White House Chief of Staff John Kelly made a surprise appearance at Thursday's press briefing, saying that he is not quitting his post and his main frustration is reading false reports in the media.
Kelly opened up his remarks by addressing rumors of tensions within the Trump administration and the idea he might leave the White House.
"Although, I read it all of the time pretty consistently, I'm not quitting today," Kelly said. "I don't believe—and I just talked to the president—I don't think I'm being fired today, and I'm not so frustrated in this job that I'm thinking of leaving. I would tell you this is the hardest job I have ever had. This is, in my view, the most important job I have ever had."
"I would offer, though, it is not the best job I ever had. The best job I ever had as I've said many times is when I was an enlisted Marine sergeant infantryman," Kelly added. "So unless things change, I'm not quitting, I'm not getting fired, and I don't think I'll fire anyone tomorrow."
Kelly was pushed further by the press on the issue of him leaving, to which Kelly turned things back onto the media.
"You said you're not so frustrated that you're thinking of leaving, but are you frustrated?" a reporter asked.
He said he was not, although he called the position "hard work."
"My only frustration, with all due respect to everyone in the room, is when I come to work in the morning and read about things I allegedly said or things that Mr. Trump allegedly said, or people who are going to be fired or whatever, and it's just not true," Kelly said. "That's my frustration, I mean no disrespect to you."