Generals bringmilitarydisciplinetotheWhiteHouse
WHEN Donald Trump was presented with a ceremonial sabre by the US Coast Guard Academy in May, John Kelly, his Homeland Security Secretary, was at his side. “Use that on the press, sir,” Mr Kelly whispered drily in the president’s ear.
It was an example of the uncompromising approach Mr Kelly, a retired four star Marine Corps general, has brought to the White House during his first week in the role of chief of staff.
With his no-nonsense, Bostonian manner, Mr Kelly, 67, has made a blitzkrieg start in a job widely referred to as “mission impossible”. According to White House officials he listens in on calls between the president and his cabinet secretaries, shuts down ineffectual advisers mid-flow, cuts the number of people in meetings, and keeps the doors of the Oval Office closed to non-essential staff.
Crucially, Mr Kelly has secured the agreement of Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner to report directly to him, not the president.
Some White House advisers have joked about now needing “permission slips” to see the president. But in an administration that has come to resemble the backstabbing court of the Borgias, Mr Kelly’s arrival is heralded as a victory for what some senior Republicans call the “axis of adults”.
The core of that axis is a triumvirate of former military generals – Mr Kelly, HR McMaster, the national security adviser, and Jim Mattis, the defence secretary. Rex Tillerson, secretary of state, and Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, are also in the group. At no point since Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency, more than half a century ago, have generals held such power in the White House.
“John is part of the axis of adults that are in there now and there will be more consistency in terms of orders,” said Mark Hertling, former US Army gen- eral, who served with Mr Kelly in Iraq. “I’ve seen him bring rigour to a staff process in the military. I watched him do it with his marines. He’s precise in what he wants and doesn’t suffer fools. There will be discipline in getting information to his boss; what his boss does with it he can’t control.”
Mr Kelly himself has indicated he will concentrate on “managing the staff ” rather than the president.
Within hours of being sworn in on Monday he invited Anthony Scaramucci, Mr Trump’s ambitious communications director, to his corner office in the West Wing and politely, but firmly, told him to resign. Then he as- sured Mr Sessions, belittled by Mr Trump, that his job was safe. The president has since stopped publicly criticising Mr Sessions.
Next, Mr Kelly provided cover as Mr McMaster sacked Ezra Cohen-Watnick, senior director for intelligence to the National Security Council. While Mr Cohen-Watnick is not a household name, he was a key piece on the White House chess board and an ally of Steve Bannon, the chief strategist.
He was the latest in a host of Bannonites to be purged by Mr McMaster, who is now himself under sustained fire in pro-Bannon media outlets, which suggested the general was “vol- atile” and about to be sacked. The war between Mr Bannon and Mr McMaster stems from their divergent views on foreign policy, including whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. One former White House official said: “There is an extraordinary amount of back-stabbing going on. But Kelly will protect McMaster.”
In handling the president Mr Kelly already appears to have secured a victory. One of the most noticeable changes was the tone of Mr Trump’s tweets, which concentrated on the economy rather than personal feuds.