Trump tells Fox News he is considering changes in '3 or 4 or 5' Cabinet positions
- President Donald Trump hit back against reports his mood has soured after Democrats took control of the House in the midterms.
- Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Fox News Sunday, Trump told host Chris Wallace that his mood was very "light," despite a report that said he had retreated into a "cocoon of bitterness and resentment."
- Trump also dismissed reports there were staff changes coming before saying he was considering up to five Cabinet positions.
President Donald Trump hit back against recent reports that his mood was soured and his administration in chaos after the midterm elections.
Speaking in a wide-ranging "Fox News Sunday" interview, Trump said his mood was "very light" and dismissed reports he was unhappy with the press coverage that suggested he was dissatisfied Democratic success in the midterms.
After host Chris Wallace asked about a Los Angeles Times report that described Trump as occupying a "cocoon of bitterness and resentment," desperate to assign blame for Republican losses, Trump insisted that he was "upbeat" and that the administration was largely stable.
"I'm extremely upbeat and the White House is running like a well-oiled machine," Trump said. "It's doing really well. I have great people. I will make some changes, but not very many. I'm very happy with my cabinet."
After Trump abruptly requested Attorney General Jeff Sessions' resignation a day after the midterms, multiple reports suggested that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Chief of Staff John Kelly were up next for departures.
After railing against the "disgusting fake news" that reported the potential staff shakeup "like it's fiction," Trump said he was considering up to five Cabinet changes.
"I have three or four or five positions that I'm thinking about," Trump said. "Of that, maybe it's going to end up being two. But I need flexibility."
The president's statements on Fox mirror a tweet he posted last week, which insisted reports of personnel changes were dramatic and the White House was running so smoothly that America was "the envy of the world."
Trump insisted that he likes and respects Nielsen, but wished she handled the relationship between the US and Mexico differently, which has been identified as a point of tension between the two.
"I like her very much I respect her very much," Trump said. "I'd like her to be much tougher on the border. Much tougher. Period."
The president also pushed back on reports of a rift between himself and John Kelly, most recently after Kelly's office had neglected personnel requests from first lady Melania Trump's office.
"We get along well," Trump said. "There are certain things I love that he does, and there are certain things I don't like that he does that aren't his strength."
Trump then admitted Kelly would most likely not be with the administration for the 2020 election.
"I haven't even thought about John in terms of this," he added. "But John at some point is going to want to move on."