The Note: John Kelly takes command, but can Trump control himself?

John Kelly will be sworn in this morning as the new White House chief of staff.

By
VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
July 31, 2017, 6:55 AM ET
4 min read

— -- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

  • John Kelly will be sworn in this morning as the new White House chief of staff, replacing Reince Priebus. A weekend of tweetstorms from President Trump give Kelly a glimpse of what he's up against.
  • With the president still frustrated with his attorney general, some White House aides are suggesting that Jeff Sessions replace Kelly at homeland security. The idea has met little enthusiasm on Capitol Hill.
  • So much for moving on. Despite last week's debacle in the Senate, Trump is shaming and pressuring Republican senators to pass repeal and replace - or anything, really - while threatening to pull insurance subsidies that keep Obamacare afloat.
  • What did he get for his meddling? Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding the number of U.S. diplomats in his country be cut down by more than half after Congress approved a new sanctions bill.
  • Will China answer? Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have "fully agreed" to "take further action" against North Korea after it launched another intercontinental ballistic missile test last Friday.

    • THE TAKE with ABC News' Rick Klein

    This is one of those moments, in normal times, that would mark a strategic reset. These are not normal times. John Kelly assumes the role of White House chief of staff this morning, bringing his military and homeland security credentials to an institution that craves discipline and structure. This he might achieve. But while Kelly inherits the baggage of staff infighting and rivalries, mostly he inherits the man who still seems to relish the chaos. President Trump has escalated his wars on, well, everybody – friends and foes, loyalists and lobbyists, Democrats and Republicans, Congress and his own executive branch. Trump finds himself at the low point of his influence, and raging even at those who continue to demonstrate loyalty. It would be a natural time to end the soap opera and concentrate on governing. But Trump, as always, appears to enjoy the show.

    QUOTE OF THE DAY

    "In the White House's view, they can't move on in the Senate....They should stay and work and figure out a way to solve this problem." -- OMB Director Mick Mulvaney to CNN's Jake Tapper on whether the Senate should consider other votes beside health care.

    WHAT TO WATCH TODAY

    John Kelly is sworn in as the White House chief of staff at 9:30 a.m.

    Following that, Trump leads his second full Cabinet meeting at 10 a.m.

    President Trump will present the Medal of Honor to 71-year-old Vietnam veteran and former Army medic Jim McCloughan.

    "THE BRIEFING ROOM." After every White House press briefing - on camera or not - ABC News' political team will have full coverage and analysis from Political Director Rick Klein, correspondents Jonathan Karl, Cecilia Vega, Mary Bruce and others. Catch us on "The Briefing Room" at the ABC News Politics Facebook page, the ABC News YouTube page, ABCNews.com/LIVE and the ABC News app.

    NEED TO READ with ABC News' Daksha Sthipam

    Trump won't let Obamacare "implode," health secretary says. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price would not concede that President Trump intends to let "Obamacare implode," despite Trump's promise to do just that. "The president's passion about this is that he understands that this system may be working for Washington. It may be working for insurance companies. But it's not working for patients. And that's where his passion is," Price told ABC News' "This Week" on Sunday. http://abcn.ws/2v8X4c9

    Trump's new chief of staff needs to "protect" Russia investigation, Democrat says. President Trump's new White House chief of staff has "got to protect" the Russia investigation from "continued assault" by the president, said former Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta. On "This Week," Podesta stressed that Trump's new chief of staff, Ret. Gen. John Kelly, is responsible for safeguarding the Justice Department from interference. http://abcn.ws/2uOvUV2

    Mike Pence arrives in Estonia, kicking off Eastern Europe trip. Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence arrived in Estonia Sunday afternoon, kicking off a three-country visit of Eastern Europe. The Pences, who left from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland Saturday, were greeted at the Tallinn airport by U.S. ambassador to Estonia James D. Melville and Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser. http://abcn.ws/2tTZv2r

    Russia's retaliation to US actions "long, long overdue," Kremlin says. Russia's deputy foreign minister said his country's retaliation over U.S. actions against Russia was "overdue" and that the Kremlin will consider "symmetrical or asymmetrical" responses to new sanctions passed by Congress. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on "This Week" that Congress' vote was the "last drop." http://abcn.ws/2hduQqS

    WHO'S TWEETING?

    @Kyle_Feldscher: Kellyanne Conway: Trump will decide next week if administration will make Obamacare cost-sharing payments http://washex.am/2vkMoHD

    @_RoxanneRoberts: Joe Biden thinks he would have beaten Donald Trump in 2016. Could he do it in 2020? Let's talk about "what if?" http://wapo.st/2vdRx3w

    @TimAlberta: The ballad of @Reince: "We don't get to pick the nominee. And we don't get to just walk away from him, either." http://politi.co/2eYReUe

    @DanielleEGaines: Finally official: John Delaney will retire from Congress, run for the presidency in 2020 #md06 #mdpolitics

    @BennyHutch: At #Cubs #Brewers game. #ChrisChristie was getting razzed by fans, so he got in the face of one of them. 5:30 on @WISN12News http://bit.ly/2vkyMfA

    The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.