DEFENSE/JAMES MATTIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday [9-18-18] dismissed recent news reports that tensions between him and President Donald Trump point to his exit soon. Asked by a reporter whether such reports should be taken seriously, he replied, ‘No. I wouldn’t take it seriously at all. It’s like most of those kind of things in this town’ that he said are fanned by baseless rumor…Several news organizations have reported that Trump has become weary of Mattis, a retired Marine general who was one of his first Cabinet selections. He is seen by many as a steadying influence on Trump in the face of sometimes impulsive moves on national security issues. It’s well known that Mattis has privately disagreed with Trump on numerous issues, including the president’s decision to end U.S. participation in the Iran nuclear deal and move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. But Mattis is widely supported in Congress and the military and prevailed in an administration argument in 2017 over whether to keep U.S. troops in Afghanistan.”
–The Associated Press, “Mattis Dismissive of News Reports of Tension With Trump,” The New York Times online, September 18, 2018