WASHINGTON – White House chief of staff Reince Priebus will not be joining President Donald Trump for his full trip through the Middle East and Europe.
The decision for Priebus to return to the US was pre-planned, not spur-of-the-moment, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders and a second Trump adviser said, CNN reports.
However, several media claim that Priebus’ early return to D.C. highlights the ongoing problems inside Trump’s administration and raise questions about the future of the Greek-American politician in the White House.
“Reince Priebus is making an early return to the White House after traveling with President Trump on his first overseas trip, fueling speculation that the administration is in a crisis and that his position as chief of staff could be in peril,” Fox Business writes.
The White House confirmed to FOX Business that Priebus would be heading back to Washington D.C. after the stop in Saudi Arabia, part of the president’s visit to the Middle East, and insisted this was always part of the administration’s plan.
President Donald Trump basked in Saudi Arabia’s lavish royal welcome Saturday as he left behind, at least temporarily, the snowballing controversies dogging him in Washington. Trump rewarded his hosts with a $110 billion arms package aimed at bolstering Saudi security and a slew of business agreements.
The visit to the kingdom’s capital kicked off Trump’s first foreign trip as president, an ambitious, five-stop swing that will take him through the Middle East and into Europe. He is the only American president to make Saudi Arabia — or any Muslim-majority nation — his first overseas trip.
The president was trailed on the trip by a large number of advisers, including Tillerson, chief of staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon. Trump’s son-in law, Jared Kushner, and daughter Ivanka, both senior advisers, were also part of the official delegation.
The post Priebus to Make “Pre-planned” Return to Washington, Officials Say appeared first on The National Herald.