John Kelly Has Reportedly Called Trump an ‘Idiot’ on Multiple Occasions
Multiple White House officials have reportedly told journalists that the relationship between Donald Trump and John Kelly is getting even worse, and that the chief of staff has insulted the president’s intelligence on several times.
A report from NBC News states that Kelly has grown increasingly frustrated with Trump’s erratic behavior, shaky understanding of policy, and lack of knowledge for how the government works. Sources say there were various policy meetings where Kelly seemed to credit himself for positive White House developments, and would refer to himself as the country’s savior from the president.
“He doesn’t even understand what DACA is. He’s an idiot,” Kelly said, according to two sources. “We’ve got to save him from himself.”
The news comes amid recent indications that Kelly is losing power and influence while Trump pushes back on his efforts to bring order to the White House. Based on NBC’s report, it’s possible Kelly won’t last in the administration for much longer:
Some current and former White House officials said they expect Kelly to leave by July, his one-year mark. But others say it’s anyone’s guess. What’s clear is both Trump and Kelly seem to have tired of each other.
“Kelly appears to be less engaged, which may be to the president’s detriment,” a second senior White House official said.
The news resembles the old reports that surrounded Rex Tillerson several months ago. Before he was fired as Secretary of State, multiple sources said that Tillerson would call Trump a “moron” behind his back.
UPDATE – Kelly has offered a response to the report.
White House Chief of Staff Kelly on NBC report he called Trump an “idiot”: “total BS” pic.twitter.com/v5aBZXwhdQ
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) April 30, 2018
[Image via screengrab]
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