John Kelly blasts the media over 'total BS' report that he insulted Trump

White House chief of staff John Kelly blasted the media for a "pathetic attempt" to smear his relationship with the president over a report that he called President Trump an "idiot."

Here's what Kelly said

Kelly released a statement denying the report and assuring the public that he had a good relationship with the president.

"I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candidate and strong relationship," he said in the statement.

"He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS," he added.

"I am committed to the President, his agenda, and our country," Kelly concluded. "This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration's many successes."

CNN reports "becoming unhinged"

Kelly was responding to a report from NBC News that he had referred to the president as an "idio."

"He doesn't even understand what DACA is. He's an idiot," NBC reported that Kelly said. "We've got to save him from himself."

CNN also reported Monday that sources claimed Kelly had said the president was "becoming unhinged" after a meeting where Trump told him he wanted to pull U.S. troops from Syria.

Here's the video report from CNN:

White House chief of staff John Kelly has grown increasingly frustrated with President Trump, even telling senior national security officials last month that he believed the President was becoming "unhinged," a source tells CNN. https://t.co/scey8D2HxL pic.twitter.com/dT8CQMlcxW

— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) April 30, 2018

Trump and his supporters have decried stories in the media with anonymous sources, claiming that his political opponents in the industry merely fabricated "fake news" without real sources to damage the president and his policies.