Priebus counsels White House staff to ignore ‘distractions’

Former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus during an interview on Sunday counseled Trump administration staffers to ignore “distractions” after a week of upheaval.

“I think what the staff has to do is focus in on the results,” Priebus said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“I think what the president does is, and he writes about it even in his own books, is he puts rivals around him intellectually,” he said. “You have people like [Commerce Secretary] Wilbur Ross … and [National Economic Council Director] Gary Cohn. And he puts those two guys in front of him and says, ‘OK, fight out tariffs in front of me.’ “

“And they fight it out, and the media covers the fight. But, ultimately, the decision is made,” he added. {mosads}

“Look at the economy, look at [the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria], look at the courts,” Priebus, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, said. “The decisions and the things that President Trump has done have put him on a great course. If you’re a Republican, you couldn’t be happier.”

His comments follow a week during which White House communications director Hope Hicks announced her departure; damaging stories about senior adviser Jared Kushner were published; President Trump announced new tariffs on steel and aluminum, pitting key aides against one another; and the president’s tone vacillated on gun control.

Trump also targeted Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Twitter, and the White House had to deny reports that national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Cohn planned to leave the administration.