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NBC News: White House Chief Of Staff Kelly “Tired” Of Trump, Has Referred To Trump As An “Idiot” Several Times

Chief of Staff John Kelly

NBC News reports that Donald Trump and his Chief of Staff, John Kelly, have grown tired of each other and Kelly could make his exit from the White House as early as July.

White House chief of staff John Kelly has eroded morale in the West Wing in recent months with comments to aides that include insulting the president’s intelligence and casting himself as the savior of the country, according to eight current and former White House officials.

The officials said Kelly portrays himself to Trump administration aides as the lone bulwark against catastrophe, curbing the erratic urges of a president who has a questionable grasp on policy issues and the functions of government. He has referred to Trump as “an idiot” multiple times to underscore his point, according to four officials who say they’ve witnessed the comments.

Three White House spokespeople said they don’t believe it’s accurate that Kelly called the president an “idiot,” adding that none of them has ever heard him do that or otherwise use that word.

The last time it became public that one of Trump’s top advisers insulted his intelligence behind his back, it didn’t go over well with the president. White House aides have said Trump never got over former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling him a “moron” in front of colleagues, which was first reported by NBC News. Trump later challenged Tillerson to an IQ test and fired him several months after the remark became public.

Kelly, a retired four-star general, is Trump’s second chief of staff.

Former RNC head Reince Priebus previously held the position. His tenure was the shortest of any non-interim Chief of Staff in American history.

UPDATE – But wait, there’s more:

UPDATE II – Kelly has released a statement denying the report by NBC News.

The statement reads, in part, “I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS.”

"I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship. He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS."
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Signorile: Media Is “Brown-Nosing” White House To Protect Access

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

I’ve not commented on the now-infamous Michelle Wolf performance at the annual White House Correspondents Association dinner on Saturday night because I wanted to take a bit to understand the “outrage.”

I’ve read the text of Wolf’s performance and seen the video, and to be honest I don’t see the “cringeworthy” or “embarrassing” content folks seem to be up in arms about.

The performance was a roast. That, by definition, means folks are going to be joked about.

Initially, I heard about the terrible “attack” on White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. That Wolf’s comments went after her “appearance.”

I assumed Wolf did a riff on Sanders’ weight or attractiveness. But no – Wolf made a joke about Sanders’ “smoky eye” makeup.

Here’s the crux of Wolf’s comments about Sanders:

Every time Sarah steps up to the podium, I get excited because I’m not really sure what we’re going to get: you know, a press briefing, a bunch of lies or divided into softball teams. “It’s shirts and skins, and this time, don’t be such a little b—-, Jim Acosta.”

I actually really like Sarah. I think she’s very resourceful. Like, she burns facts, and then she uses the ash to create a perfect smoky eye. Like, maybe she’s born with it; maybe it’s lies.

It’s probably lies.

And I’m never really sure what to call Sarah Huckabee Sanders. You know, is it Sarah Sanders? Is Sarah Huckabee Sanders? Is it Cousin Huckabee? Is it Auntie Huckabee Sanders? Like, what’s Uncle Tom but for white women who disappoint other white women? Oh, I know: Aunt Coulter.

The comment about “smoky eye” was a riff on Sanders’ lying to the press on a daily basis. It wasn’t an “attack” on her appearance.

Writing for HuffPost, Michelangelo Signorile had this take:

The performance has everyone talking, and many are expressing outrage that she “went too far” ― outrage that seems phony and forced. Some journalists who cover the White House and, unsurprisingly, many conservatives and Trump supporters are up in arms about Wolf’s barbs.

In both cases, the reactions are troublingly hypocritical.

The response of many Washington journalists is a particularly bad sign. It shows us some prominent sectors of the fourth estate are acquiescing to the Trump administration ― normalizing it ― rather than taking up the challenge of dealing with an authoritarian presidency.

Frankly, the reactions reek of an attempt to protect access by brown-nosing members of the administration ― but at the cost of legitimizing a president and an administration that has attacked the free press and called just about everyone in it a purveyor of “fake news.”

Where I was sitting, people were laughing generously in response to many jokes, and, as with any comedian, less so to others.

Beltway reporters for larger news organizations who’ve been viciously attacked themselves by the most vulgar, insulting, offensive president in U.S. history suddenly seemed shocked ― shocked! ― by what they perceived as vulgarity and insults coming from a female comedian.

I highly encourage you to read the full piece by Michelangelo. I think he’s spot on.

Here’s some of the response from the world of journalists:

And Donald Trump, who refused to show up for a second year in a row due to his thin skin and inability to handle any criticism, chimed in thusly:

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Drag Queen Ada Vox Eliminated From “American Idol,” Jurnee Advances To Top 7

Ada Vox, the drag persona of Adam Sanders, was eliminated on American Idol after singing a strong "Circle of Life" from THE LION KING
Ada Vox, drag persona of Adam Sanders

“Disney Night” on American Idol did not prove to be a magical event for contestant Ada Vox, the drag persona of Adam Sanders, who has been wowing the judges all the way into the talent competition’s Top 10.

Although her rendition of “Circle of Life” from the hit animated musical The Lion King was one of the best performances of the night, she couldn’t garner enough support from the voting public to move on to the top seven.

“How special it is to have you on this show,” said judge Lionel Richie. “You are a movement unto yourself.”

Vox was the first drag queen to ever get this far in the competition.

“Although America might not be ready for people like those of us who are a little bit different,” Vox told HuffPost in advance of Sunday’s show, “I think it’s very important that our talents be recognized.”

In the previous round, Vox was one of the judges’ “saves” from being eliminated. But in Sunday night’s show, the viewers were in charge of the competition and the San Antonio-native apparently didn’t inspire enough votes to advance to the next round.

I’m not an expert on drag but I do think I know talent, which Vox has served up in large portions.

I’m hoping this journey on AI helps propel the queen to a fabulous next chapter.

There is still an out musician in the running to win the AI crown this year.

Jurnee Siani, an 18-year-old from Littleton, Colorado, has been open about her sexuality and her wife military veteran Ashley Weathers, since the beginning of the show.

Her performance of “How Far I’ll Go” From Moana earned her a ticket into the top seven. It’s worth noting that an out singer has never won the talent competition.

Watch Jurnee’s performance below.

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Ronny Jackson Will Not Return To Position As White House Physician After Derailed Veterans Affairs Nomination

Dr. Ronny Jackson

Politico is reporting Dr. Ronny Jackson will not return to his position as the White House physician after his nomination to head up the Department of Veterans Affairs was derailed by a series of negative reports.

Jackson bowed out last week after Montana Sen. Jon Tester, the top Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, released a document summarizing allegations by current and former colleagues that Jackson overprescribed pills, drank on the job and created a hostile work environment. Jackson has denied the allegations and has returned to work in the White House Medical Unit.

The revelations about Jackson, who served as physician for both George W. Bush and Barack Obama, caught many in the West Wing by surprise.

Even before the Tester allegations surfaced, Republican and Democratic senators had voiced concern about the nomination because Jackson had no experience running an organization as complex as the VA — the second-largest federal agency, behind the military.

Trump had sent mixed signals about Jackson’s nomination when the allegations initially surfaced, telling reporters that he “personally” wouldn’t keep seeking confirmation in the same situation but that the decision was up to the doctor.

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Hawaii Bans Harmful “Ex-Gay” Therapy

Lawmakers in Hawaii approved a bill on Friday that bans the practice of so-called “conversion therapy” on LGBT minors.

“This has been a priority of the caucus for years,” said Michael Golojuch, chair of the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, told Hawaii News Now. “(The measure) ensures that LGQTB youth will not be tortured by mental health professionals.”

Governor David Ige is expected to sign the bill into lawl

Hawaii joins similar bans in California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, the District of Columbia, and several local municipalities.

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Trump On GOP Losing The House In Mid-Terms: “That’s Not Going To Happen”

The New York Times reports that Donald Trump is in denial about the GOP’s prospects in the mid-term elections this fall.

President Trump is privately rejecting the growing consensus among Republican leaders that they may lose the House and possibly the Senate in November, leaving party officials and the president’s advisers nervous that he does not grasp the gravity of the threat they face in the midterm elections.

Congressional and party leaders and even some Trump aides are concerned that the president’s boundless self-assurance about politics will cause him to ignore or undermine their midterm strategy. In battleground states like Arizona, Florida and Nevada, Mr. Trump’s proclivity to be a loose cannon could endanger the Republican incumbents and challengers who are already facing ferocious Democratic headwinds.

When told by several prominent Republicans at a dinner that the House is practically already lost, Trump repeatedly told the politicians “That’s not going to happen.”

As the Times points out, practically every modern president has lost seats in his first midterm election.

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Trump Mocks Paralympians At White House Reception

During a ceremony meant to honor U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes on Friday, Trump awkwardly told the press that he found the Paralympics “a little tough to watch” but he watched “as much as I could.”

The Paralympics organization took the high road reminding the president that billions of people, including myself, enjoy watching the games.

“Record numbers around the world are not finding @Paralympics tough to watch. Billions of viewers now take in the Paralympics in hundreds of countries around the world. We hope the US President continues to watch and be inspired by the Paralympics,” the organizers tweeted.

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’m a big supporter and fan of the Paralympic Games.

I’m horrified that Trump could sink this low.

It seems I’m not alone.

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MSNBC’s Joy Reid Issues Apology Over “Hurtful” Old LGBT Blog Posts From Late 2000s


 MSNBC’s Joy Reid took time this morning on her show to address the ongoing debacle of whether she did or did not write homophobic/transphobic comments on her now-defunct blog during the mid-to-late 2000s.

The old posts were brought to light in December and at the time, Reid apologized for the content.

But then new posts were found by a social media adversary, and Reid told the press she didn’t remember writing these new findings.

She hired a cybersecurity expert to explore if a hacker had modified and added content. But the expert hasn’t been able to prove that theory.

So today Reid offered a flat-out unqualified apology.

“I’ve not been exempt from being dumb or cruel or hurtful to the very people I want to advocate for. I own that. I get it. And for that I am truly, truly sorry.”

“I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things … But I can definitely understand, based on things I have tweeted and have written in the past, why some people don’t believe me.”

Reid brings up the fact that the country is in a different place than it was ten or twelve years ago. And it’s true.

People and attitudes do change. I’ve seen that from my perch here at The Randy Report.

In owning the transphobic and homophobic comments – comments I’ve heard many in the gay lesbian community make as well – she seems to come with a true apology.

I believe her, I accept her apology.

She is not our enemy. We have much bigger issues to address today.

Thank you, Joy Reid. Apology accepted.

Forward.