Trump confidant: President is perplexed by reports of White House chaos

One of President Trump’s confidants said Sunday that the president is “perplexed” by reports of chaos in the White House, adding that more changes are expected soon.

“The president told me he is perplexed by all of these reports that there is chaos at the White House or mass staff changes,” Chris Ruddy, the CEO of Newsmax, told ABC’s “This Week.”

“He told me that he thinks the White House is operating like a ‘smooth machine,’ his words.”

Ruddy, however, noted the president told him he will likely make some changes soon.

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“He did say that he is expecting to make one or two major changes to his government very soon and that is going to be it,” Ruddy said.

Ruddy said White House sources told him that Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin is likely to depart Trump’s Cabinet “very soon.”

Shulkin has been in hot water in recent weeks following reports that he misused taxpayer money to pay for flights for his wife.

Ruddy also said that White House chief of staff John Kelly and Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson will be staying.

Carson recently faced scrutiny following reports that the department had spent tens of thousands of dollars for a dining set for his office.

Trump said last Thursday he would replace national security adviser H.R. McMaster with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.

Trump’s chief economic adviser Gary Cohn, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and personal lawyer John Dowd have also left recently.