Trump replaces his chief of staff after six months
President Donald Trump announced on social media Friday that he was replacing Chief of Staff Reince Priebus after a tumultuous six-month tenure.
Trump first announced on Twitter that he was naming Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly, a former four-star Marine general — “a true star of my administration” — to be his chief of staff.
In a subsequent tweet, Trump thanked Priebus for his service. Priebus told allies that he had offered his resignation to Trump on Thursday.
Trump’s announcement on Twitter said, “I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American … and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration.”
Kelly is a retired Marine four-star general. Trump had focused on him in recent days, telling those close to him that he believed military discipline was what his administration needed.
Priebus never could bring a semblance of order to the team of in-fighting rivals that populate Trump’s West Wing, and questions about his future have long swirled around the office. Those questions sharply escalated this week with a very public feud between Priebus and Trump’s new director of communications, Anthony Scaramucci, whom the president hired over the objections of his chief of staff.
The feud boiled over on Thursday after Scaramucci called Priebus “a f——— paranoid schizophrenic” in a vulgarity-filled rant with New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza. Scaramucci also offered, prophetically it turns out, “Reince Priebus — if you want to leak something — he’ll be asked to resign very shortly.”
When Trump boarded Air Force One earlier Friday headed for New York, Priebus and Scaramucci were part of his entourage — an arrangement that led White House watchers to wonder which top aide would survive the trip. Scaramucci did not make the return flight, but he kept his job.
Priebus landed with Trump just as the press corps learned the news.
A brief tenure
Priebus did not respond to reporters’ shouted questions though he later released a statement saying it was “one of the greatest honors of my life” to serve as chief of staff. He also pledged to continue to support Trump’s agenda. His term ends in fewer than 200 days, the shortest tenure for any president’s first White House chief of staff since the post was formally established in 1946.
The shakeup comes one week after then Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigned to make way for Scaramucci, who would fill his other role as communications director. At his first White House briefing, Scaramucci promoted Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to serve as White House spokeswoman.
Asked if the decision originated with Priebus or Trump, Sanders told reporters, “We all serve at the pleasure of the president.” She added that the president and his top aide had discussed the change for two weeks.
Priebus, the former Republican National Committee head who had brought Spicer to the White House with him, had protested Trump’s decision to hire a communications chief with no experience in the hard knock world of political campaigns.
But Scaramucci had his own unique credentials — he had made it on Wall Street. He traded a middle-class Long Island background into a fortune worth some $85 million.
A week ago, Scaramucci denied any ill will with Priebus. “We are a little bit like brothers where we rough each other up once in a while, which is totally normal for brothers,” he said.
Thursday, Scaramucci amended his remarks when he told CNN, “Some brothers are like Cain and Abel.”
I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
...and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
Priebus’ limited power
From day one, Priebus’ power has been limited compared with past officials with his title. In a highly unusual arrangement, Trump said at the outset that Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon would serve as “equal partners” in implementing his agenda.
Scaramucci was the latest top aide to be granted a direct line to Trump, and it became increasingly unclear who actually reported to Priebus.
Priebus also was blamed by some within the White House for the failure of the Republican health care plan, with some Trump allies believing that Priebus’ longtime relationships with Republicans on Capitol Hill should have ensured the bill’s passage.
As Homeland Security secretary, Kelly has taken the lead on some of Trump’s most controversial policies, including his executive orders suspending the admission of refugees and temporarily barring visitors from several Muslim-majority nations. Those orders have been stripped down by courts pending a Supreme Court review this fall.
Kelly has also pushed for support for Trump’s signature campaign pledge to build a wall along the southern border, though he acknowledged at his confirmation hearing that “a physical barrier in and of itself will not do the job.”
Contact Debra J. Saunders at dsaunders@reviewjournal.com or at 202-662-7391. Follow @DebraJSaunders on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this story.
