Defense
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
President Donald Trump with recently appointed National Security Adviser Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, February 20, 2017.
- National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster is leaving the Trump administration.
- President Donald Trump fired McMaster after longstanding rumors of his ouster.
- McMaster's military bearing reportedly grated on Trump, who "sometimes simply tunes McMaster out" during briefings.
President Donald Trump's national security adviser, Army Gen. H.R. McMaster, has been fired.
McMaster's tenure was rocky and marked by disputes with his boss as well as other senior administration officials. Rumors bubbled up periodically about McMaster's impending firing, but he was not removed until now.
People familiar with plans for the ouster said Trump was willing to take time with McMaster's departure to make sure the three-star general was not humiliated and to have a qualified successor in place, The Washington Post reported on Thursday night.
Reports of rifts between McMaster and Trump have circulated for some time. McMaster's military bearing reportedly grated on Trump, who "sometimes simply tunes McMaster out" during briefings, Axios reported in July 2017.
McMaster is only the latest Trump administration official to be shown the door. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson learned of his termination from Trump's tweet announcing it. Prior to that, Gary Cohn, Trump's top economic adviser, quit over disagreements with trade policy.
"There will always be change," Trump told reporters on Thursday. "And I think you want to see change. I want to also see different ideas."
McMaster was named national security adviser on February 20, 2017, taking over the post following the resignation of Michael Flynn.
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