Kelly expected to leave amid Trump shake-up

President planning to replace several of his top officials

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump inched closer to his major White House shake-up Friday, gearing up for the challenges of battling for reelection and dealing with the Democrats’ investigations once they take control of the House. Chief of Staff John Kelly’s departure now appears certain.

Trump announced he was picking a new U.S. attorney general and a new ambassador to the U.N., and at the same time two senior aides departed the White House to beef up his 2020 campaign. Kelly’s replacement in the coming weeks is expected to have a ripple effect throughout the administration.

According to nearly a dozen current and former administration officials, Trump is nearly ready to replace Kelly and has begun telling people to contact the man long viewed as his likely successor.

“Give Nick a call,” Trump has instructed people, referring to Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers.

Trump has been dissatisfied with his team and has been weighing changes over the past several months. He delayed some of the biggest shifts until after the November elections at the urging of aides worried it would harm his party’s electoral chances.

Now, nearly a month after the midterms, Trump is starting to make moves.

He announced Friday that he’ll nominate William Barr, attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, to that office. If confirmed, Barr will fill the slot vacated by Jeff Sessions. Sessions resigned less than 24 hours after polls closed. Trump also announced that State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is his pick to replace Nikki Haley as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and he said he would have another announcement today about the military’s top brass.