Trump tipped to sack another staffer: Shake-up not over yet

AND another one bites the dust. Reports say US President Donald Trump’s top security adviser will be the next staffer to be given his marching orders.

Rumours are that US President Donald Trump will soon bid goodbye to his national security adviser, H.R. McMaster. Picture: AFP/Mandel Ngan

UNITED States President Donald Trump isn’t yet done with his high-profile catchphrase: “You’re fired!”.

He has decided to replace his national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, but the move is not expected to be made immediately, the Washington Posthas reported.

Citing five people with knowledge of the plans, the newspaper said Mr Trump was considering several possible replacements, including former US Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and Keith Kellogg, the Chief of Staff of the National Security Council.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment.

National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster’s role is living on borrowed time, according to reports. Picture: AFP/Saul Loeb

On Tuesday, Mr Trump fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson — via Twitter — and the President has signalled in recent days that a shake-up at the top levels of his administration was not over.

“I’m really at a point where we’re getting very close to having the Cabinet and other things that I want,” Mr Trump told reporters after Mr Tillerson was fired.

Mr McMaster is not expected to be ousted immediately, the Post reported.

Mr Trump is willing to take his time making the change to avoid humiliating Mr McMaster and carefully choose a strong replacement, the report said.

Mr Trump never personally gelled with Mr McMaster and the President recently told White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, that he wanted Mr McMaster replaced, according to the newspaper.

Mr Trump has complained that Mr McMaster, a three-star Army general, is too rigid and that his briefings go on too long and seem irrelevant, the Post reported.

Mr McMaster is Mr Trump’s second national security adviser, succeeding Michael Flynn who was dismissed a year ago for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the US.

Originally published as Trump tipped to sack another staffer: Shake-up not over yet