Several key members of Trump’s administration might be heading out the door as the White House tumbles towards its first set of shakeups.
Multiple news agencies are reporting that major shakeups at the White House may be pending.
Overview
Politico reported on Sunday that Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian who recently met with Trump, said the presidency had been “off to the rockiest start that I can remember.”
“Everything he rolls out is done so badly,” Brinkley stated, adding that: “It reeks of being short-staffed and not having a true pecking order of production from the White House. They’re just releasing comments, tweets and policies willy-nilly. It’s been a very convulsive and confusing first few weeks, but nevertheless it’s been salad days if you care about Republican policies.”
Politico added that: “while Trump is unlikely to make any immediate staff moves, senior administration officials say, he has ramped up his contact with people he trusts outside the White House and has expressed concerns about how things are going.”
An unnamed source who recently talked to Trump is quoted by Politico as saying that “There will definitely be a change by the end of the summer if not sooner.”
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus
The New York Times reported on Sunday that “A longtime friend of President Trump’s who met with him this weekend in Florida issued a public rebuke of the president’s chief of staff on Sunday, blaming him for the botched rollout of Mr. Trump’s targeted travel ban and saying the early chaos in the White House may not ease until he departs.”
The friend, Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax Media, said in an interview that Reince Priebus was well meaning and well liked. But he said Mr. Priebus was in over his head, and he hinted that Mr. Trump may already be growing weary of the man he chose to run the White House.
“He doesn’t waste a lot of time,” Ruddy said, referring to Trump. “If he thinks somebody is not performing, he moves pretty quickly.”
The New York Times went on to note that “Priebus is not a longtime confidant” of Trump’s. Further, “during the transition, Mr. Trump named Mr. Priebus chief of staff, but announced the choice in the same news release in which he named Stephen K. Bannon… as his chief strategist,” giving Bannon “top billing in the announcement” – not Priebus.
Politico reported that: “Several Trump campaign aides have begun to draft lists of possible Priebus replacements, with senior White House aides Kellyanne Conway and Rick Dearborn and lobbyist David Urban among those mentioned. Gary Cohn, a Trump economic adviser who is close with senior adviser Jared Kushner, has also been the subject of chatter.”
National Security Adviser Michael Flynn
NBC News reported Monday morning that “a White House official tells NBC’s Peter Alexander that some White House aides have been encouraging President Trump to consider firing National Security Adviser Michael Flynn for not acknowledging that he spoke to Russia’s ambassador about the sanctions the outgoing Obama administration slapped on Russia — something he and Team Trump denied.”
Incoming White House Senior Policy Advisor Stephen Miller made the Sunday news show rounds, refusing to say whether Trump still had confidence in Flynn during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Asked directly by NBC host Chuck Todd if Trump still had confidence in Flynn, Miller dodged the question, responding:
“That’s the question that I think you should ask the president, the question you should ask Reince, the chief of staff. I’m here today as a policy adviser. And my focus was on answering the policy questions that you have. General Flynn has served his country admirably. He is a three-star general. He’s head of the defense intelligence agency. And I look forward to having more discussions about this in the future.”
Politico reported that:
Trump has told several people that he is particularly displeased with national security adviser Michael Flynn over reports that he had top-secret discussions with Russian officials and lied about it. The president, who spent part of the weekend dealing with the Flynn controversy, has been alarmed by reports from top aides that they don’t trust Flynn. “He thinks he’s a problem,” said one person familiar with the president’s thinking. “I would be worried if I was General Flynn.”
However, The New York Times reports that Flynn is safe for now:
Several aides have been encouraging President Trump to fire Flynn, but multiple White House sources say a move is “not imminent.” As one senior official told us, He’s “fine — for now.” Asked whether it’s fair to say his job is in jeopardy? “(Long pause) It’s not fair — for today.”
Press Secretary Sean Spicer
Trump’s concern goes beyond Priebus and Flynn according to Politico.
According to conversations with more than a dozen people who have spoken to Trump or his top aides, he has mused aloud about press secretary Sean Spicer, asking specific questions to confidants about how they think he’s doing behind the podium. During conversations with Spicer, the president has occasionally expressed unhappiness with how his press secretary is talking about some matters — sometimes pointing out even small things he’s doing that he doesn’t like.
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