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He ‘Went Rogue’:
President Trump’s Staff Stunned
After Latest Charlottesville Remarks
By Hallie Jackson And Kristen Welker
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At least we have Chief of Staff John Kelly in the White House who knows the difference between what is right and what is wrong. It would be great if it would be more than demeanor and express his objection verbally.
“Chief of Staff John Kelly stared at the floor, arms crossed. It wasn't supposed to be like this.
“In front of him, President Donald Trump was in the middle of reigniting an explosive controversy the White House had tried to extinguish just a day earlier.
“To Kelly's right, reporters pressed up against a velvet rope to shout questions about the president's response to the violence over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. With the élan of an orchestra conductor, Trump pointed at one reporter, then gestured to another. "Infrastructure question," he barked at one point. "Go ahead."
“The ensuing exchange inside the lobby of Trump Tower between reporters and the president over the white nationalist rally and counter-protest in Charlottesville became one of the most extraordinary moments in a presidency that's seen plenty of them.
“To President Trump's aides, it was stunning. Multiple sources inside and close to the White House described the president's senior staff as confused and frustrated, caught off guard by Trump's decision to defend his initial response to the violence in Virginia.
“He ‘went rogue,’ one senior White House official told NBC News.”
John Kelly reacts to President Trump's latest remarks on violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.
