Angry over Jim Mattis's rebuke, Trump removed him two months early

The president has grown increasingly angry as commentators have described Mattis in near heroic terms for standing up to Trump and making his resignation count

Less than two hours after Defense Secretary Jim Mattis went to the White House on Thursday to hand a resignation letter to President Trump, the president stood in the Oval Office and dictated a glowing tweet announcing that Mattis was retiring “with distinction” at the end of February.

But Trump had not read the letter. As became apparent to the president only after days of news coverage, a senior administration official said, Mattis had issued a stinging rebuke of Trump over his neglect of allies and tolerance of authoritarians. The president grew increasingly angry as he watched a parade of defense