Kelly losing White House clout as US prez blazes his own path

MANY AIDES RETAIN CONFIDENCE IN THE KELLY. ALTHOUGH HE HAS LOST SOME CREDIBILITY WITH THE STAFF, THERE IS NO SENSE OF URGENCY TO SEE HIM REPLACED,

WASHINGTON: White House chief of staff John Kelly has lost some of his clout following recent missteps and wasn’t at President Donald Trump’s side for recent crucial decisions on staffing and policy moves, according to several senior aides.

Kelly wasn’t with Trump last week when he abruptly decided to oust HR Mcmaster as national security adviser and replace him with John Bolton.

And Kelly is rarely on the line any more when Trump calls foreign leaders. Last week, when Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Kelly wasn’t on the call.

Kelly’s absence at those two moments last week highlights his struggles in managing the White House for a president who has a penchant for unpredictability and often follows his own lead when making decisions. Kelly has seen his influence slip since a staffing controversy in February marred his credibility and damaged his image as an internal disciplinarian.

Even so, Trump has shown no recent signs that he wants to fire Kelly and has gone out of his way to publicly praise his chief of staff.

Kelly entered the White House last July with a level of authority aides say his predecessor Reince Priebus never possessed. He moved quickly to impose order — most notably by restricting access to the Oval Office for subordinates as well as Trump’s many friends, unofficial advisers and confidants.

Those efforts paid off on the policy side, most noticeably with the administration’s victory in getting Trump’s massive tax cut legislation passed by Congress and signed into law.

Lately, Kelly is less aware of what’s on Trump’s mind and what he’s planning to do next, according to several aides, with one describing the men as sometimes on different wavelengths.