His White House in turmoil, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced late on Friday that he was appointing Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to be his Chief of Staff, ending the tumultuous six-month tenure of Reince Priebus.
After months of speculation about Mr. Priebus’ fate, Mr. Trump tweeted his decision as he landed in Washington after a speech in New York in which he lavishly praised Kelly’s performance at Homeland Security.
Mr. Priebus, the former Republican National Committee head, had been a frequent target of rumors about his job security amid infighting and confusion within the White House and a long whisper campaign by Trump allies. Then, on Thursday, he was assailed in a remarkable and profane public rebuke by Mr. Trump’s newly appointed White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci.
Mr. Priebus said he had offered his resignation on Thursday and the President accepted though those close to the President said the ouster had been in the works for weeks.
“I think the President wanted to go a different direction,” Mr. Priebus told CNN just hours after his exit was announced. He added that he agreed the White House might well benefit from “a reset”, and he said” “I am always going to be a Trump fan. I am on Team Trump.”
Mr. 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.”
“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!”
Mr. Kelly is a retired Marine four-star general though he has little experience in civilian government or the legislative process. Mr. Trump had focused on him in recent days, telling those close to him that he loved the general’s star power and that he believed military discipline was what his administration needed.
Mr. Priebus never could bring a semblance of order to the team of in-fighting rivals that populate Mr. Trump’s West Wing, and questions about his future have long swirled around the office. Those questions sharply escalated this week with the arrival of Mr. Scaramucci, the hard-charging Communications Director who was hired over Mr. Priebus’ objections.
Mr. Priebus’ already tense relationship with Mr. Scaramucci took a darker turn over the past two days when the communications chief suggested in a late-night tweet that Mr. Priebus was one of the “leakers” that Mr. Trump has railed against. The New Yorker magazine published an interview Thursday in which Mr. Scaramucci called Mr. Priebus, amid an avalanche of vulgarity, a “paranoid schizophrenic”.
Mr. Priebus, who hails from Wisconsin and has deep ties to House Speaker Paul Ryan, had grown increasingly isolated in the White House, as past Republican National Committee colleagues and other allies have left or been pushed out. Those who have departed include former deputy Chief of Staff Katie Walsh, former communications chief Mike Dubke, Press Secretary Sean Spicer and press aide Michael Short.
Another early departure from the Trump White House was National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, and Trump ousted FBI Director James Comey early on. He has lobbed Twitter insults at Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently though Sessions is still in place.
Mr. Ryan, in a statement, said Mr. Priebus “has left it all out on the field, for our party and our country”. Mr. Ryan added that he looked forward to working with Kelly.
Both Mr. Scaramucci and Mr. Priebus travelled to New York’s Long Island with Mr. Trump on Friday for a speech in which the President highlighted efforts to crack down on the gang MS-13. The Chief of Staff took the return flight to Washington, his fate sealed in the tweets that were sent by the president just as Mr. Priebus stepped off the plane.
Shortly before the president deplaned, Mr. Priebus’ black SUV pulled away, leaving the rest of the motorcade, including the President’s vehicle, in the distance.
