Mattis: Trump says defence chief's job is '100 percent' safe

Amid speculation that he may soon be replaced, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said President Donald Trump told him he supports the retired Marine general "100 percent."
Mattis initially was responding to reporters' questions about Trump's comments on CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday that Mattis "may leave" his administration and that he thinks the retired Marine Corps general is "sort of a Democrat."
Asked what he made of Trump's comments, in which the president also said he likes Mattis and that eventually all appointees move on, Mattis said, "Nothing at all," adding, "We have never talked about me leaving."
Mattis, who had never previously held a civilian position in government before he became defense secretary in January 2017, told reporters he has sought to carry out and reinforce Trump's military and national security policies without regard to partisanship. Those policies, he said, are now "reaping significant bipartisan support."

Asked directly whether he is a Democrat, Mattis said, "We're all built on our formative experiences. When I was 18 I joined the Marine Corps, and in the U.S. military we are proudly apolitical."
Asked if that meant he was not a registered member of either major political party, he replied, "I've never registered for any political party."