JOHN KELLY/REX TILLERSON/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump and White House chief of staff John Kelly have settled on a truce, at least temporarily, as the latest round of staff tumult continues to ripple through the West Wing, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Jarred by the treatment of former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whom the president fired by tweet on Tuesday [3-13-18] morning, Mr. Kelly suggested to colleagues that he may be the next to be pushed out of the White House. Mr. Kelly’s cryptic comments left several White House staffers with the impression that Mr. Kelly would force the issue with the president, and that they should start looking for new jobs, too.
The internal drama heightened when Mr. Kelly flew with the president to California on Tuesday, but returned alone and was working in his West Wing office on Wednesday morning… But on Thursday, Messrs. Trump and Kelly had a productive meeting that left both men reassured. Mr. Trump told advisers afterward that Mr. Kelly was ‘100% safe.’ Mr. Kelly told his associates that, at least for the moment, he and the president had patched things up. ‘I’m in,’ Mr. Kelly told staff.”
-Michael C. Bender, “Donald Trump and John Kelly Reach Truce,” The Wall Street Journal online, Mar. 16, 2018 10:25am