The King shall have no second, thank you very much

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly has lost some of his clout following recent missteps and wasn’t at President Donald Trump’s side for crucial decisions on staffing and policy moves, according to several senior aides.

Kelly wasn’t with the president last week when Trump abruptly decided to oust H.R. McMaster as national security adviser and replace him with John Bolton. Just two people were in the room for that decision: Trump and Bolton.

And Kelly is rarely on the line any more when Trump calls foreign leaders. Last week, when Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin days before the U.S. decided to expel dozens of Russian diplomats, Kelly wasn’t on the call.

The chief of staff’s absence at those two key moments last week highlights his struggles in managing the White House for a president who has a penchant for unpredictability and often follows his own lead when making decisions. Kelly has seen his influence slip since a staffing controversy in February marred his credibility and damaged his image as an internal disciplinarian.

Even so, Trump has shown no recent signs that he wants to fire Kelly and has gone out of his way to publicly praise his chief of staff, including during a visit this month to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego where he told the audience Kelly is “doing a great job.”

Shulkin Phone Call

The chief of staff was in the loop on Trump’s decision to replace Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin with Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, the president’s physician, an aide said. Trump and Kelly discussed the move several times, including in the Oval Office on Monday, and Kelly delivered the news to Shulkin in a phone call Wednesday afternoon, the aide said.

Lately, Kelly is less aware of what’s on Trump’s mind and what he’s planning to do next, according to several aides, with one describing the men as sometimes on different wavelengths. Trump doesn’t seek his input on staffing or policy decisions as much as he used to, and Kelly is no longer as successful in blocking access to former aides Kelly has described as disruptive.

The president once again speaks occasionally by telephone with Anthony Scaramucci, the communications director Kelly fired last summer and blacklisted from the White House grounds.

Fired campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is also a presence in Trump’s inner circle. Trump dined with Lewandowski and four others Monday night in the residence. Kelly, who has previously said he wouldn’t allow Lewandowski on the grounds unless he personally escorted him, wasn’t there. But he was aware of the dinner and briefed on the discussion on 2018 politics, aides said.

Kelly favors communications aide Mercedes Schlapp to be the new communications director to replace Hope Hicks, whose last day is Thursday. Trump has said he prefers policy aide Kellyanne Conway for the role, aides said.

But aides say they’ve seen signs Kelly’s grip has slipped. Trump’s impromptu March 1 announcement of tariffs on imported steel and aluminum had aides wondering whether the president consults with Kelly before all major decisions since the chief of staff appeared not to have advance warning.

In mid-March, Kelly promised subordinates that there would be no imminent personnel changes in the White House. A week later, Trump replaced McMaster.

Some members of the staff said they no longer take Kelly at his word as they once did. However, some aides argued Kelly’s assurances that day were true in the moment — but it later became untenable for McMaster to stay on amid the whirlwind of media speculation that undercut his credibility dealing with foreign counterparts.

Trump has told confidants that the White House is the opposite of “chaos” portrayed in the media — it’s in danger of stagnation. He views replacing McMaster, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Shulkin as the best way to speed up progress on his agenda. Trump has brooded this week about inaction in Congress, arguing that the White House has too many guardrails and rules impeding his goals, an aide said.