John Kelly: the general appointed chief of staff to bring order to the White House

John Kelly - © 2017 Bloomberg Finance LP
John Kelly - © 2017 Bloomberg Finance LP

Few would argue that John Kelly has been one of the successes of the Trump administration.

A retired four-star Marine Corps general, he was widely respected in Washington before his appointment and if anything his reputation has been enhanced during the six months he spent as homeland security secretary.

Plain talking in style, his appointment to the Homeland post was far less contentious than some of the other choices made by Mr Trump.

Unlike many other administration appointees, Mr Kelly's senate confirmation hearing was bipartisan in tone.

Many were impressed by his independence and willingness to distance himself from some of Mr  Trump's more hardline positions.

He voiced doubts about the effectiveness of a wall on the US-Mexican border, suggesting that it was unlikely "to be built anytime soon”.

Mr Kelly also flatly disagreed with Mr Trump's suggestion that all Muslims should be banned from the United States. 

He said he did not believe it "appropriate" to target individuals because of their religion or ethnic background. 

Mr Kelly also said that while serving in Iraq his forces sought to ensure stability by fostering good relations with clerics and Muslim leaders.

Profile | General John F Kelly

Before entering the administration, Mr Kelly had spent 45 years in the military. His youngest son, Robert, was killed in action in Afghanistan.

Mr Kelly's final post being as head of the US southern command with responsibility for South and Central America, a remit which included the Guantánamo Bay detention camp.

As homeland security secretary, Mr Kelly has been responsible for a sharp rise in the deportation of undocumented immigrants, leading him into conflict with "sanctuary cities"

His work was hailed by Mr Trump earlier this year.  "We're getting really bad dudes out of this country, and at a rate that nobody's ever seen before."

Mr Kelly found himself defending the administration's entry on travellers from seven Muslim majority countries which was repeatedly overturned by the courts.

He has also faced the challenge of trying to persuade the EU to accept a ban on passengers bringing laptops and computer tablets onto flights to the US.

On this, he was rebuffed but his negotiating skills enabled him to reach a compromise with the EU, which saw tighter checks on passengers and luggage imposed at European airports.

Joe Manchin, a Democrat member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, believed that the former military man could impose some order on the increasingly anarchic White House.

"If a general can't to it, I don't know who can."

In his first day in the job of Mr Trump's chief of staff, he requested the president remove Anthony Scaramucci as communications director, according to several sources.

Mr Scaramucci was indeed asked to leave the White House, with Mr Kelly's authority bolstered.