Corey Lewandowski may soon be replacing White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, according to sources close to the former campaign manager and the administration.
The whispers about Lewandowski come as Kelly is in the news for allegedly calling the president an “idiot” and saying that he doesn’t understand policies such as DACA.
Kelly has denied the claims made in the report from NBC, but sources close to the president say that he may still be on the chopping block.
“I spend more time with the president than anyone else and we have an incredibly candid and strong relationship,” Kelly said Monday in a statement issued by the White House.
“He always knows where I stand and he and I both know this story is total BS,” he said. “I am committed to the president, his agenda, and our country. This is another pathetic attempt to smear people close to President Trump and distract from the administration’s many successes.”
Lewandowski was a deeply controversial figure during the campaign, particularly after he was accused of grabbing the arm of a reporter as she was trying to approach Trump.
Despite the bumps, Lewandowski appears to have kept a very warm relationship with the president, even appearing with Trump at a rally in Michigan on Saturday.
After introducing him to the crowd, Trump happily bragged that Lewandowski “only ran one campaign and he won. So he’s one for one.”
Following the praise, Trump did something he rarely ever does, and turned the mic over to Lewandowski to address the cheering crowd.
Along with the political trips, Lewandowski also goes around Kelly to speak to the president on the phone frequently. He is also heavily involved in political decisions and races.
Lewandowski, according to a friend of both him and the president, does not believe Kelly shares the “Make America Great Again” agenda and attempts to “rein the president in on who he sees and what he does.”
“Lewandowski believes the way to win the midterms and especially in 2020 is to let Trump be Trump. Let the guy who surprised every political expert in America by winning follow his instincts, reconnect with his base, and get back to winning more,” a source explained.
