President Donald Trump flew to meet world leaders in Davos without the company of his chief of staff – who he clashed with over immigration comments.
Kelly was expected to go on the trip, but stayed behind at the last minute, as the White House tries to craft an immigration package that will push through Trump’s priorities and protect ‘DREAMers’ and perhaps head off another government shutdown.
‘Chief Kelly stayed in Washington, DC to work on immigration reform, while remaining in close contact with the President, U.S. delegation and staff in Davos,’ according to the White House.
Trump asked Kelly to forge a deal, while speaking to reporters at the White House last night.
Grounded. Chief of staff John Kelly remained behind in Washington despite plans to accompany the president to Davos
‘Hey chief, will you do me a favor, when we come back, when we come back, I want you to have a deal, OK?’ the president told Kelly.
Kelly has been called the ‘Trump Whisperer’ for his ability to mostly bring the White House staff to heel and gain control over who is able to provide information to the president.
But he has also taken a hands-off approach to Trump’s Tweeting – and got pushback from his boss after he claimed the president had ‘evolved’ on immigration.
Kelly told ‘Fox News’ in an interview amidst a standoff over immigration and the budget: ‘He has evolved in the way he’s looked at things,”
Kelly added: ‘Campaign to governing are two different things, and this President has been very, very flexible in terms of what is within the realm of the possible.’ He even appeared say Trump softened on his signature issue. ‘He’s changed his attitude towards the DACA issue and even the wall,’ Kelly said.
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives in Zurich, Switzerland January 25, 2018
President Donald Trump steps off Air Force One on arrival at Zurich International Airport for the Davos World Economic Forum, Thursday, Jan. 25, 2018, in Zurich, Switzerland
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly listens as US President Donald J. Trump (unseen) makes a statement prior to going into the Pentagon for meetings, in Washington, DC, USA, 18 January 2018
A furious Trump publicly brushed back his aide the next morning.
‘The Wall is the Wall, it has never changed or evolved from the first day I conceived of it. Parts will be, of necessity, see through and it was never intended to be built in areas where there is natural protection such as mountains, wastelands or tough rivers or water,’ Trump tweeted.
Trump told reporters his immigration offer will provide protections for DACA recipients plus $25 billion for his beloved wall.
On protections for ‘DREAMers’ brought here illegally as children, he said: ‘We’re going to morph into it. It’s going to happen, at some point in the future, over a period of 10 to 12 years.’
President Trump tweeted a thank you to Chief of Staff John Kelly on Tuesday morning, saying the retired general and ex-DHS head was doing a ‘fantastic job’ at his White House gig
‘That you to General John Kelly, who is doing a fantastic job, and all of the Staff and others in the White House, for a job well done,’ Trump wrote Tuesday morning. ‘Long hours and Fake reporting makes your job more difficult, but it is always great to WIN, and few have won more than us!’
The tweet comes after Vanity Fair reported Monday that first daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump is shopping for Kelly’s replacement as President Trump has fumed over the ex-general’s adult-in-the-room attitude.
The magazine also reported that Trump called Kelly a ‘nut job.’
‘I’ve got another nut job here who thinks he’s running things,’ Trump told one friend, who in turn told a Republican source that Vanity Fair talked to. ‘This guy thinks he’s running the show,’ Trump reportedly told another pal.