Trump with Reince Priebus on election night. Trump said on Friday: ‘Reince is a good man. John Kelly will do a fantastic job. He’s a great, great American.’
Donald Trump has fired Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff and replaced him with Homeland Security secretary John Kelly, the president announced on Twitter on Friday.
Trump tweeted: “I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a great American … and a great leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my administration.”
The dismissal of Priebus came as little surprise after he was the subject of a furious, foul-mouthed attack by new communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who claimed he would be asked to resign imminently. Priebus told the Wall Street Journal in a text message that he resigned privately on Thursday.
Trump – who in six months has now lost a chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, national security adviser, communications director and press secretary – added on Twitter: “I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!”
According to a pooled report, Trump sent the tweets shortly after Air Force One landed back at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland following a trip to Long Island, New York. Priebus and Scaramucci were on the same flight back to Washington DC.
Trump got off the plane and told reporters: “Reince is a good man. John Kelly will do a fantastic job. General Kelly has been a star, done an incredible job thus far, respected by everybody. He’s a great, great American. Reince is a good man.”
In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: “General John Kelly is one of the true stars of the administration. He has helped seal the border and reduced illegal immigration by 70%. He is respected by everyone, especially the people at the Department of Homeland Security.
“The entire administration loves him and no one is comparable. He will begin on Monday morning and a cabinet meeting will follow his swearing in Monday morning.
“The president thanks Reince Priebus for his service. They accomplished a lot together. He was loyal in his dedication to the president. The president thanks him and his family for his great service to the country, and he will always be a member of the Trump Team.”
Priebus was one of the least powerful chiefs of staff in recent history, and his future had long been a matter of speculation. In a highly unorthodox move, Trump decided that Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon would serve as “equal partners” in implementing his agenda.
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