President Donald Trump said that he's considering replacing members of his administration working at “three or four or five” Cabinet positions.
In a Fox News Sunday interview that was taped on Friday, anchor Chris Wallace specifically asked Trump about the future of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
“I have three or four or five positions that I’m thinking about. Of that, maybe it’s going to end up being two. But I need flexibility,” he said.
Trump also expressed his dissatisfaction for the way that Nielsen was running her department.
"I like her very much, I respect her very much, I’d like her to be much together on the border. Much tougher. Period," he said.
Trump reportedly planned on replacing some members of his staff once the midterm elections had passed. The day after the midterms he asked for and accepted the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Trump spoke much more kindly about chief of staff John Kelly. He said he had not considered getting rid of Kelly, but added “John at some point is going to want to move on.” In July, Trump had said that Kelly would stay in the administration through 2020.
“We — I wouldn't — look, we get along well. There are certain things I love what he does. And there are certain things that I don't like that he does — that aren't his strength. It's not that he doesn't do — you know, he works so hard,” Trump said. “He's doing an excellent job in many ways. There are a couple of things where it's just not his strength. It's not his fault it's not his strength.”
Despite saying that he was thinking of getting rid of as many of five members of his administration, Trump praised them overall.
“And I will tell you I'm extremely upbeat," he said, "the White House is running like a well-oiled machine. It's doing really well, I have great people.”
