mr Kelly has become increasingly frustrated with his job working for Donald Trump. His statements addressing the rumours drew laughs from the assembled press in the room.
Mr Trump’s White House has been incredibly tumultuous. Mr Kelly’s predecessor has been fired, alongside other original top aides who have either been fired or resigned. Those ranks include former press secretary Sean Spicer, and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
The President’s legislative agenda has been stalled lately as well, fuelling the talk that Mr Kelly is unhappy with his current job. Mr Trump has distracted from those issues, too, starting a conflict with NFL players and the NFL itself over protests during the national anthem before game, and repeatedly blaming the people in Puerto Rico for their hardships following Hurricane Maria’s landfall there.
Mr Kelly’s public statement of loyalty is the latest example of top Trump aides doing so. Just last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pledged his loyalty to Mr Trump during a press conference, just on the heels of reports that he had called the President a “moron” after a meeting about nuclear proliferation.
