Chief of Staff John Kelly to leave White House by year-end: President Trump

Washington DC: White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will step down by the end of the year, President Donald Trump has announced, becoming the latest top-level official to quit the administration amidst reports that relations between them have soured beyond repair.

The 68-year-old retired Marine Corps general has been President Trump's Chief of Staff since July 31, 2017 when he replaced Reince Priebus, who resigned, In the first seven months of the Trump administration, Kelly was the secretary of Homeland Security.

"John Kelly will be leaving - I don't know if I can say 'retiring'. But, he's a great guy. John Kelly will be leaving at the end of the year," Trump told reporters at the White House on Saturday.

"We will be announcing who will be taking John's place...I shall be announcing that over the next day or two. But, John will be leaving at the end of the year. He has been with me almost two years now," Trump said. Nick Ayers, the 36-year-old chief of staff to vice-president Mike Pence, is Kelly's likely successor.

There were reports that the relationship between Trump and Kelly had deteriorated to such an extent that the two were no longer on speaking terms.

Kelly, who was brought in by Trump after he fired Reince Priebus, has been instrumental in bringing in a sense of discipline inside the White House.

Kelly was one of the several generals appointed by Trump to key roles, including defense secretary Jim Mattis, and former national security advisers Michael Flynn and HR McMaster.

According to a report in 'The Wall Street Journal', the relationship between Kelly and Trump had completely broken down, leading the president to tell an associate to "stop calling John" and to instead "call Nick, he's my guy".