Ohio governor urges Trump to end staff chaos at White House

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich urged President Donald Trump on Sunday to stop the staff chaos at the White House and “settle it down.”

Strategist Steve Bannon last week became the latest top White House official to follow Trump’s national security adviser, a chief of staff, two communications directors and a press secretary, and others, out the door.

“You can’t keep putting new people in the lineup and think you’re going to win a world championship,” said Kasich, who is among those who think the staff churn is hampering Trump’s ability to notch a major legislative victory. He voiced his concerns on CNN’s State of the Union.

The White House said Bannon and new White House chief of staff John Kelly had “mutually agreed” that Friday would be Bannon’s last day. Bannon resumed his role as executive chairman of the conservative Breitbart News website.

David Bossie, a former deputy manager of Trump’s campaign, said Bannon wanted to give Kelly “an opportunity to have a clean slate.”

Bannon repeatedly clashed with other top advisers, most notably Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. He dismissed concerns that White House staff divisions are hurting Trump’s ability to get his priorities passed, saying that “in every presidency there are factions.”

Bossie blamed Republican congressional leaders instead. “No one is saying the president is not leading. There’s a lack of leadership on one side of Pennsylvania Avenue,” he said on Fox News Sunday.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, urged “more cleaning house” at the White House, naming policy adviser Stephen Miller and national security aide Sebastian Gorka as two who should be fired.