Kelly hits back at claims he called Trump an idiot
Reports say top aide believes he is ‘saving the country’ from an ‘erratic’ leader
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has denied that he said President Donald Trump is an “idiot” as it was claimed he talked Trump out of withdrawing all US troops from the Korean Peninsula.
Kelly, a retired four-star general, said NBC News’ claim that he called Trump an “idiot” was “total BS”. Kelly’s statement came about 45 minutes after NBC News published a report that described a number of fights between Trump and his embattled Chief of Staff. The outlet, saying it had talked to eight current and former White House officials, re- ported that Kelly often tells senior aides that they have to save the President from himself and his impulses — and that Trump does not understand policy.
“He doesn’t even understand what Daca is. He’s an idiot,” Kelly told White House aides, according NBC News, which cites two White House officials present for that particular meeting.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme has shielded hundreds of thousands of young immigrants brought to the United States illegally from deportation.
In a statement released by the White House press office, Kelly said: “I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS. I am committed to the President, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the Administration’s many successes.”
NBC News, though, said that according to four officials who say they’ve witnessed the comments, Kelly has referred to Trump as “an idiot” multiple times to underscore his point that the President has a questionable grasp on policy issues and the functions of government. They said Kelly also portrays himself to White House aides as the lone bulwark against catastrophe by curbing the President’s erratic urges.
NBC News wrote: “In one heated exchange between the two men before February’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, Kelly strongly — and successfully — dissuaded Trump from ordering the withdrawal of all US troops from the Korean Peninsula, according to two officials.
“For Kelly, the exchange underscored the reasoning behind one of his common refrains, which multiple officials described as some version of ‘I’m the one saving the country’.”
It then quoted what it said was a former senior White House official as saying: “The strong implication being, ‘If I weren’t here we would’ve entered WWIII or the President would have been impeached’.”
The Associated Press, which said a former White House official confirmed to it that Kelly called Trump an idiot, reported that the claims come as Kelly’s clashes with Trump over policy and personnel have grown louder and more frequent. It also claimed that Kelly had threatened to quit the White House on several occasions.
In recent months, Trump has chafed at Kelly’s management style, and has occasionally talked with friends about replacing him.
Indeed, Trump has floated the idea of appointing Kelly to run the Department of Veterans Affairs in calls with outside allies, said two people familiar with the conversations, though there are other possibilities in the mix and the President often floats ideas without taking action. Kelly has made clear he wouldn’t accept such an offer.
In his early days in the White House, Kelly imposed strict controls on access and the flow of information to Trump, though his direct influence has waned somewhat since then, aides said.
The President grew angry last year when NBC News reported that thenSecretary of State Rex Tillerson called him a “moron”. Tillerson did not deny the comment, instead saying at the time in response to questions that, “I’m not going to deal with petty stuff like that.” In one interview, the President seemed to challenge Tillerson to an IQ test. Tillerson was fired via tweet at the end of March.