President Trump offered lukewarm reviews of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Chief of Staff John Kelly on Sunday, keeping alive speculation that their jobs are on the line in post-midterms White House shakeups.
Ms. Nielsen was given “a chance” of keeping her job and Mr. Kelly got a “let’s see what happens” when Mr. Trump was asked about it in an interview aired on “Fox News Sunday.”
Reports have swirled around Washington since the election that the two were working on borrowed time, with Mr. Kelly fighting to save the job of Ms. Nielsen, his handpicked successor at DHS.
“I like her a lot. I respect her a lot. She is very smart. I want her to get much tougher and we’ll see what happens there,” said Mr. Trump.
His chief gripe with Ms. Nielsen is the continued influx of illegal immigrants across the southern border.
“I want to be extremely tough,” said the president.
SEE ALSO: Pam Bondi wins Donald Trump praise amid attorney general speculation
On the subject of Mr. Kelly, the president walked back his assurances from this summer that his chief of staff would be with him through the 2020 election.
“Let’s see what happens,” said Mr. Trump.
He acknowledged that his isn’t completely pleased with Mr. Kelly’s performance.
“Certain things I love that he does and there are certain things I don’t love,” said Mr. Trump. “There a couple of things that just aren’t his strength.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.