TENSIONS

Report: John Kelly Frustrated With Ivanka Trump ‘Playing Government’

Said to be resentful as lines between first daughter and senior adviser are blurred.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly is reportedly growing increasingly frustrated with Ivanka Trump’s role in the White House, complaining privately that she is just “playing government,” a source tells CNN. Several White House officials have said the lines are beginning to blur between Ivanka Trump’s role as senior adviser and first daughter, and Kelly has expressed irritation with what he sees as her jumping between those two roles when it’s convenient to her, according to the report. Trump has lauded his daughter’s skills in the White House, but Kelly has been more dismissive, once referring to her proposal for a child tax credit as a “pet project,” one source said. Her trip to South Korea last week to serve as the head of the U.S. delegation at the Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony reportedly rankled several senior officials, including Kelly. Many questioned whether the president’s daughter, who has little diplomatic experience, was the appropriate messenger to be passing on information on U.S. sanctions to South Korean leaders amid high tensions with North Korea.