President Donald Trump revealed Saturday that White House chief of staff John Kelly is vacating that position, and the White House, at year's end. Trump's announcement confirmed rumors about Kelly's tenure in the West Wing that have for months plagued Trump's administration.
What did Trump say?
Speaking with reporters outside the White House, Trump praised Kelly for his service and said he would announce Kelly's replacement in the coming days.
"John Kelly will be leaving at the end of the year, we will be announcing who will be taking John's place, it might be on an interim basis, I'll be announcing that over the next day or two," Trump said, Fox News reported.
"I appreciate his service very much," Trump added.
What are the details?
Kelly has been a key member of the Trump administration for the entirety of Trump's presidency. Kelly first served as the secretary of Homeland Security before transitioning to the West Wing and succeeding Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff. Kelly has been in his current position for 17 months.
Kelly entered the White House last summer with the caricature of a seasoned leader who would restore order to a White House, that may believed, was spiraling out of control. Once installed as chief of staff, Kelly quickly established order, reigning in the president and other key areas of the West Wing.
Unfortunately for Kelly, it appeared his relationship with Trump began to deteriorate sometime this summer to the point of near total erosion. CNN reported Friday that Kelly was expected to resign in the coming days and that he and the president were not on speaking terms.
It isn't immediately clear if Kelly is resigning or being fired.