KELLY ON WAY OUT THE DOOR
No replacement announced
John Kelly is next on President Trump’s long list of staffers who have jumped ship — of their own volition or not. The president said yesterday that chief of staff Kelly will leave his job by the end of the year amid an expected West Wing reshuffling that will reflect an emphasis on the 2020 re-election campaign. Trump remarked on the South Lawn yesterday that he will announce Kelly’s replacement “over the next day or two” and called Boston native Kelly “a great guy.” Republican strategist Mike Dennehy said a new chief of staff will present a “healthy change” for the administration. “It’s fairly typical for an administration to change staff and leaders at any given time,” said Dennehy. He said Trump’s upcoming decision to replace Kelly will be “the most important decision that the president will make.” Kelly has been credited with imposing order on the West Wing after his arrival in June 2017 from his post as Homeland Security secretary. But his stern manner also alienated some longtime Trump allies and his powerful role got smaller and smaller. Word of Kelly’s impending departure came a day after Trump named his picks for attorney general and ambassador to the United Nations, and two senior aides shifted from the White House to Trump’s campaign. “The president has great connections and the folks he’s tapped already are top notch so I fully expect Kelly’s replacement will be up to the challenge,” said Dennehy, who said Kelly has performed well as chief of staff. Philip Johnston, former chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, also said Kelly has done well in office, but said the administration changes are a bad sign. “I think that this is further evidence of the emotional instability of our president. … He attacks his own appointees whether they’re competent or not,” said Johnston. Kelly had early successes, including ending an open- door Oval Office policy that had been compared to New York’s Grand Central Station and instituting a more rigorous policy process to try to prevent staffers from going directly to Trump. Johnston and Dennehy couldn’t predict who will fill Kelly’s shoes, but Johnston said whoever lands the position will have their reputation “destroyed.” “I think it’s a losing proposition to be Donald Trump’s chief of staff — there’s no way to win,” said Johnston. A Boston native, Kelly served in the Marine Corps and retired as a four-star general. Johnston said Kelly will receive a warm welcome back in Boston. “We will welcome him back to Boston where it’s an island of rationality and civility in comparison to where he’s been working for the past two years,” said Johnston.