White House chief of staff John Kelly has long been on shaky ground, but his clashes with first lady Melania Trump might lead to his departure before the end of the year, according to an NBC News report Tuesday.
"There's one problem John Kelly has that'll do him in, and that's the first lady," a source close to President Donald Trump told NBC News.
Gen. Kelly also has engaged in conflicts with National Security Adviser John Bolton and his deputy Mira Ricardel, according to the report.
If Gen. Kelly departs soon, the chief of staff of Vice President Mike Pence has reportedly been a leading candidate to replace him.
Kelly's spats with the first lady have revolved around staff promotions for her aides and travel requests, sources told NBC News.
"There have been instances where the East Wing staff were not treated as equals to the male-dominated decision makers in chief Kelly's office," one official told NBC News.
"Promotions were denied then finally granted after months of requests."
When the issues were escalated to President Trump, the president told Gen. Kelly to fulfill the first lady's requests, saying "I don't need this [expletive]," per the report.
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