White House denies rumors of staff shake-up
The White House has denied speculations about a potential shake-up in President Donald Trump’s young administration amid media reports of growing infighting among the president’s inner circle.
The White House, in a statement on Friday, rejected as “completely false” the reports that Trump was considering reassigning Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.
“Once again this is a completely false story driven by people who want to distract from the success taking place in this administration,” Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters said.
Walters noted the Senate's confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch, Trump's recent meetings with foreign leaders and the US missile strikes in Syria as evidence of success of the new administration.
"The only thing we are shaking up is the way Washington operates as we push the president's aggressive agenda forward," she said.
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The statement came amid reports of differences between Trump’s senior adviser Jared Kushner and Bannon. Media had speculated that repeated clashes between the two top aides over healthcare legislation, the fallout of immigration bans and Syria could see an overhaul in Trump’s inner circle.
Bannon played a major role in the presidential election and was seen as a power behind Trump’s populist campaign. But Trump recently removed Bannon from the National Security Council, reversing a decision to give him access to high-level meetings.
Kushner, Trump's son-in-law who also played a key role in his campaign, is allied with a group of aides who view themselves as more moderate forces.
Trump's presidency has been plagued with personnel woes and limited policy victories as he nears his first 100 days in office. Installing his choice to the Supreme Court was a success, but his travel ban remains tied up in the courts. His healthcare bill failed spectacularly on its first attempt despite the Republican majority in Congress, and the president is still dogged by questions about Russian connections.
Trump himself has also been increasingly frustrated over some other issues, including the alleged leaks and stories of infighting that keep flowing out of the West Wing.
On Thursday, Trump issued his personal plea to Bannon and Kushner to set aside their growing feud and asked them to meet with Chief of Staff Reince Priebus at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate the following day.
According to a senior administration official, the two men agreed to try to work together after the private meeting.
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