John Kelly may step down as White House chief of staff

John Kelly is likely to step down as the White House chief of staff in the coming days, according to sources.

Amid buzz over the fractious relationship between Kelly and United States President Donald Trump, the two have stopped speaking to each other in recent days, CNN reported.

Trump is actively discussing a plan for Kelly's replacement, although an insider said that nothing is clear as of now and nothing would be final until the US President announces a replacement.

Nick Ayers, who is US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, is seen as a leading contender and is likely to succeed Kelly.

 

Ever since Kelly took over the post from his previous role as US Homeland Security secretary in July last year, he has reportedly had a "tense relationship" with Trump. There have been previous instances where it was reported that Kelly was stepping down from his role.

Both Trump and Kelly have reportedly been at loggerheads over various issues. In the last few months, Kelly's role began to diminish as the US President evaded most of the policies and protocols he had enacted and Kelly was on the verge of being fired several times.

With the Democrats set to take over the House of Representatives in January following the midterm elections last month, Trump is becoming seriously concerned over the same and has privately said that Kelly is not "politically savvy".

Last month, CNN reported that the US President was mulling over replacements for several senior positions in his administration following the outcome of the midterm polls, where the Republicans expanded its majority in the Senate but lost out in the House.