On future of key figures, Trump hedges
Kelly, Nielsen regarded as imminent casualties
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump isn’t committing to a previous pledge to keep chief of staff John Kelly for the remainder of his term, part of speculation about staffing changes that soon could sweep through his administration.
Trump, in an interview that aired on “Fox News Sunday,” praised Kelly’s work ethic and much of what he brings to the position but added, “There are certain things that I don’t like that he does.”
“There are a couple of things where it’s just not his strength. It’s not his fault. It’s not his strength,” said Trump, who added that Kelly himself might want to depart.
Asked whether he would keep Kelly in his post through 2020, the president replied only that “it could happen.” Trump had pledged publicly that Kelly would remain through his first term in office.
Trump said he was happy with his Cabinet but was thinking about changing “three or four or five positions.” One of them is homeland security chief Kirstjen Nielsen, whose departure is considered inevitable. Trump said in the interview that he could keep her on, but he made it clear that he wished she would be tougher in implementing his immigration policies and enforcing border security.
The list of potential replacements for Nielsen includes a career lawman, two military officers and a former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement head.
Trump also downplayed a federal judge’s decision to restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta’s White House press pass but derided what he called a lack of “decorum” among reporters who cover the administration.
And Trump reiterated that the White House was going to write rules of conduct for reporters at news conferences, adding, “If he misbehaves, we’ll throw him out or we’ll stop the news conference.”