Trump says he will decide Nielsen’s fate ‘shortly’
President Trump said Wednesday he will decide “shortly” on the fate on Kirstjen Nielsen, whom he is considering ousting as secretary of Homeland Security.
“I’m looking at things. I haven’t made a decision yet,” Trump said in an interview with the conservative website The Daily Caller.
“I will be making a decision on homeland shortly. I have not made decisions yet. I will be making changes on various things.”
The comments are Trump’s first on the post-midterm shakeup he is considering for his senior White House staff and Cabinet, which is centered around Nielsen.{mosads}
Trump has long been frustrated with his Homeland Security chief over his belief that she has not been aggressive enough on immigration enforcement.
Nielsen’s exit could trigger the departure of White House chief of staff John Kelly, a staunch ally of Nielsen, who served as his chief of staff while Kelly was secretary of Homeland Security. Nielsen was also White House deputy chief of staff once Kelly moved to his current role.
The president on Wednesday downplayed the notion that such a shakeup signals that his White House is mired in chaos.
“Always in an administration after the midterms we make changes,” Trump said, claiming that many people are interested in joining his White House.
“We’re looking at a lot of options,” he continued. “A lot of people want to come in, a lot of politicians who have had very successful careers want to come in.”
The president’s comments come amid warnings from sources close to the administration who said no final decisions have been made despite a flurry of media reports on Tuesday indicating that major changes are imminent.
Kelly has reportedly attempted to save Nielsen’s job, and the top contender to replace Kelly, Vice President Pence’s chief of staff Nick Ayers, has many enemies inside the White House even though he has the backing of advisers Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.
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