White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus boards a waiting Marine One presidential helicopter while U.S. President Donald Trump departs the White House May 17, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
West Wing Chaos: Priebus Quits, General Kelly Takes Over as Chief of Staff
"Reince Priebus was the shortest-serving White House chief of staff in American history, edging out Ken Duberstein."
The White House announced Friday afternoon that Chief of Staff Reince Priebus had resigned amid mounting tensions. Some reports indicate that Priebus "privately resigned yesterday," and Reuters was told by an anonymous official that "Trump informed Priebus two weeks ago that he would be replacing him as White House chief of staff."
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that Homeland Security Secretary Gen. John Kelly would take Priebus's place.
The resignation came just a day after a profanity-laced interview with new White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci was published in The New Yorker. Scaramucci launched insults at senior Trump advisors as well as Priebus, calling the then-chief of staff a "paranoid schizophrenic" and accusing him of leaking information to the press.
The New York Times summarized the events preceding Priebus's resignation:
In barely half a year on the job, Mr. Priebus never won the full confidence of the president nor was granted the authority to impose a working organizational structure on the West Wing. Always seeming to be on the edge of ouster, Mr. Priebus saw his fate finally sealed a week ago when Mr. Trump hired Mr. Scaramucci, an edgy Wall Street financier, over the chief of staff's objections. Mr. Priebus's ally, Sean Spicer, the press secretary, resigned in protest.
Reporters and commentators reacted to the news of Priebus's resignation Friday afternoon:
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
The White House announced Friday afternoon that Chief of Staff Reince Priebus had resigned amid mounting tensions. Some reports indicate that Priebus "privately resigned yesterday," and Reuters was told by an anonymous official that "Trump informed Priebus two weeks ago that he would be replacing him as White House chief of staff."
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that Homeland Security Secretary Gen. John Kelly would take Priebus's place.
The resignation came just a day after a profanity-laced interview with new White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci was published in The New Yorker. Scaramucci launched insults at senior Trump advisors as well as Priebus, calling the then-chief of staff a "paranoid schizophrenic" and accusing him of leaking information to the press.
The New York Times summarized the events preceding Priebus's resignation:
In barely half a year on the job, Mr. Priebus never won the full confidence of the president nor was granted the authority to impose a working organizational structure on the West Wing. Always seeming to be on the edge of ouster, Mr. Priebus saw his fate finally sealed a week ago when Mr. Trump hired Mr. Scaramucci, an edgy Wall Street financier, over the chief of staff's objections. Mr. Priebus's ally, Sean Spicer, the press secretary, resigned in protest.
Reporters and commentators reacted to the news of Priebus's resignation Friday afternoon:
The White House announced Friday afternoon that Chief of Staff Reince Priebus had resigned amid mounting tensions. Some reports indicate that Priebus "privately resigned yesterday," and Reuters was told by an anonymous official that "Trump informed Priebus two weeks ago that he would be replacing him as White House chief of staff."
President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that Homeland Security Secretary Gen. John Kelly would take Priebus's place.
The resignation came just a day after a profanity-laced interview with new White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci was published in The New Yorker. Scaramucci launched insults at senior Trump advisors as well as Priebus, calling the then-chief of staff a "paranoid schizophrenic" and accusing him of leaking information to the press.
The New York Times summarized the events preceding Priebus's resignation:
In barely half a year on the job, Mr. Priebus never won the full confidence of the president nor was granted the authority to impose a working organizational structure on the West Wing. Always seeming to be on the edge of ouster, Mr. Priebus saw his fate finally sealed a week ago when Mr. Trump hired Mr. Scaramucci, an edgy Wall Street financier, over the chief of staff's objections. Mr. Priebus's ally, Sean Spicer, the press secretary, resigned in protest.
Reporters and commentators reacted to the news of Priebus's resignation Friday afternoon: