President Donald Trump has been gradually excluding his top aide from crucial conversations and decisions because he reportedly doesn’t like being told “no,” The Associated Press reported Friday.
Chief of Staff John Kelly wasn’t on the now-infamous phone call between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin where Trump congratulated the Russian leader for winning the election that was widely considered rigged. In recent weeks, Kelly was also reportedly left out of the room when Trump hired John Bolton as his new national security adviser and stayed behind when Trump spent last weekend in Mar-a-Lago, tweeting about immigration and trade, the AP reported.
According to people close to Trump who spoke to the AP, Trump has become increasingly exhausted with Kelly’s attempts to keep order in the West Wing. The President is reportedly not yet ready to fire his top aide, but he has been pushing him away and intentionally icing him out of key decisions.
He’s “tired of being told no” by Kelly, one source close to Trump told the AP and he has resorted to not telling Kelly things before he makes a decision.
Kelly reportedly was against the hiring of Bolton and has fumed over the ethical scandals plaguing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, while Trump, at least earlier this week, offered the embattled administrator his support. Trump has also reportedly let his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski back into the White House, after Kelly moved to bar him from visiting.
Read the AP’s full report here.
