Trump calls Mattis ‘sort of a Democrat’, says he ‘may leave’

US President Donald Trump said he is unsure whether Defense Secretary James Mattis is planning to step down from his post, but told CBS’ 60 Minutes in a pre-taped interview that the retired general might and that he regards Mattis as “sort of a Democrat.”

“It could be that he is” planning to depart, Trump said, according to an excerpt of a transcript released yesterday before the show airs.

“I think he’s sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth. But General Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave. That’s Washington.”

This marks the first time that the Republican president has publicly said anything negative about Mattis, who last month told reporters not to take seriously reports that he may be leaving.

Asked about Trump’s remarks, Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said in a brief statement: “Secretary Mattis is laser-focused on doing his job — ensuring the US military remains the most lethal force on the planet.”

Mattis’ future has become a focus of media speculation, particularly after last month’s release of a book by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward that portrayed Mattis privately disparaging Trump to associates.

Mattis has strongly denied making any such remarks.

Trump had been deferential toward Mattis, saying on September 5 his defence chief would remain in his job.

Mattis is not political by nature, and previously made no secret of the fact that he was not looking to become secretary of defence — or even return to Washington — when Trump was elected.

The retired Marine general had stepped down from the military in 2013 and taken a job at Stanford University.

He told his Senate confirmation hearing last year he was “enjoying a full life west of the Rockies” when the call came about the position.

Asked last month about reports he may be leaving, Mattis said: “I wouldn’t take it seriously at all.”

Western officials privately extol Mattis, whose standing among Nato allies has risen as they become increasingly bewildered by Trump’s policies on trade and Iran and disoriented by his outreach to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

One factor thought to have darkened Mattis’ prospects is this year’s arrival in the White House of Mira Ricardel, who now has the powerful post of deputy national security adviser and is believed to dislike Mattis, current and former officials have told Reuters.

He is also seen as less hawkish on Iran than Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House National Security Adviser John Bolton.

Mattis has a dim view of journalism about inside-the-beltway politics in Washington, using the word “fiction” to describe Woodward’s book and similar reporting about closed-door conversations among US national security leaders.

Asked about the reports speculating about his departure, Mattis said on September 18: “It’s like most of those kinds of things in this town. Somebody cooks up a headline. They then call to a normally chatty class of people. They find a couple of other things to put in. They add the rumours...Next thing you know, you’ve got a story.”

Trump’s comments come as he eyes another cabinet shakeup.

Last week, his ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, announced her resignation, effective at the end of the year.

She gave no reason for the surprise move, but observers have noted that the ascension of Bolton as national security adviser and Pompeo as secretary of state have shifted the power dynamics on Trump’s national security team.

The generals who once dominated security policy increasingly have appeared to be on the outs with Trump.

Lieutenant General H R McMaster was replaced by Bolton in April, while John Kelly, the White House chief of staff and also a retired four-star general, is reported to have lost influence with the mercurial president.

Mattis has been careful to avoid public conflict with Trump, but has nonetheless performed in ways that contrast sharply with his boss, emphatically defending the US commitment to its Nato allies and calling out Russia.

Earlier this month, as Nato announced its biggest military exercises since the Cold War, Mattis reassured allies of America’s “iron-clad” commitment to the 69-year-old alliance.

The US, he told reporters in Paris, is “keenly aware of the dangers close to your home.”

While Bolton and Pompeo also have taken a hard line on Russia, Trump has often expressed a desire for better relations with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

In the 60 Minutes interview, Trump alluded to upcoming changes in his cabinet.

“I’m changing things around. And I’m entitled to. I have people now on standby that will be phenomenal. They’ll come into the administration, they’ll be phenomenal,” Trump said.

“I think we have a great cabinet. There are some people that I’m not happy with. I have some people that I’m not thrilled with. And I have other people that I’m beyond thrilled with,” he said.