Trump pushes out Priebus, names DHS’s Kelly chief of staff
The president tweeted his decision on Priebus as plane was landing
WASHINGTON — His White House in turmoil, U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced late Friday 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 Priebus’s fate, Trump tweeted his decision as he landed in Washington after a speech in New York in which he praised Kelly’s performance at Homeland Security.
Priebus, the former Republican National Committee head, was the frequent target of rumours 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 the subject of a remarkable and profane public rebuke by Trump’s newly appointed White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci.
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.”
He also saluted Priebus, the chief of staff he had just pushed out.
“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!”
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 infighting 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 the arrival of Scaramucci, the hard-charging communications director who was hired over Priebus’s objections.
Priebus’s already tense relationship with Scaramucci took a darker turn over the past two days when the communications chief suggested in a late-night tweet that Priebus was one of the “leakers” that Trump has railed against. The New Yorker magazine published an interview Thursday in which Scaramucci called Priebus, amid an avalanche of vulgarity, a “paranoid schizophrenic.”
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.
Ryan, in a statement, said Priebus “has left it all out on the field, for our party and our country.” Ryan added that he looked forward to working with Kelly.
Both Scaramucci and Priebus travelled to New York’s Long Island with Trump on Friday for a speech in which the president highlighted efforts to crack down on the gang MS-13. Priebus took the return flight to Washington his fate sealed in the tweets that were sent by the president just as he stepped off the plane.
Shortly before the president deplaned, Priebus’s black SUV pulled away, leaving the rest of the motorcade, including behind the president’s vehicle. The president eventually emerged and delivered a brief statement on the runway.