President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff, plain spoken former Marine Corps general John Kelly, was sworn in Monday.
Kelly replaces former Chief of Staff Reince Priebus who has been accused of leaking information to the media.
Trump was enthusiastic in his praise for Kelly for his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security where he oversaw border reforms.
“He will do a spectacular job, I have no doubt, as chief of staff. What he’s done in terms of Homeland Security is record-shattering,” said Trump.
The president said Kelly delivered results with very little controversy “which is pretty amazing.”
Before retiring from the military, Kelly rose to the rank of Commander of United States Southern Command, the Unified Combatant Command responsible for American military operations in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. It is also tasked with ensuring the security of the Panama Canal.
More recently, Kelly implemented Trump’s policies of enforcing the existing immigration laws and oversaw a significant reduction in the number of people crossing into the United States illegally via the southern border since January. Kelly also worked on implementing the travel ban from terror-prone states deemed “countries of concern” by the previous administration.
Kelly’s appointment as Secretary of Homeland Security was an easy one—the former general received support from both sides of the aisle. Back in January, the Senate confirmed him by a vote of 88 to 11, with many Democrats giving him good reviews.
Republicans have been more vocal in their support.
“John Kelly is a great American,” tweeted Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton. “He’s an outstanding choice.”
