U.S. President Donald Trump said in a tweet on Friday he has named Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly as White House chief of staff, replacing Reince Priebus, who has been in a feud with Trump's new communications director.
"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....," Trump said on Twitter.
Kelly has been serving as Trump's Homeland Security secretary, which would create a crucial vacancy.
According to the New York Times, the president's advisers are telling him Kelly as chief of staff is a bad idea.
It had been widely assumed that new communications director Anthony Scaramucci would hop into the role to replace Priebus once he either quit or was fired.
According to CNN, Priebus resigned as chief of staff on Thursday.
A senior White House official stated on Friday that Trump informed Priebus two weeks ago that he would be replacing him as White House chief of staff.
"Reince is a good man," Trump told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base after returning from a speech in New York. "John Kelly will do a fantastic job.
"General Kelly has done an incredible job thus far, respected by everybody. A great, great American.
"Reince Priebus a good man."
Speaking earlier Friday at a rally in New York touting law enforcement efforts to destroy the MS-13 street gang, Trump congratulated Kelly for doing "an incredible job" at DHS. "Incredible.
"One of our real stars. Truly one of our stars.
"John Kelly is one of our great stars."
Noting that crossings of illegal immigrants at the U.S. border with Mexico were down more than 70 percent since taking office, President Trump said that the "whole group" at DHS "has been incredible, led by Gen. Kelly."
According to a White House spokeswoman, Kelly will start Monday morning as Trump's new chief of staff.
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