DEFENSE/JAMES MATTIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Monday [10-15-16] he has ‘never talked’ with President Donald Trump about leaving the administration despite the President’s calling him ‘sort of a Democrat’ who ‘may leave’ his position…Mattis also dismissed the President’s remark suggesting he had affiliation with the Democratic Party. ‘I’ve never registered for any political party,’ he said. In his wide-ranging interview with ’60 Minutes,’ Trump sparked speculation that Mattis’ days may be numbered after saying he was unsure about the defense secretary’s future in the administration. ‘He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves. Everybody. People leave,’ the President said. ‘That’s Washington.’ Trump added that he and Mattis “get along very well’…Trump tapped Mattis to be defense secretary following his victory in the 2016 presidential election. Mattis officially secured the position after Congress passed a waiver allowing him to take the civilian post shortly after he retired from the military. Mattis was at odds with the Obama administration over its policy toward Iran in his final years as head of Central Command, with the Marine general taking a harder line about pursuing action against Iran than the White House.”
–Paul LeBlanc, “Mattis says he’s on Trump’s ‘team’ after President says he’s ‘sort of a Democrat’,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, October 15, 2018 9:13 pm