--- title: John Kelly Says Report He Called Trump an Idiot 'Total BS' description: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly responded to reports Monday claiming that he called President Trump an "idiot" multiple times canonical: https://time.com/5260546/john-kelly-donald-trump-idiot/ author: Aric Jenkins article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-30T22:16:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:27.188Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'Total BS.' John Kelly Responds to Reports He Called Trump an Idiot og:description: "He always knows where I stand," Kelly responded og:url: https://time.com/5260546/john-kelly-donald-trump-idiot/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7756a99071dc3cf/6988e587fb4eac0d2389486d/john-kelly-donald-trump-tweets.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP-KELLY og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'Total BS.' John Kelly Responds to Reports He Called Trump an Idiot twitter:description: "He always knows where I stand," Kelly responded twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte7756a99071dc3cf/6988e587fb4eac0d2389486d/john-kelly-donald-trump-tweets.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 'Total BS.' John Kelly Responds to Reports He Called Trump an Idiot ## Video: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly Insists He Isn't Quitting or Getting Fired [Watch (HLS stream): White House Chief of Staff John Kelly Insists He Isn't Quitting or Getting Fired](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Huzg6FGE.m3u8) (0:47)  _Published 2017-10-12. White House Chief of Staff John Kelly says he's not quitting, getting fired or firing anyone else, "unless things change."_ by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Apr 30, 2018 10:16 PM UTC  President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with newly sworn-in White House Chief of Staff John Kelly at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 31, 2017. President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with newly sworn-in White House Chief of Staff John Kelly at the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 31, 2017.Jim Watson—AFP/Getty Images by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Apr 30, 2018 10:16 PM UTC White House Chief of Staff [John Kelly](http://time.com/5174025/trump-kelly-kushner-clearance/) responded to reports Monday claiming that he called President Trump an “idiot” multiple times since taking office nine months ago. “I spend more time with the President than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship,” Kelly said in a statement. “He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS. “I am committed to the President, his agenda, and our country,” Kelly added. “This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes.” Kelly’s alleged remarks towards Trump were [reported by NBC](https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/kelly-thinks-he-s-saving-u-s-disaster-calls-trump-n868961), which said four White House officials said they witnessed the comments. According to the report, Kelly during his tenure has cast himself as a savior of the White House who prevents Trump from making reckless policy decisions. Many have speculated for months [how long Kelly would remain in the post](http://time.com/5118990/donald-trump-john-kelly-chief-staff/). His appointment in July 2017 was initially praised as a [shrewd pick](http://time.com/4894987/why-general-john-kelly-trump-last-hope/) that would bring discipline and calmness to the White House. Since then, media outlets have reported a growing frustration by Kelly towards the Trump Administration. There are concerns that his status within the White House in dwindling. A number of high-profile officials have left the Trump White House over the past year, including Kelly’s predecessor —Reince Priebus — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and National Security Adviser H.R. 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