After a tumultuous week for Trump administration staffers following White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci’s crazy rant about Reince Priebus, President Trump announced on Friday that Priebus had been ousted after only six months as the White House chief of staff.
As The New York Times reports, President Trump announced the change on Twitter Friday evening, saying that John F. Kelly, a retired Marine general and the secretary of homeland security, had already been chosen as Priebus’s replacement.
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….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
…and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2017
“I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff,” Trump tweeted “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.”
As for Priebus, he added, “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!”
Priebus’s ousting follows White House communication’s director Anthony Scaramucci’s rant Wednesday night to The New Yorker‘s Ryan Lizza in which he revealed his feud with Priebus and offered some *choice* words, describing him as a “a f***ing paranoid schizophrenic,” and “a leaker.” The Times reports that Priebus offered his resignation to the president Thursday morning, thinking he would have a week before his resignation was announced to the public.
Despite all of the drama earlier in the week, Priebus seemed to have no hard feelings, telling CNN, “Look, the President wanted to go a different direction. I support him in that,” he said. “I’ve been obviously talking to the President for a few days about this. … the President was great.”
John F. Kelly will be the first former general to serve as the White House chief of staff since the Nixon administration. The White House has not yet announced whether he’ll continue serving as secretary of homeland security as well.