Barely five weeks in his position as White House Chief Of Staff, John Kelly had his first major conflict with President Donald trump. The real estate billionaire bristled at the suggestion by staff for the president to refrain from injecting politics in his daily governance. Trump vented his ire on Kelly who happened to be the most senior aide in his presence, The New York Times reported.
Kelly reacted calmly, but later told other White House staff that it was the first time he has been ever spoken to that harshly in his 35 years of government service.
Three people who heard the exchange said it would be the last time that the former Maine general would tolerate such kind of treatment.
Trump hates being told what to do
The root of Trump’s outburst is being told what to do which the president hates. Kelly agreed to take over the position vacated by Reince Priebus to bring order into the White House where leaks were commonplace. Kelly, however, did not aspire to the job, unlike other staff who were eager to work for Trump. He agreed to take the job more out of a sense of duty to serve the nation.
Since Trump is one person who will not be contained and does not like being handled or managed, it is inevitable that he would rebel against the newest manager out to control the president, Roger Stone, a longtime adviser to Trump, explained.
Because Trump is how own man, “he’s going to resist all the control and regimented systems Kelly is trying to impose,” Stone added.
Another resignation?
While Kelly has given Trump another chance, The Telegraph reported that Keith Schiller, the director of the Oval Office operations, is also preparing to resign. Although Trump had told him he could see the president anytime, Schiller now has to go through a switchboard to speak to Trump.
Sarah Huckabee Sander, the White House press secretary, however, denied that Schiller would resign from his post.
General John Kelly is doing a great job as Chief of Staff. I could not be happier or more impressed - and this Administration continues to..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2017
Meanwhile, to appease Kelly, Trump praised his chief of staff on Friday in a tweet.
A previous report stated that Trump did not like being told by Kelly about his binge watching Fox News, a pro-Trump station. The president relies on TV and printout of articles passed on to him by aides Kelly has removed news from Breitbart and The Daily Caller, Fortune reported.
Following the tongue-lashing from Trump, White House staff are now guessing how long Kelly would last. Their estimates range from one month to one year. Kelly admitted his current job now is the hardest he ever had.
