If indeed a Marine, the honorable thing to do would be to put country over ego and book deals.
1
Gen. Kelly, as others who worked for Trump, have found themselves drenched in the stench of working for a serial liar, con artist and grifter who exhibits little management technique or style.
It is too late for Kelly to salvage any semblance of credibility as he, and others, as Maureen Dowd so succinctly stated, sold their souls to Trump and have yet to realize they embarked on a fool's errand, for a fool.
30
Everyone should know where the fire exits are in case of a fire, they’d be itresponsible not to, at least just to be able to point them out to someone else.
23
Thank goodness Trump is so unfocused, has such a limited attention span, and has no abiding interest in policy: talking to a football coach for a long time during the work day instead of minding the Western world? Can you imagine the damage he could do if he was sharp? Can you imagine the damage a policy-focused Pence can/will do if Trump is impeached?
41
Isn't great to know that our president, sworn to defend our nation, can't be bothered to read the PDB, with all the details of the threats to our nation, calling it "the same thing every day" and "boring", can somehow spend a long time on a phone call with football coach Bill Belichick?
Doesn't that give you a nice, warm feeling?
63
General. I think it is time to RUN AWAY!
21
Too late, Mr. Kelly, far too late to save yourself from any moral reference. Like your bold leadership in the invasion of Iraq, it looked good in the beginning but ended up being a catastrophe once 'true news' had the chance to catch up to 'fake news'. You've been played like a fiddle by the most dishonest President in the history of the United States, and you have become part of the problem. Like Iraq there are failures everywhere, layers of dysfunction, chaos and distrust, and it will take years to repair the damage ...if it can be repaired at all. Did the invasion of Iraq make the world a better place? Did your time as Chief of Staff make the White House a better place? Funny how the truth eventually finds the light.
57
Kelly can crawl back into his "empty barrel." The lies he told about the Gold Star widow and her Congresswoman will be what he's remembered for; not his military service nor his Trump service. So much for a disciplined leader to help the draft dodger in chief!
62
It is worth remembering that General Kelly lied about Congresswoman Frederica Wilson. Then when video and witnesses confirmed that he was lying he emphasised his lies and vowed never to apologize. https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/30/politics/john-kelly-frederica-wilson-apol...
This is a man clearly unfit for any public service in any Administration.
70
What could be more important to America? Tom Brady's QBR or John Kelly's ego?
9
If Kelly goes, who will keep Trump's finger off the nuclear button? discourage him from smashing international treaties, e.g. Iran, free trade, etc.? Kelley for all his flaws and limitations was at least one person between the President and chaos and the suffering of miliions.
6
Kelly can hide everything he wants from Trump. Just put it under Trump's work boots.
19
When Kelly called Ms Wilson an empty barrel he was projecting. Whether he goes or stays makes no difference.
21
Is John Kelly using his position for his own political agenda?
Hard to be sympathetic. And no, he hasn't curbed Trump's worse impulses. Trump's still lying to everyone, obviously goofs off at the white house, and wastes time prolifically: thin-skinned, self absorbed and always foolish.
Kelly accepted and worked side by side in unison with Stephen Bannon, who promoted white power through economic white nationalism. Kelly's said unacceptable remarks about slavery and the civil war. His treatment of a black congresswoman was fully deplorable. He delayed terminating the
two staffers accused of spousal abuse. He let Jared Kushner access top secret information without a security clearance,
And an anti-immigration Kelly somehow changed Trump's view on DACA before Democrats made it back to the senate floor after their meeting.
Kelly called one of the worried GOP senators---John Cornyn, who announced on the senate floor----"no worries. Kelly handled Trump."
Looks to me Kelly uses his influence in a sneaky way with Republican legislators. It's a scam.
31
Apart from the utter ignorance, and deep arrogance, of this president, he forgets that the smartest move he could ever do is surround himself wit people smarter than himself...and pretend he is competent. Of course, his sick ego would never allow others causing a shadow on his graft. And Kelly, however flawed he is, tried to infuse some order in the White House, apparently not well taken by the ugly American in-chief. Couldn't they arrange leaving the premises together, hand in hand, 'a la Macron'?
3
Will Kelly become the next Director of the VA?
4
Kelly gas run out of time and space.
1
In the article:
“the idea that a Marine would ever tolerate somebody disrespecting the commander in chief like that is unthinkable”
Don’t believe that for a minute. That's trafficking in naive, blind patriotism and playing the military card to silence critics. Besides, there were plenty of Marines who disrespected Clinton, Bush, and Obama!
Plus, it should have been written this way:
“the idea that a Marine would ever tolerate a commander in chief disrespecting a Navy pilot or the mother of a fallen Army veteran is unthinkable”
Yet, he still took the job as chief of staff—and tolerates, even shares, his racism!
And, Kelly himself did this, too:
“the idea that a Marine would ever disrespect (or lie about) a black Congresswoman who was friends with a fallen soldier and his family is unthinkable”
Actually, it was unthinkable, but Kelly did it anyway!
Sad!
31
Honestly anyone with an ounce of self-dignity would not and could not stay in Trump's administration. If Tillerson is any guide, Kelly would probably do himself a big favor to quit while he's still in good grace. Why not quit on your own terms, like Hope Hicks did, before you get the axe in tweets?
16
If Kelly is so unhappy with his Boss why does'nt he just quit? Is being on the right side of this President for his health, conscience or reputation? I just wonder what's keeping him?
8
Work hard, make your mark in whatever profession you choose and retire gracefully.. Kelly got the first part right and then it went downhill from there..
3
It's like reading about the inner workings of the Court of Louis XIII of France. Who is in, who is out? Who does the King see? Who does he listen to? Whom does he speak evil of? Who vies for power or access? Who is licking his wounds? Plotting his revenge? SOOOO sad it's all for real and not some high-end historical fiction...
11
Poor General Kelly, except how could anyone expect better working for Trump? Kelly did this to himself. I wonder if Hannity would like the job? He's sure a pal of the Donald and he doesn't know enough to ever get in the way of the latest foolishness. I hope Hannity will take the job. He richly deserves it.
6
Where have all the Generals gone? Mad Dog is the only one left.
4
As for the relationship between Mr. Kelly and Mr. Trump, he said:..."Their relationship is as strong as ever.”
How strong is that?
It is fair to ask if it ever was actually strong, Kelly being hired Trump for one function and then Kelly defining his role very differently. Presidents are typically managed by their staffs, like highly intelligent robots sent out to do a job. Trump spent almost all of his adult life as head of a business with one function and one person to keep happy: himself. He does not how to function as part of an organization and he doesn't know when to give in and go along or when to push back. He's all push.
He doesn't want to be managed and he doesn't, at base, want an effective organization around him. He doesn't really want to be president, he wants to be king. That won't work in a democracy, at least not for long.
This brings up the problem of Trump's lies. He has lied so much and so consistently that he does not seem to know at all where the line is between lies and truth. He has convinced himself that he is one of the greatest human beings ever to walk the planet. His brain is warped by lies and we are all at risk because of this fact.
17
How the media deals with John Kelly speaks to the cloak of inviolability that we are all expected to treat anyone who has served in the military, after those terrible years when draftees returning from Vietnam, were disrespected.
In a typically American counter-reaction, we are now expected to genuflect towards anyone who has ever enlisted, treating them as hands off saints who have no other qualities or agendas than that they are "thankable" for their service.
I don't say this to downplay anyone's service, nor to cast blanket aspersions against service members, has happened in the late 1960s and early 1970s as the war in Vietnam was grinding on. I say it to put us on guard against sanctifying service people as service people.
There was this breathless overture to Kelly's service, that he would ride in under his white hat, be the adult in the room, and save the country from the Trump we saw and detested during the campaign. That was magical thinking, as was the trope that, being from NY, Ivanka and Jared would temper their over-the-top father (in law).
None of us know what Kelly as actually up to, so quit writing fanciful narratives that give him a pass. I think he's a throwback to an era before women's liberation, before civil rights, before multi-culturalism, and I also think it's dangerous in our modern America, for lock step folks born and bred in the military to be hired into our civic institutions. Demagogues love to surround themselves with generals. Beware!
19
"Trump had spent a long time the day before on the phone with Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots coach, talking about the status of Tom Brady, the star quarterback".
Laziest president in American history.
18
Anyone who comes within the President's orbit never leaves it unscathed. The legacies of people like Mike Pence, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, H.R. McMaster, Gary Cohen, Rex Tillerson, and John Kelly will, in part, be defined by their association to the President, and their refusal to speak out against him. Some may tell themselves that they stayed silent so that they could remain in their jobs for "the good of the country," but speaking truth to power, especially when the power is your boss and the President of the United States, would have done a lot more in the long run for the country. History will not be kind to these people. Nor should it be.
81
Describing Kelly and Trump: "It’s like a really bad marriage".
Wow. It's almost like how a person lives his personal life affects his professional performance as well. Almost like character matters. Who knew?
5
Gen. Kelly served the nation very honorably for 40+ years. His body of work should not be tarnished over his association with the current POTUS. I believe he took the job because in his judgement he needed to do this to serve the country. All he got for this is ridicule, disrespect and slander. While some of it may be his own doing, I still believe Gen. Kelly is a good man who tried to steer some kind of normalcy to the WH but has failed. The Marines couldn't break the man but the current POTUS did. His 2 years of association with the president shouldn't tarnish his entire service to the nation.
2
I have no mercy for Mr. Kelly. Anybody with an internet connection and a library card could have done some basic research to see what they were getting themselves into. Mr. Trumps issues and idiosyncrasies have been well documents prior to his running for the presidency.
I believe Mr. Kelly was attracted to Trump for more disturbing reasons rather than doing this for God and country.
If he is disturbed and embarrassed, he should be, especially a man who has obtained such high levels in his military career. There is nothing at this point that he can do or say to erase this stain from his resume.
10
“Without an empowered White House chief of staff, you can’t execute policy.”
Although Mr. Whipple surely intended otherwise, it's hard not to regard this as good news when you are staring at policies not merely unworthy of pursuit but egregiously harmful. At this unhappy stage of American history a total federal executive meltdown would be a blessing.
The other good news is that the recent departure of McMaster and impending demise of Kelly signify strained relations between the commander in chief and top military brass. Due to his immediate and angry rejection of its conclusions on Russian electoral meddling, Trump has been at odds with the civilian intelligence bureaucracy from the get-go. But he has attempted to cozy up to the military brass by appointing them to a record number of key cabinet and Oval Office positions. As one who rather obviously covets authoritarian power, Trump seems to have been eyeing military support if an opportunity for imposing some sort of draconian curtailment of domestic civil liberties ever presented itself.
His recent inability to get along with Kelly and McMaster happily suggests that the military would regard an attempted assertion by Trump of authoritarian control as an unwelcome development. Absent military acquiescence, armed posses and militias storming out of the foothills in their red ball caps might not be quite sufficient to accomplish a coup.
4
Isn't Sean Hannity the shadow chief of staff?
This is not an enviable position in a White House that sees Mar-a-Lago as the Southern White House. When Marjorie Merriweather Post owned the mansion, one costume party had a theme of the reign of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Another entertainment was provided by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. So one sparked a revolution, and the other was a circus with clown acts. There's a legacy that haunts the halls.
Can a chief of staff control the king (as Trump's ex-butler (now in house historian) termed him, or the circus? Somehow, I doubt that anyone can but perhaps a psychiatrist with a full medical staff.
7
I really think Kelly is an honorable man, who has found himself in service to a dishonorable and corrupt person and organization, who feels he must stay on in the higher duty of service to his country. But where that takes him, ultimately, is to assist in the impeachment of the president in order to protect the institution of the presidency and the constitution itself. His other alternatives are to abandon his oath of service and moral standing and join in on the corruption of Trumpism or to admit defeat and resign before his reputation becomes completely shredded. His heart and his head and his ego must be pointed in all different directions right now while he tries to decide to either keep fighting on, flip to the dark side or quit the field.
What a disappointment Kelly is..One would think a 3 star General would have the clout and gravitas to bring some level of respect to the Oval office. But he's no better than Trump. I've lost ALL respect for "OUR GENERALS!"
5
There should be no surprise given the televised Trump statement aboard his aircraft during the campaign or shortly thereafter in which he was sitting next to Pence and Trump said, "they can just call, there is no chain of command here." He cannot be part of a disciplined organization because he is incapable of discipline or organization. Why would he change after 70 years of believing that he is always right and always successful? An undisciplined personality, a poorly educated and chaotic brain - that's why it is crazier today than it was yesterday, and tomorrow will be worse. No one can channel this guy, not Kelly, not Melania, no one. He's an anarchist and we have to survive him.
6
If Kelly and Mattis want respect, they should convince their boss to get our troops out of the Middle East, from Iraq and Afghanistan to Syria and Yemen. We have sacrificed far too much American blood there already, for no apparent benefit. If the President cannot clearly explain what we are there to do, how we propose to do it, how we will know when our mission has in fact been accomplished, and what our plan is for extricating our forces, then he is not fit to be Commander-in-Chief and his generals need to call him on it. Surely they value the lives of the men and women with whom they have served. Joint Chiefs, where are you? Generals Kelly and Mattis, speak up for our troops -- you're the only ones in a position to do so. If you got us out of the endless wars, your honor would be redeemed.
1
Constant reference to his Marine Corps career infer honorable service due to the rank he has achieved - surely he couldn’t have obtained so much if he wasn’t honorable, appears to be the thinking.
However, his recent unmasking as a racist and misogynist has me wondering about his time with the Corps. How many Marines of color and WM’s (Women Marines, as they were referred to during my time in), suffered from his dim view of the demographics of these groups, in terms of promotion, training opportunities, assignments/duty stations, meting of discipline under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, etc?
I’m inclined to believe his so-called honor was until recently, an act of assumption on the part of those who are, in knee-jerk fashion, determined to honor anyone in uniform; possibly to retroactively right the wrongs of Vietnam War protestors, horrified of thinking they are visiting upon those who served and are serving anything but unwavering worship. Forgetting that they are human beings with clay feet - like the rest of us - capable of making mistakes.
But they are also capable of, overwhelmingly so in my opinion, of owning up to their shortcomings and will do what it takes to make things right. General Kelly notwithstanding.
Oh, did I forget to mention that I am a honorably discharged veteran, Marine Corps AND Army?
62
Trump is fickle with wives and girlfriends. Why not with advisers?
20
The so-called president needs to be cautious. Firing everyone leaves him the only occupant and narrows the selection when seeking a new scapegoat.
New rule: To fire, must hire.
17
...and of course Trump can only attract 4th tier candidates for anything now.
1
Good point, Awenshok.
Meanwhile, we're all waiting for when Melania fires Trump.
5
John Kelly received an honorable discharge from the Marines.
But his ultimate discharge from the White House will be wholly dishonorable.
35
Like General Kelly, I was born in Boston. And we're within a year or two in age. I remember all too well the vicious racists who threw rocks at grade school children in buses, smashing windows, hurting, and both scaring and scarring those innocents. Which side was Kelly on then? I remember when a Black guy was on his way into City Hall when a group of anti-busing guys beat him and then stabbed him with the finial from a flag pole flying the American flag. Which side was Gen. Kelly on then? Given the racism, homophobia, and willingness to tolerate violent sexism of this administration, including Kelly's own turning a blind eye to Rob Porter violently beating both his former wives, I think we have hints of which side Kelly is on.
94
In addition to what you have said, we also have to consider the following actions and reactions of Mr. Kelly:
- His raging, totally indefensible and exaggerated lies about Rep. Frederica Wilson and his lack of an apology or even clarification
- His seemingly irrational hatred of people coming from Central America seeking asylum, especially considering that region was under his purview before as a General. Usually you have some kinship or even affection of people of a different culture or region, but his stubborn dislike is quite shocking.
All that said, just another day in a crazy time. Hopefully one day the nation will wake up from all of this madness and intolerance.
6
They deserve each other! The general should remember what happens when you lay down with dogs. What ever happened to the "honor" part of Honor, duty country? General.
42
That's so unkind to the fleas!
3
Semper Fi, Mac!
4
In the words of the immortal Groucho:
"You big bully! Quit picking on that little bully!" (A Night at the Opera).
I hear a remake in in the works to be re-titled "Four Years at Mar-a-Lago". The script is still in turn-around.
15
"Dressing-downs" or "dressings-down"?
10
I also wondered this! Which is correct?
1
Think it's dressings-down as opposed to dressing-downs. Sort of like attorneys general.
12
Like all who linger in Trump's presence, the stink sticks. Kelly will soon leave and his reputation will forever be tainted. This presidency will continue to devolve into chaos and corruption. The only question is whether the Republicans in Congress care enough about the country to take responsible action or whether they stand by their man as he descends into ruin. In a way it's best if they cling to him so that everyone sees the complete moral and political bankruptcy of the Republican party's embrace of Trumpism. That appears to be the only way to purge our country of this reckless and dangerous embrace of this doctrine.
32
The GOP has answered that question as often as Trump has lied.
2
Kelly sold his soul to be part of trumps team. Now soulless he'll end up on the scrap heap of wannabes. Such a shameful ending for someone who used to be an honorable Marine.
20
Collaborators with lost causes never reap their promised rewards nor can they live down the reputations they have acquired. Time to get out and to seek absolution.
9
John Kelly shot his reputation in the foot a while back. Pity that he ruined his reputation earned as a member of the Marine Corps.
He has little to be proud of, except that in THIS White House, not being a potential felon makes him far more honorable (1 out of a max of 100) than all the other swamp rats who work in the White House.
13
Ship him over to run the VA.
9
It's hard to know what the truth of this story is but it's also hard to care. Trump is an idiot and he's been called that by his so-called 'best people'. Anyone listening to his rants and reading tweets knows he's an idiot.
The relationship with Kelly might be a substitute for his daddy, Fred. For Kelly, it's not being able to take that hill yet and plotting another way to get up it. Kelly has already shredded his rep, there's no going back.
For the people of this country it's further proof that dysfunction reigns in the WH, whether some Machiavellian plot or just an intersection of lies and cross purposes.
For most of us it's just tiring already.
32
Kelly was as a good general...Is best-possible chief of staff, given the hand dealt him...Would be a great VA head...
Sure-fire way to get Trump to opt in...
Tell him a Nobel in medicine to be had - go next to the one for Peace that's as sure as a check in the mail...
He'd be credited with curing OTSD - Ongoing Traumatic Stress Disorder - with Kelly as a clinical trial of one...
As spring returned to John's step, lift to his voice, sleep to his nights - Trump could tweet things like:
"John cured! Miracle on Pennsylvania Street!! Who's the WH doctor now???"
.....
Nietzsche tweeted a while back, on WH stints...
"That which does not kill us makes us older"
...but was blocked as right-wing fake philosophy
3
Not holding your boss in high regard, when your boss is Trump, is a very positive attribute. I don't see that as one of Kelly's failings, of which he has his share, although fewer than others in that administration.
7
It doesn't matter what Kelly does -- unless, that is, he publicly acknowledges his own failings as Chief of Staff, chief among which is excessive loyalty to a man whose only motivation is self-promotion at all costs (in particular, the truth).
6
"“He’s never called the president an idiot, he’s never called the president unhinged, and the idea that a Marine would ever tolerate somebody disrespecting the commander in chief like that is unthinkable,” said Mr. Fuentes"
Well duh. Of course he didn't call the president those things, he called "covfefe" those things! :)
2
Anyone who willingly associated himself or herself with the Trump White House has tarnished his or her own reputation. Kelly will be no exception.
12
The metaphor of the Kelly-Trump relationship as a bad marriage is hardly surprising. Trump is an expert at those. One merely has to wonder how many times and with whom he has been unfaithful to Kelly. It is all a nice representation of the importance today's Republican party actually gives "family values."
8
Gen Kelly should not just eye the exits, but run toward them and save what little is left of his reputation.
3
The old adage "lie down with dogs, get up with fleas" couldn't be more fitting. Even if Kelly bails, he'll be scratching for a long time, and he will never shake the label of "just another court jester" for an individual who didn't have the courage even to put on the uniform of a Good Humor ice cream man. Consider the harm done to Colin Powell's reputation after he dutifully read the world a bedtime fairy tale at the UN - an object lesson to any person willing to sell his or her integrity for thirty pieces of silver. While I am grateful for General Kelly's service to our country as a soldier, I believe he would show more bravery in the face of adversity by hitting the road than remaining in the Fun House on Pennsylvania Avenue.
14
Kelly's deeply embarrassing and humiliating experience in the White House, still continuing by his flawed failure to leave a chaotic and immoral Administration, should be part of the curriculum taught at all the service academies as a cautionary lesson, on the potential dangers that can happen in a post-service, high visibility, political position.
Better to obtain a routine consultancy from a military contractor, or at the least carefully vet the politician you will be working for, than end up regarded by the public as a sycophantic, abused, and opportunistic former officer.
96
What do you want to bet, that when Kelly goes, Trump decides be chief of staff himself? That should go well.
27
Kelly is useless. He also lied about a US congresswoman and refused to apologize. He thought Rob Porter was the cat's meow, despite his wife abuse (to both of his 2 wives)......He, like every other person associated with this administration will be forever tainted.
193
Kelly has showed himself to be a bigot and a liar just like the man he works for.Adios,you will not be missed.
99
After his disgusting mistreatment of Myeshia Johnson and Frederica Johnson, John Kelly's good name is gone.
121
If Kelly were wise he would dump the trump and so should Mattis. These men are far above dear leader and should not associate with dear leaders offal.
9
Hasn't this always been the predicament of a soldier? They are essentially at the mercy of these elected officials. Trump knows this. Kelly knows this. Kelly will continue to serve, stupidity and all.
8
Mr. Kelly is just another swamp creature who is unhappy with his current swamp. I'm sure he'll find another one to slither off to.
31
My first thought when I heard the leaks about Kelly calling the president an "idiot" is that Kelly must be for keeping the nuclear agreement with Iran. I mean, we already cleared out the others on the W.H. staff who were also for keeping the agreement and now brought in hawks like Bolton and Pompeo. If we are to convince the American people we should go to war we need an absolutely unified front and the only party pooper now is Kelly. There obviously is a campaign to get Kelly out and much to my dismay, is headed gleefully by the media.
3
So, Kelly is supposed to be the adult in the room. How's that working out for you? If you really want to do what's best for the country, go ahead and resign, leave that colossal idiot to his own worst impulses, and use your status to speak out against his racism, misogyny, cruelty, narcissism and virtually endless list of things that make him unqualified to hold that office.
31
While it is very amusing to watch Kelly embarrass himself (his Civil War analysis is a classic),
he will always have a place on a defense contractor's board of directors
when he tires of the daily humiliation serving President Dennison.
The sooner he leaves President Blutarsky,
the sooner President Blutarsky's severe mental illness will cause his departure from the White House.
So Jump John Jump
16
Any one who chooses to sign on with Trump and attempt to "work" for him is immediately exposed as to who they really are. I get weary of the four star general references.Nothing Kelly has done in his past overcomes the fact that he believed enough in Trump to actually sign a contract. He's far from being the last defense between the country and chaos. He's just as bad or worse than the rest of them.
29
Kelly finds himself under the bus with the back tire about to go over his head.
He brought no control or intelligence to this administration of grifters, he acted like one of them.
35
John Kelly would be remembered as an honorable and patriotic man if he had not associated himself with the Trump crime family. Trump debauches everything and everyone he comes in contact with. Kelly, Huckabee Sanders, and Trump's other minions became liars and craven sycophants for nothing just to be in Trump's orbit.
22
Paul Ryan and his minions.
1
History will show that Don Regan and Kelly were both right.
5
General Kelly is an outstanding Marine!
Not so good at babysitting an elderly "Infant Terribie'"
4
Yeah, apparently he's great unless you're a woman or a person of color.
43
He lied about and was disrespectful to a member of Congress who from all accounts was consoling a Gold Star Widow, whose family she had a personal connection to, and who in no way deserved the treatment she received from Gen Kelly. However honorable his service may have been, and I certainly will accept that it was, he should have known better who he was attaching himself to. Let's not buy into the "call to duty" or being unable to say no to POTUS, plenty plea the time honored "time with the family" bit i.e. Speaker Ryan. After the congresswoman's debacle, for which he has not apologized to my knowledge, he then went on to cheer and support a man whose 2 former wives had accused him of abuse, one of whom had a court order to boot. In the end, he proved to be a bird of the same feather. Sadly, he will not be lacking for employment, plenty of defense contractors in the DC area (otherwise known as the swamp to his kind) that will pick him up and pay him millions just to have his name on the letter head. Good Riddance!
2
A bad Marriage? Our entire country is at serious risk with a two bit huckster sitting as a president. A bad marriage? The man is like a vat of toxic waste that poisons anyone near him. A bad marriage?
19
Kelly might have been a great Marine but that doesn't mean he can manage a circus effectively. Generals are used to order and barking out commands that are followed unquestioningly. For success flexibility isn't required and political acumen is basically the ability to maneuver the system to get promoted. Arrogant, imperious and politically out of his depth perfectly captures the man.
13
Mr. Kelly will look great when compared to anyone who will agree to replace him.
3
Did Kelly mistreat immigrants in the military? Because he sure did by sabotaging the DACA, bipartisan legislation presented to Trump. And let's not forget his lying about a black Congresswoman and covering up for a wife abuser.
27
trump is averse to confrontation, according to the article. How is this possible from the I-alone president, the one who knows how to negotiate the best deal?
4
What does it serve to report something, based on sources no less, that Kelly would call Trump an idiot? Is that really news? Do we all have nothing but positive things to say about our superiors or more likely, during difficult times, say things out of frustration? Kelly is an American hero and I don't find that reporting important or useful.
3
Why do you think he is a hero? What's he done that has benefited his country?
3
I'll be happy to see the anti-immigrant General Kelly heading out the exit door. Stephen Miller couldn't follow him soon enough!
17
Kelly is like a Trump wife who has outlived their welcome, desperately clinging on because they fear embarrassment and diminished status, but trying to keep their distance due to complete disgust at many of their expected duties.
It's probably worse for Kelly, who is used to being respected and in control. But who cares? He made his choice, and he did not choose the good of his country.
74
"Kelly is like a Trump wife who has outlived their welcome" Indeed. And just as he cheats on his wives, Trump cheats on Kelly by soliciting Hannity and Fox & Friends to fill whatever emotional needs he finds Kelly falling short of. It's only a matter of time before he divorces Kelly and moves in with Sean.
12
actually, he did choose the good of his country. he hoped he could bring order and sanity to the white house. too bad you're so blinded by your hate and need to criticize everything trump that you can't see that.
3
Bored, you are wrong. About me, and about Trump. I'm a scientist. We look at evidence, and try to avoid being swayed by emotions. When a slew of unpleasant facts hits us in the face we don't choose to ignore them or make excuses. It's called living in the real world.
5
John who? He’s been so quiet of late, with no reference to him anywhere as the SS Trump continues to founder in stormy weather, that I was beginning to wonder if he had fallen down a well. Definitely an obvious case of ‘Man being edged out’.
7
Much of the media is unhappy that Kelly agrees with Trump on illegal immigration, and so it focuses on anything that might drive a wedge between the two men. This article makes generalizations about the men’s relationship which it says are based on comments by unnamed current and former White House staff. If such comments were, indeed, made, the reporter would do well to tell us who made them so the public could assess if the commenters’ motivations in saying such things. Alternatively, the people who supposedly made the comments, might actually come out and say the reporter took the comments out-of-context or made too much of them. To not name names comes across as a campaign to malign Trump’s relationship with Kelly in the hope that Trump will fire him.
6
[[The president has come to believe that Mr. Kelly is hiding things from him]]
Paranoid.
[[He has complained that Mr. Kelly has not been forthcoming about the pasts of some staff members, who either opposed him during the 2016 presidential primaries or had connections to the Bush family.]]
Incompetent...he hired Kelly.
[[And he has taken to venting about Mr. Kelly to an array of friends and supporters, while expressing confidence that recent successes — such as the continued strength of the economy and progress toward nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea — are proof that he is his own best adviser.]]
Delusional...operating in a fantasy world.
16
Trump world is, by definition, delusional.
6
Much news about the nannies and babysitters for this sad excuse for a President (and for a man). "Don't let him Tweet, now. Make sure he ate his breakfast. Don't put any work on his desk, OK? Let him go out and play with his friends at the rallies, it's good for him. He's raising money, too! Not sure what for, lawyers, maybe? Make sure the TV goes off at 11. Gets his nap. Don't ever let him be alone with anyone important!" Etc.
15
I'm heartened to read of the daily dysfunction at the top. trump's "ideas" - from selling off public lands to the highest gas and oil bidder to banning an entire religion to his third century plan to wall out the invaders to starting a trade war - I have to put my faith in chaos and dysfunction to see the best result, which is failure.
3
Kelly will leave as damaged goods like all the rest — never to be taken seriously again by anybody. That’s what happens when you get anywhere near Trump.
The same thing is happening to Giuliani, who pathetically will do anything, even sell his name down the river, to get back on TV shows.
Both of them are pitiful.
15
Kelly and Giuliani were damaged goods BEFORE they entered the White House. The transition just put the nail in the coffin.
8
The first step in a national healing is to ADMIT we have a problem: 45.
8
“It’s like a really bad marriage". Oh, man. Because Kelly works for Trump, the late night hosts are going to have a field day with this quote.
6
The rain falls on the just and the unjust.
Historians will have to decide whether John Kelly, who reportedly insists that he has saved the President from self-inflicted error, has had a useful impact on Trump's ill-starred presidency.
On one issue, the fate of the young innocents who comprise the DACA cohort, by the accounts of Republicans and Democrats, Kelly and Stephen Miller blocked a common sense trade -- save DACA's young in return for "The Wall".
That mistake allowed numerous Republican bigots to mount a pretty effective campaign to expel the DACAs. lumping them in with rapists and drug dealers, as White House Spokesman "you may lie when ready Mr. Gidley" wrongly asserted on NPR.
That single action may block General Kelly from the Captain American Award he apparently seeks.
5
Kelly can in no way redeem the reputation he had as a Marine Corp General. He has fouled his nest.
17
Kelly knew the job was dangerous when he took it. He’s now being slimed just like all the other relatively decent people who entered Trump’s orbit.
No one can control Trump. No one. And, fatally, Trump has no higher angels of his own.
4
Maybe after he resigns Gen Kelly will apologize to Rep. Whitfield for lying about her appearance at the FBI office in Florida. Probably not though. Too arrogant. Trump draws despicable liars to his side and then discards them.
91
Thank you RogerJ. I could not agree more. Kelly will never apologize and, like Trump, never change his behavior. I don't think Trump "made" Kelly dishonorable. Character is formed early in life so the taint of weakness must have been there before Kelly agreed to work with Trump.
15
Kelly thinks he is in a really bad marriage and looking for an exit? Imagine how Melania feels.
139
Truth. Kelly doesn't have to go to court to divorce Trump.
8
She can leave without divorcing, too. She's aiding and abetting, too.
10
Melania has no excuse, all she has to do is leave. She stays for the money, what else?
15
It doesn't matter if he leaves or not. He and all the other yes-(wo)men will be tainted for the rest of their lives. I hope they are all discredited for being treacherous thieves who subverted our democracy. I am sure they have all committed crimes in the name of this fascist. I look forward to the day when Trump is in handcuffs.
33
Watch out for what you wish for.....He's never going to get the stink off of him now, no matter when he leaves...
18
The occupants of the White House are more and more resembling a cult of a deviant personality. The only apparent over-riding principle is to protect the boss from himself while proclaiming that he is the best, and biggest, president ever! If you say it over and over it must be true.
17
Is someone in this group named Jones?
2
And now that it is irrefutable that Trump lied about the $130k to Daniels, does Kelly really want to taint himself by continuing an association with a pathological liar? It's not the affair, the sex, the constant need for affirmation, the disorganization, the chaos etc. It's the lying. John Kelly, Nikki Haley, Sarah Sanders, and we, the people, cannot tolerate this any more.
19
I don’t see any evidence of Sara caving yet. When they lie to protect or simply obey the president, they become co-conspirators. I hope to see them all disgraced and sone jailed. I feel like I’m living out a dystopian nightmare, and they are partially responsible.
8
Any four star jarhead of the past would have gone fishing and drank a six pack. But, Kelly is now sissified and no longer a Marine. He is a coward by staying where no one cares and there is no honor.
12
I hear that bus!!!
Vrooom Vroom goes the engine as it takes aim for Kelly, Flood, Giuliani, and probably Pompeo in the long run....!
I heard Melania is shopping for a bus. Wonder what that means?
15
There will be no redemption, no restoration of honor and integrity for Kelly. He's been unmasked as being as racist, as misogynist and as big a liar as Trump. He might as well stay given he's proven to be ineffective, which is a key criteria for working in the WH.
42
No sympathy is necessary.
13
Agreeing to take a job in this bizarre administration says everything about your own character. There is no place in the Trump regime for honor, integrity, or self-respect. You will inevitably be tarred by your association with a congenital liar, braggart and bully.
Any respect that Kelly once had is gone, because we've heard his bigoted remarks and his smears on behalf of the big boss. He is a quisling willing to dishonor his country, and so he fully deserves the disrespect he's getting now.
30
John Kelly is doing a very good Reince Priebus imitation! Does he get the coffee for the West Wing as yet?
4
To quote the honorable (much like Mark Antony praises the collaborators) John Kelly:
“
and in the long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise, stood up there and all of that and talked about how (s)he was instrumental in...
“
Who’s the empty barrel now, John Kelly?
What CAN you do in the Trump White House? You’re all talk.
Trump used you for your uniform. And you cheapened yourself by sharing your son’s story, a sacred one for any parent, for what purpose? In service of what cause? To attack a woman rightly calling out the president for callousness.
I have no sympathy for you. To quote the man you serve:
“He knew what he was signing up for...”
95
We have a saying in Georgia "Roll up your britches, its too late to save your shoes" which pretty much describes the position Kelly finds himself in.
30
I have to agree with Mr. Fuentes. John Kelly is a Marine. A Marine would never tolerate this sort of disrespect to the commander and chief. Calling Trump an "idiot" is unthinkable. Marines use much more colorful language when insulting their superiors. Calling Trump an "idiot" is an insult to the Corp. Semper fi.
5
After years of being a superior maybe he has forgot how to insult one? Or how to be. Marine?
2
We all know it’s true that Trump eventually destroys everybody around him. If you go to work for Trump and you have any character flaws, or there are lingering (non-public) problems in your past, you can be sure that your character flaws will be magnified 10X, and that those non-public problems will become public. Be prepared to throw away whatever career and reputation you had as your proximity to Trump’s poison does its insidious work. Instead of bringing out the best in his people, Trump exposes their cankers and sores, and eventually he rolls them out of the White House as more mindless supplicants enter through the other door. Why would anybody plunge themselves into this black hole?
8
Working for an abusive personality is a rotten road to be on. I almost feel sorry for him.
3
Kelly and Trump's relationship described as a "bad marriage," how apt. Donny Boy is like a Don, brings his people in real close only to plant the shiv deeper. The thought of being married to him is a horror. This is "great again"? Yeah if again means a stay at Rikers.
4
The real concern is McConnell and federal judges, sideshow distractions like Stormy and Rudy and Pruitt and Kelly and Sanders and Conway et.al. are not irreversible. If our republic survives, incompetent rightwingnut ideologues on the bench with be with us for a long long time.
9
What is the point of reporting this gossip? If Kelly hangs in and Trump fails to axe him, is Trump planting "fake news" which will makeMaggie and the NYT will be Twitter fodder.
The constant reporting of gossip and intrigue plays into Trump's fake news narrative. In the meantime it is the real news that we should be worried about: corrupt Pruit and the selling out of our environment and health; trade war with no strategy; tax law that delivers for business and shareholders but short on benefits for regular folks.... huff he and plenty more.
Yes, the NYT covers the Trump reign of error thoroughly...why give Trump an excuse to brand the Grey Lady a source of all the lies not fit for print.
3
John Kelly knows full well that the president is an idiot. He just doesn't have the guts to say to his face, unlike Rex Tillerson who called the president a moron. Both descriptions apply, as both men knew the 45th intimately. Kelly was thought to be the adult in the West Wing but things haven’t turned out that way. Since Kelly is in bad odor with Jared Kushner and Ivanka, his days as the boss of Romper Room are numbered.
12
May be it is time to go back Ireland for Kelly and make Ireland Great Again. Please take Steve Bannon & Mike Pence with you in your effort to Make Ireland Great Again. Oh sorry......Steve Bannon is going Vatican to work for Pope. Steve is an Irish Catholic.
9
Too bad the NFL didn't let Trump buy a team. Of course, Trump could not afford a team, so there is that. But, it might have spared us this suicide mission of a presidency.
26
Too many assumptions in this article rather than hard facts. Time will tell. Reality though in any "Boss-Subordinate" relationship is that outgrowing each other is to be expected so they will part ways - considering Trump's overall character and personality this will happen rather sooner than later.
4
Imagine a disciplined, general like Kelly foundering in this morass of tweets! I would get out of Dodge City.
6
He will miss all that great food....
3
It is the Marine training, the grit and grace Kelly has above all else, that enables him to have put up with Trump.
6
Another affirmation of the almost inviolable rule that association with Donald Trump leaves one diminished, embarrassed, and stained. The one exception to that rule may be Giuliani, who is already so diminished and stained that he can hardly be damaged - and like Trump - appears to be immune to embarrassment.
24
Back in the good old days, we used to study pictures of the Politburo for clues as to who was running the Soviet Union. So apparently Boltoffski is moving up, and Kellyoffski will soon be the Minister for State Security in Tundraland. That’s not how it’s being reported on Prafox, but outside in the Free World, wiser heads are putting the picture together.
20
Chief of Staff, John Kelly, has clearly been pushed to the back of the Trump bus; and unless he finally shows some shred of honor that has so far eluded him, he'll soon find himself like so many others tweeted in the back and thrown unceremoniously under the bus. That will be a fitting end to a clearly racist man who callously and incorrectly denigrated an African-American Congresswoman, Frederica Wilson, and is probably also responsible for the failure to reach a deal on DACA. In the end, John Kelly was never really "the adult in the room."
17
Kelly has been somewhat exposed and has come up short.The Venue He appears in does that.
4
Good.
Lewandowski should replace Kelly.
Also, Pruitt should replace Sessions as AG.
2
Yes, Sessions is not bad enough. We need Pruitt's level and brand of corruption infesting the DOJ where it can do maximum damage to the rule of law!
5
i just think there are a lot of people in the White House who have put power and money over personal integrity.
5
The unique thing about Team Trump compared to all previous administrations is that while, in any single moment, one person may be more dishonorable than another, in the bigger picture they're ALL detestable.
I can't help but root against each and every one of them keeping his/her job, and that's an awful way to feel about the people occupying positions in the highest echelons of our government.
28
"The president has come to believe that Mr. Kelly is hiding things from him." It sounds like Trump has paranoia problems win addition to everything else.
8
Kelly should resign. He’s got an official title but Trump will not let him do his job. The chief of staff frees the President from day to day management of his working place but in return the President lets him control access to him by others. Trump relies upon other people to do all the actual work that is needed to be done so that he can play all the time. It worked because he avoided business that actually demanded a serious and thoughtful role for himself. The responsibilities of a President exceed his capacities for serious work and thought and he retains his need for lots of playtime and diversions. Kelly’s purpose is to provide Trump with a good work environment but for Trump that means taking away the fun and he does not like that. Kelly should let it go. The only productive endeavors shown by Trump is signing legislation and orders with which he and his staff have not been invoked. Let Trump be the spoiled child, he does best when he does nothing but display himself to no good purpose.
1
A four-star Marine General and an undisciplined draft dodger. A man of discipline and a man who prides himself from being unprepared and from shooting from the hip.
The larger question is how has the relationship lasted this long? Trump will push Kelly out and not replace him. Trump is replicating his management model from his real estate business: he was center stage; no one told him what to do or to whom he could speak.
10
They seem to have common ground on race,the press.Maybe Kelly being charitable also disassembles like his boss.
6
Mr. Kelly should do what is best for the country and its people. He should (a) stay until he is fired; (b) publicly speak out every day against racism, misogyny, dishonesty, etc.; and (c) become a loud advocate inside and outside of the White House for the rule of law, the Constitution, free speech, the free press, the separation of powers, and the sacred independence of Mr. Mueller's investigation.
11
Two alpha males on the same boat, one more reasonable than the other, one is captain, one is First Mate, the captain changes their direction on a whim, the First Mate tries to correct or ameliorate his multifaceted mistakes: Is this the plot for an updated "Ship of Fools"?
4
Trump surrounds himself with sycophants, which by their very nature are incompetent. The good ones leave. The next administration will have to clean house, as there will be no one left worth saving. The transition will undoubtedly be bumpy, which should please Trump as he will think it makes him look good in comparison. An intelligent electorate would know better.
9
There are plenty of patriotic matters that General Kelly can handle: Preparing the residents of The White House for a hasty retreat and ensuring they leave the silverware; reminding the staff members to stand when Trump enters the room and to pick up his handkerchief when he drops it.
Before my aunt, an historian, died this winter last at an elderly age, I told her that a formidable general was in charge of Trump, and she wanted to know during which campaign he had served in military combat. Here I fibbed and ventured WWII.
Mr. Kelly is probably going to be remembered for his service to Trump. My Uncle Edmund, whose grandfather of The Thomas Kellys started a printing business on coming to America, became Chief of the Western European Branch and French Specialist in G-2 of the War Department General Staff during WWII, and was able to write at the end of his life 'With the exception of my first years of law practice and the army, I have been able to be my own master having full control as well as being entirely responsible for my actions'.
We should all be so fortunate, but then as a friend from Africa reminds me on occasion, it is about 'Our Lot in Life'. If it is any consolation to General Kelly, he might read how 'Mercy' was placed in charge of Marie Antoinette.
3
I, along with many Americans, had high hopes for Mr. Kelly. I also perceived him to be, fundamentally, an honorable person. I thought he was going to "take one for the team" - and the team being America. He was going to stand up for our constitution, our laws, or very existence as Chief of Staff and right the ship with the Trump Hurricane.
Alas, Mr. Kelly has done nothing of the sort. He has implicitly and directly defended Trump, including Trump's lies, bad behavior, and twitter policy.
Mr. Kelly was a Trojan horse. Shame on us for believing.
17
I've watched in horror as Trump has appointed the most inappropriate people to his cabinet and administration - Bannon, Flynn, DeVos, Pruitt, Sessions, etc. The only comfort seems to be that this Team of Evils cannot get along with each other and are not coordinating very effectively. Each time one resigns or is fired, I rejoice, but then they are immediately replaced with someone worse. I thought Tillerson was the most ridiculous choice for secretary of state, but now we have an anti-Muslim bigot in that job.
I will be happy to see Kelly depart, but which dead-eyed man will slink out of the underbelly of American politics to replace him?
17
Acting as Chief of Staff in this White House is liking riding in the passenger seat with a drunk driver. You might help the driver avoid a barricade here, or a head-on collision there, but eventually you realize you're going to be involved in an accident and end up wishing weren't in the car.
11
Get out while the gettin' is good General Kelly. You've had a fine military career and you've made an exemplary effort to bring sense and organization to the White House. It's an impossible task. Don't fall on your sword trying fix it.
1
It's "Game of Thrones"! People seemed to love that show, so maybe they find this mess entertaining, too. Kind of the way you watch "Flight" (Denzel Washington, 2012) and think, "Yeah, it might be entertaining to be on a jetliner with a pilot who's drunk and on drugs! Yeah!"
2
Trump keeps Kelly in the WH because the association with Kelly makes Trump looks less bad. It is sort of a cosmetic politics in line with a long history of the same in Trump's life to con, to mislead, to deceive, to lie to appear better, richer, smarter while in reality he is the opposite.
2
After watching the trump circus now for 14 months no one is on a secure footing with DT. The problem trump has is that he is running out of swamp rats to appoint to his administration and no decent people will work for him, witness his latest addition Giuliani. Trump may just wind up turning the lights off at the WH all by himself.
3
Why stay, Mr. Kelly?
Leave the circus.
2
“It’s like a really bad marriage, but maybe for now both people have decided they’re just going to try to muddle through,” - Chris Whipple
That's actually a fairly profound and accurate assessment, especially since Trump is on his third (and rocky to say the least) marriage and very few of his other appointees are still standing. I think more have left the White House (for one reason or another) than have remained - and this presidency is only in it's 16th month.
I've always liked and respected John Kelly. I will never understand why a man of his integrity and many talent/ skills would take the Chief of Staff job in the first place. He's better than that position and deserves better than what he is receiving from his Command in Chief.
2
Republican party and those who voted for Trump every bit deserve this train wreck carrying toxic radio active nuclear waste. Problem is that the rest of America and the majority of voters who voted for Hillary or did not vote for Trump need and deserve better.
I hope Trump voters start to reflect upon their choice and begin to abandon him and the Republican Party en-mass.
2
"He's arrogant, he's been imperious and he's politically out of his depth." Hmm. And this a description of who?
4
Amazing: so much time is spent on the personalities and the process--so little spent on policies and their effects! It is well established that the White House and Cabinet personalities are dysfunctional, corrupt, driven by greed, and cold. Why repeat it over and over? Without looking at the policies being put in effect by fiat and decree.
Trump has turned Defense into the world's leading arms merchant; 2017 set a record for export arms sales, $76 billion, exceeding the 2012 high of 69 billion. Some deals may not close, but they represent Trump's push to stimulate a new arms race that will increase global instability--unless you are a NRA fan (more guns/more peace).
With these weapons comes advanced US military technology, as important as the destructive force of the weapons that provides despots with a regional edge. Yet the news is about a general who is impotent in this critical, overlooked strategic debate!
Trump is also adding quotas to his trade strategy, moving away from regulated markets to fiat pricing (tariffs) and quotas. His use of executive power fix prices and restrict supply will resort in shortages and higher prices for security and retail goods.
And steel? Commerce says the US imports steel because it can only met 80% of demand! More: steel is imported in 5 types, with unequal demands; different countries lead each type, its total is 1.2% of US imports. This is a fight, not a plan for progress!
Why are turf wars news and not policies of destruction?
47
I saw an economist on Bill Maher a few weeks ago who said that Trump wants bilateral agreements because it's easier to commit fraud and graft. Sounds like Trump to me - can't resist his money-grubbing and cheating ways.
1
Part of me thinks it doesn't matter. The Trump presidency is aflame in scandal and intrigue. Minions like Pruitt will do as much damage as they can while they can, but the White House itself is rudderless with or without Kelly.
196
Life has become evil indeed when we require the protection of racist anti-woman authoritarian General Kelly who so clearly proved himself a liar with a fallen hero's pregnant widow against the much worse bottom feeder Trump and his bomb throwing bullying greedy instincts. Conman Trump wants to be godkingemperor, and he's now got Bolton and others to help him make America as small and mean and dangerous as he can.
258
For other administrations I've abhorred, I'd call your comment hyperbole. For Trump, though, I'd call it accurate. The only thing you left out was the viper pit of fixers, family members and cronies that Trump presides over.
14
Give the job to the princeling Jared. No biggie. In addition to negotiating peace in the Middle East, solving America’s opioid epidemic, diplomacy with China, reforming care for veterans, reforming the criminal justice system and oh yeah, reinventing the entire government and making it work like a business, he should also be able to tackle the Chief of Staff gig with alacrity.
165
of course, Jared will need the White House calligrapher to read the security briefings!
4
John F. Kelly would be wise to resign. The occupant in the White House is impossible to work for or with and, on a daily basis, it is like changing seats on the sinking Titanic.
30
The article about Kelly ends with this: “Without an empowered White House chief of staff, you can’t execute policy.”
Considering the "policy," we Americans like that.
368
Overall it's better for America if Trump isn't getting anything done. The only exception is when we need to respond to something like the Puerto Rico hurricane, and his ineptness becomes a big problem.
22
Anything that blocks Trump's agenda is good for America. Farmers across America now can't find enough workers to harvest their vegetable crops thanks to Trump's vitriol against immigrants. So let's wait and see how many Caucasians engage in shoving matches to get those "great jobs" that the lunatic Far Right is so convinced are being taken away from them.
34
Kelly's personal arrogance finally lost the competition with Trump's. Both persons are much the same, especially sharing a disdain for free press. We must remember Kelly's snide remarks at the US Coast Guard Academy graduation during Trump's rant. . .Kelly remarked about prosecuting media that was unfriendly.
119
As a Democrat, I think General Kelly is a man of honor and just too serious for the nutty situation at the White House. Like Tillerson, anyone who is sane cannot stay for long.
12
Sally: As a "woke" Democrat, I do not believe that Kelly was ever an honorable man. His history of statements prior to entering the White House shows him to be a bigot. After entering the WH he lied on several occasions, supported a man who physically abused women, defamed a congresswoman with lies and helped to sink an immigration agreement. It is sad he lost a son to the endless wars in the Mideast, but this does not automatically make him an honorable man,,,,just a sad one.
20
I find Mr Kelly to be a dishonorable man, revealed by his attacks on the Florida congresswoman and his defense of white supremacists. I have no sympathy or respect for him.
588
Indeed, Kelly is a four-star coward. A disgrace to all the men and women who honorably serve our country.
Shame on him!
25
Kelly served his country in the military with honor, and lived in a world of command-and-control that whole time. But he has forfeited the moral high ground when he became Trump's chief enabler, under the rationale that he was "saving the country" every day. Kelly can only redeem this last year by leaving the WH today, and quickly revealing all of the dysfunction and illegalities he has observed to Congress. Otherwise, his decades-long military career will count for nothing versus the damage he's done by enabling Trump for just one year.
436
Like so many others, Kelly has ruined his reputation by working for Trump. His former military career will forever be eclipsed by his time in the White House. Why these guys are willing to compromise themselves by working for Trump is a mystery, but it must have to do with ego and grasping for power. The price they pay is so high, though. Kelly allowed Trump to exploit his son who had been killed in combat. Kelly didn't speak up to defend the Gold Star parents of Army Captain Humayun Khan, who was also killed in combat, when they were attacked and insulted by Trump. Surely he could understand the pain this must have caused, but he said nothing. Kelly gave up whatever integrity he had when he became a Trump enabler. It's too bad, because he might never reclaim it.
344
No apologist for Kelly but that happened during the campaign, before he had a formal relationship with tRump.
This line stopped me in my tracks:
"Yet Mr. Trump, always averse to confrontation,..."
In what universe is that true??
72
It's actually quite true. Trump likes to threaten or undermine from inside his bubble on Twitter but does not have the courage to tackle people directly or fire them to their faces. They learn about it on Twitter or from someone else - or just get the hint and depart after their positions are made untenable. He's a typical gutless bully. Go back and look at the departures of the last year – they mostly fit this pattern.
194
He can dish it out but he can't take it. He doesn't like to fire people in person, except on reality TV. Tweets away!!
60
I think the author meant that Trump doesn't have the stomach for face-to-face confrontation, preferring assassination-by-Twitter in the middle of the night. Rex can tell us all about it.
24
Kelly is no saint either. Both men (Trump &
Kelly) have damaged images partly due to little tolerance for those who have different positions then their own. They deserve each other.
258
For better or for worse, one hopes Gen. Kelly will stick around until we can excise the cancerous tumor from the Oval Office.
2
Kelly sullied his "reputation" if he had any to begin with.
43
Once, I had respect for Him, thinking he was staying out of patriotic DUTY.
But now, I'm thinking it's the Trump version of Stockholm Syndrome.
Get out, while you can. Most of this bunch WILL be going to the Big House, eventually. Don't join them.
15
To paraphrase David Axelrod, anyone who works for Trump will end up looking like a fool or a liar, under indictment or all of the above.
450
Trump's hopefully very short tenure may ultimately benefit the nation by weakening or destroying the power of a great number of people who shouldn't ever have had it.
8
I like the way you said that.
Kelly Eyeing Exits?
Finally. His reputation has been destroyed. Why linger?
26
Oh, some right-wing think tank or lobbying firm will pick him up and support him well.
2
Kelly will go the route of all previous staff. Time for Trump to resign. He just doesn't have the right stuff to do the job...
17
A man who dedicated his adult life in serving his country with distinction is facing his toughest battle. Can he continue to serve a commander in chief who is not only unqualified to command, but is dishonest and untrustworthy?
14
Mr. Kelly, in a public statement, has affirmed that he and the President have a very good relationship. The rest is just conjecture and wishful thinking.
5
If I were a journalist or their editor I would be most concerned that this is in fact a smear (mentioned in the article) being driven by someone in the White House interested in accumulating better access and influence with the President. The American public and foreign leaders know that Mr Trump's ego is fragile and he is easily manipulated by flattery and rumors of disloyalty. We have to assume that the same is true for White House staffers with their own career or political agendas. I'd like to see reporting like this, with unattributed perspectives on staff conflicts in the White House, spend more time on who would have a motive to try and drive a wedge between the President and his chief of staff. This will allow readers a better opportunity to judge if reporters are being used and editors to decide if reporters are serving as megaphone for plotting staffers in exchange for access.
14
"driven by someone in the White House interested in accumulating better access and influence with the President"
Yeah. His daughter and son-in-law.
4
"Continued strength of the economy"?
The economy had a 1 year coast upwards from the Obama era policies, but since the Trump policies, including a tax break to give more money to the rich and trade policies that have the consistency of a game of Whack-a-Mole, the economy has flat-lined.
Check it out, stock markets (the Trump indicator of economic health) is the same now as it was at the end of November 2017, when the Trump "policies" were finally implemented.
141
But I thought Trump was too busy with his presidential duties for a a Mueller interview.
"At a breakfast event last week for Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, Mr. Kelly marveled that Mr. Trump had spent a long time the day before on the phone with Bill Belichick, the New England Patriots coach, talking about the status of Tom Brady, the star quarterback, according to two people familiar with his remarks, one of whom was present."
143
General Kelly's nomination did not please me. I was afraid he would be able to corral Donald Trump, bring some order to the White House, and hide the worst of the scandals, which would allow Trump to stay president for a long time.
I hope General Kelly leaves as soon as possible, so that all can really see how bad Trump really is. I also want everybody to see how low the republicans are willing to go to absolve Trump.
In short, I want Trump to be the perfect example of what happens when an incompetent, immoral, corrupt and racist populist gets elected; so that everybody can be reminded how important elections are, not only in the USA but also in Europe where we have our own mini Trump wannabes.
Election do have consequences.
152
"I also want everybody to see how low the republicans are willing to go to absolve Trump."
They're only going to go as far as he is valuable to them. At some point he'll have little political currency to offer. He very well may have no cash with which to offer "campaign contributions"; remember they haven't seen his tax returns either. Then...the Bus.
2
Leave! It can’t get any worse. One less ridiculous drama if he leaves
5