President Donald Trump rebelled against a new wave of reports about Chief of Staff John Kelly’s attempts to streamline processes at the White House in tweets this morning that accused the ‘fake news’ media of ignoring his administration’s accomplishments.
Trump claimed once again that ‘few, if any, Administrations have done more’ than his so quickly, which may result in him having ‘the best presidency ever.’
He then said that Kelly is ‘doing a fantastic job’ and there ‘is tremendous spirit and talent in the W.H.’
‘Don’t believe the Fake News,’ he said, making reference to a report Thursday that Kelly barred the president’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, from making unsanctioned visits to the Oval Office.
President Donald Trump rebelled against a new wave of reports about Chief of Staff’s John Kelly’s attempts to streamline processes at the White House in tweets this morning that accused the ‘fake news’ media of ignoring his administration’s accomplishments
Trump railed against the ‘fake news’ earlier this week at a dramatic rally in Arizona where he called many in the media bad people and suggested that American reporters do not love their country
He turned his attention today to outlets he considers to be ‘fake news’ once more on Twitter as he responded to a report in the New York Times about the tension between himself and Kelly
Trump railed against the ‘fake news’ earlier this week at a dramatic rally in Arizona where he called many in the media bad people and suggested that American reporters do not love their country.
The riff drew comparisons to his February claim that the media is the ‘enemy of the American people.’
He turned his attention today to outlets he considers to be ‘fake news’ once more on Twitter as he responded to a report in the New York Times about the tension between himself and Kelly, who has sought to turn the White House into a more professional environment.
‘General John Kelly is doing a fantastic job as Chief of Staff. There is tremendous spirit and talent in the W.H. Don’t believe the Fake News,’ he said in a tweet.
Minutes later he asserted: ‘Few, if any, Administrations have done more in just 7 months than the Trump A. Bills passed, regulations killed, border, military, ISIS, SC!’
Later in the morning he referenced author Nick Adams, author of ‘Retaking America,’ a book on political correctness, and said, ‘Best things of this presidency aren’t reported about. Convinced this will be perhaps best presidency ever.’
The New York Times had said in a Thursday report that Trump defied Kelly, a four-star general, when he launched a diatribe on Tuesday evening in Phoenix that flew in the face of his remarks the evening before about national unity.
Trump didn’t listen to his chief of staff and senior aides the week before, either, when he took questions at Trump Tower from reporters on Charlottesville against their gut instincts.
In another move meant to redirect the president’s focus, Kelly has ordered all policy initiatives and paper documents to come directly to his office so they can be reviewed before they’re sent to Trump.
The retired serviceman is trying to force discipline in a free-wheeling White House that’s been characterized by chaos instead of cohesion.
His first act of reformation was to get rid of Anthony Scaramucci, who was briefly the White House communications director in waiting. Steve Bannon, the president’s chief strategist, soon followed, tightening the president’s inner White House circle to a few names, including Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner.
Now Jared and Ivanka are seeing their access to the president curtailed, the Times reported, as Kelly tries to institute a formal decision-making process.
Ivanka will be allowed to visit her father when she pleases if she’s coming to him about family matters. If the conversation is about policy, she’ll have to make an appointment like the rest of the president’s top staff, the report in the Times said.
Now Jared and Ivanka are seeing their access to the president curtailed, the Times reported, as Kelly tries to institute a formal decision-making process
Politico said Kelly has empowered White House staff secretary Rob Porter, who studied at Harvard at the same time as Kushner, to act as a fellow gatekeeper, reviewing all documents before they land on the Resolute desk.
Senior aides’ unfettered access to the president early on resulted in inaccurate tweets being sent out and knee-jerk policy proposals that had not been properly vetted.
Former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus attempted to crack down on staff’s access to the president with little success.
Kelly informed Trump aides on Monday in a memo of the new system that closely mirrors the the processes of previous administrations. The system, which he first brought up in a conference call, will effectively make him the ultimate decider of what goes before the president.
Politico reports that viewpoints from Cabinet officials and stakeholders will be included in memos to the president, as well as pros and cons lists, so that he has all of the facts in front of him.
‘Gen. Kelly is instilling processes to ensure that the president has the information and analysis he needs to make decisions,’ White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in response to the reports. ‘The White House staff will continue to support the president by ensuring that the policy options presented to him reflect all relevant viewpoints, including any dissenting views.’