Trump fires back at report that says his friends 'fear' he's 'on an inevitable collision course' with his chief of staff
President Donald Trump responded to a Washington Post report that said his friends "fear" that Trump "is on an inevitable collision course with" his chief of staff, John Kelly.
"General John Kelly is doing a great job as Chief of Staff," Trump tweeted in the first post of a two-part message on Friday morning. "I could not be happier or more impressed - and this Administration continues to get things done at a record clip. Many big decisions to be made over the coming days and weeks. AMERICA FIRST!"
The Post wrote that Trump "chafes at some of the retired Marine Corps general's moves to restrict access to him since he took the job almost a month ago," according to several sources close to the president.
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"They run counter to Trump's love of spontaneity and brashness, prompting some Trump loyalists to derisively dub Kelly 'the church lady' because they consider him strict and morally superior," the Post wrote.
One Trump friend told the publication that the president is "having a very hard time" with how he's being handled by both Kelly and the media.
"He doesn't like the way the media's handling him," one friend who spoke with Trump this week told the Post of the president. "He doesn't like how Kelly's handling him. He's turning on people that are very close to him."
SEE ALSO: Trump loyalists have reportedly nicknamed John Kelly 'the church lady'
Since taking over as chief of staff from Reince Priebus just a few weeks ago, Kelly has moved to put tighter controls on both who has access to the president and what information makes it to the president's desk.
As the Post wrote, Trump's friends were previously able to simply call the White House and get put in direct contact with Trump. Now, all of those calls must go through Kelly first. Friends also used to visit Trump in the Oval Office seemingly on a whim, but now they must have an "official appointment" and a "clear reason" to visit, according to the Post.
SEE ALSO: Trump reportedly calls Steve Bannon on his personal phone when John Kelly isn't around
But insiders told The Post that Trump will sometimes defy the new rules, and continues to call friends and advisers such as recently ousted chief strategist Steve Bannon when Kelly is not present.
Friday marked the second time Trump took to Twitter to deny any tensions with Kelly.
Just one week ago, Trump posted a similar message.
"General John Kelly is doing a fantastic job as Chief of Staff," Trump wrote. "There is tremendous spirit and talent in the W.H. Don't believe the Fake News."
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