Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump drove out his chief of staff on Friday, replacing Reince Priebus with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly in an explosive move that ends a turbulent six-month tenure. 
 
 "The President wanted to go a different direction," Priebus told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room" Friday evening. "A president has a right to hit a reset button. I think it's a good time to hit the reset button. I think he was right to hit the reset button." 
 
 "I'm always going to be a Trump fan," Priebus said. "I'm on Team Trump and I look forward to helping him achieve his goals and his agenda for the American people." 
 
 In his interview with CNN, Priebus repeatedly said he submitted his resignation to the President privately on Thursday. Yet throughout the day on Friday, sources close to him insisted that he was not resigning. 
 
 But around 5 p.m. ET, Trump made the announcement on Twitter just after landing on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington. 
 
 "I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff," Trump tweeted. "He is a Great American... and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration." 
 
 It wasn't until after the President named Kelly as his new chief of staff on Friday afternoon that sources close to Priebus reached out to reporters to say that he had resigned the day before. Other White House officials questioned that version of events, suggesting Priebus and his allies were trying to put a positive spin on the President's abrupt decision to bring on Kelly. 
 
 The move followed months of on-again, off-again speculation that Priebus would soon be ousted from an administration where he has consistently drawn heavy criticism for failing to stem the flow of leaks and struggled to impose a sense of order in a chaotic White House beset by controversies. 
 
 Priebus, who was brought on by the outsider President in large part because of his Washington relationships, also wound up carrying a hefty share of the blame for the White House's legislative stumbles, including the latest failure to pass a health care replacement bill. 
 
 Rumors of infighting among Trump's staff eventually devolved into all-out warfare, bursting dramatically into the open late Thursday with a vulgar screed from incoming communications director Anthony Scaramucci. 
 
 Priebus also lacked strong support from key members of Trump's inner circle. Two sources familiar with the situation said Trump's family -- including daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, among the President's most trusted advisers -- had lost faith in Priebus. One of those sources says Trump's kin urged the President to finally execute a long-pondered shake-up. 
 
 White House chief strategist Steve Bannon is expected to stay, at least for now, sources told CNN. The President has sounded out people recently about whether to keep Bannon, including some conservatives who convinced Trump that getting rid of Bannon would damage the President with his base, a person familiar with the conversation told CNN. One of those conservative voices was Rep. Mark Meadows, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, who met with the President at the White House on Friday, a source familiar with the discussion said. 
 
 Priebus, who had traveled with Trump to Long Island for an event on gang violence, was seated inside a Secret Service van on the tarmac when the message came down. His vehicle split away from the motorcade and departed for Washington before Trump himself got off the plane. 
 
 New York Rep. Peter King, who traveled with Priebus and Trump to Long Island, said there was no hint of the impending shake-up during the flight, recalling Priebus' "poker face" aboard Air Force One. 
 
 Later, the outed chief of staff told CNN he had offered his resignation on Thursday. 
 
 "I think General (John) Kelly is a brilliant pick," Priebus said in the interview, conducted from the White House Roosevelt Room. "We'll be working on a transition here for a couple weeks together with General Kelly starting on Monday morning. So this is not like a situation where there are a bunch of ill will feelings." 
 
 JUST WATCHED Reince Priebus' interview with Wolf (full) Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Reince Priebus' interview with Wolf (full) 15:32 
 
 Kelly takes over 
 
 Trump sent a message of thanks to Priebus after his initial announcement, and told reporters at the air base that Priebus was a "good man." 
 
 "John Kelly will do a fantastic job," Trump told reporters. "General Kelly has been a star, done an incredible job thus far, respected by everybody. He's a great great American. Reince is a good man." 
 
 Kelly is due to begin his tenure as Trump's chief of staff on Monday when he'll participate in a meeting of Trump's cabinet, according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Conversations between Trump and Kelly about the role began two weeks ago, Sanders said. 
 
 Trump tapped Kelly after last November's election to run his Department of Homeland Security, a position that put Kelly in charge of the administration's policies on issues including immigration, cybersecurity, countering domestic terrorism and aviation security. 
 
 A Marine, Kelly served in the military for nearly five decades and served in positions including chief of Southern Command and senior assistant to the secretary of defense. He also worked as a legislative liaison to Congress and served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. His son, Robert Michael Kelly, was killed in combat in Afghanistan in 2010. 
 
 Unusual White House power structure 
 
 Priebus' 189-day tenure as chief of staff is the shortest in modern presidential history, according to David Cohen, a University of Akron professor who studies the position. 
 
 The former Republican National Committee chairman faced a difficult task from the outset as he attempted to wrangle a hodgepodge of rival staff factions divided by ideology and allegiance, his influence supplanted by several other top advisers -- including the President's own kin -- who reported directly to Trump and not to the chief of staff. 
 
 Priebus' appointment was announced alongside Bannon's, the former Breitbart editor in chief who was appointed chief strategist. The President's son-in-law Jared Kushner was named senior adviser and soon thereafter his wife -- the President's eldest daughter -- Ivanka Trump was as well. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Trump: John Kelly will do a fantastic job Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump: John Kelly will do a fantastic job 00:46 
 
 Week of drama with Scaramucci 
 
 But it was the appointment of Scaramucci to communications director last Friday that set off Priebus' final unraveling. Within days of his appointment, Scaramucci, who was added to the roster of top aides who circumvent the chief of staff and report directly to the President, took to the airwaves and suggested Priebus was responsible for leaks coming out of the White House. He leveled those charges on CNN moments after speaking with Trump. 
 
 Priebus had worked against Scaramucci joining the administration when the New York hedge fund manager was first considered for a post and, while the two attempted to put on a show of unity in Scaramucci's first days at the White House, it quickly became clear the two men would continue to be at odds with each other. 
 
 The rivalry came to an explosive head on Thursday evening, when vulgar comments Scaramucci made about Priebus were published in the New Yorker. 
 
 Scaramucci called Priebus a "paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac," and offered no apology. Trump did not defend his top aide against the remarks. 
 
 In his CNN interview, Priebus repeatedly declined to respond to the comments. 
 
 "I'm not going to get into this personal stuff," he said. 
 
 Republican Party stalwart 
 
 Priebus, a Wisconsin native, joined the administration as chief of staff after a nearly six-year tenure as chairman of the RNC, the final months of which he spent in a dual role as a top adviser to Trump's campaign. 
 
 Priebus was tapped for the post at the urging of top congressional Republicans -- including House Speaker Paul Ryan, a fellow Wisconsinite and close friend -- who advised Trump that he needed a Washington insider to help him shepherd his legislative agenda. 
 
 That left Priebus with the blame for many of the administration's legislative stumbles, including the arduous attempts at passing a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare -- which Priebus had advised Trump to make his first legislative priority, promising him swift victory. 
 
 On Friday, Ryan was not given a heads-up about the announcement. 
 
 In a statement, the speaker said Priebus "has left it all out on the field, for our party and our country." 
 
 The pick was unexpected for many in the Trump campaign who saw Priebus as the embodiment of the Washington Republican establishment Trump had defeated in the primaries, and Trump and Priebus did not always see eye-to eye. 
 
 Still, Priebus helped Trump bridge the divide with many establishment Republicans during the general election and into Trump's tenure as president, serving as a key bridge between the outsider President and the insider politics he found himself at the center of. 
 
 Priebus is just the latest former RNC official to leave the administration, following the departure of White House press secretary Sean Spicer -- who resigned in protest over Scaramucci's hire -- and the ouster of deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh, a key Priebus ally who exited the administration after just two months on the job. 
 
 This story is breaking and will be updated. ||||| President Trump tweeted July 28 that his homeland security secretary, retired Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly, is replacing Reince Priebus as White House chief of staff. (Victoria Walker,Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post) 
 
 President Trump ousted White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and replaced him with Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly on Friday, a major shake-up designed to bring order and military precision to a West Wing beset for six straight months by chaos, infighting and few tangible accomplishments. 
 
 With his legislative agenda largely stalled, Trump became convinced that Priebus was a “weak” leader after being lobbied intensely by rival advisers to remove the establishment Republican fixture who has long had friction with some of Trump's inner-circle loyalists, according to White House officials. 
 
 Kelly's hiring is expected to usher in potentially sweeping structural changes to the turbulent operation and perhaps the departures of some remaining Priebus allies. Kelly intends to bring some semblance of traditional discipline to the West Wing, where warring advisers have been able to circumvent the chief of staff and report directly to the president and sidestep the policy process, according to people with knowledge of his plans. 
 
 Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general, earned Trump's approval for his work combating illegal immigration and his leadership qualities, both in the battlefield and at the Department of Homeland Security. 
 
 “He is a Great American and a Great Leader,” Trump tweeted. “John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration.” 
 
 Trump has been talking privately about replacing Priebus with Kelly for several weeks now, though he is an unconventional pick to run the White House considering he has no political or legislative experience. 
 
 Trump first tried to offer the chief of staff job to Kelly in mid-May, according to two people familiar with their discussions. Kelly told the president that he was flattered, but declined, saying he still had more to accomplish beefing up national security and improving immigration enforcement. 
 
 Trump did not give up, however. 
 
 "The president has tried to convince the general multiple times, and the general has politely declined several times," said one administration official who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. "But given what's going on in Washington, I think the president really needs the general to help him restore order in this White House and advance his vision." 
 
 Trump thanked Priebus on Twitter "for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!” 
 
 The change comes after deep personal animus between Priebus and Anthony Scaramucci, newly appointed as White House communications director, burst into public view Thursday when Scaramucci accused the chief of staff of leaking damaging information about him to the news media and savaged Priebus in a profanity-laced interview with The New Yorker. 
 
 Priebus said in a statement, “It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve this president and our country. I want to thank the president for giving me this very special opportunity. I will continue to serve as a strong supporter of the president's agenda and policies. I can't think of a better person than General John Kelly to succeed me and I wish him God's blessings and great success.” 
 
 Sitting in the White House for his first interview since his resignation, Priebus told CNN that he and the president had spoken about his departure for days before he tendered his resignation on Thursday. 
 
 “This is not a situation where there's a bunch of ill will,” Priebus said. “I think the president wanted to go in a different direction -- I support him in that.” 
 
 He added, “The president has a right to hit the reset button.” 
 
 Allies to Priebus said he told them he had resigned because the internal chaos had become “unsustainable,” and that he felt demeaned by the president's treatment of him. One friend said Priebus told him he was frustrated that he could not assert control over basic White House functions, such as policy development, communications and even formal announcements -- which sometimes were made impulsively by the president, such as this week's ban on transgender people serving in the military. 
 
 Defenders of Priebus said he was given an impossible job of managing a president who chafed at attempts to control his more rash impulses. 
 
 But White House officials said privately that the decision for Priebus to depart was made by Trump. It was announced after Priebus presided over the Friday morning senior staff meeting and accompanied Trump to a law enforcement event in New York. 
 
 Priebus' final departure was a humiliating coda for what had been a largely demeaning tenure during which he endured regular belittling from rival advisers -- and even, at times, the president himself. His exit was described by one Republican strategist as "the red wedding," a reference to a mass-murder blood bath episode of HBO's "Game of Thrones." 
 
 When Air Force One touched down Friday afternoon at Andrew's Air Force base, Priebus, senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and social media director Dan Scavino all loaded into a Suburban. But moments later, Miller and Scavino hopped out of the vehicle, and as word trickled out about the chief of staff's ouster, reporters inched close to snap photos of Priebus, who sat alone on the rain-soaked tarmac. Priebus' vehicle then pulled out of the presidential motorcade, which proceeded along to the White House without him. 
 
 “I think any observer -- including one that did not speak English and knew nothing about politics and came from another planet and solar system -- could, after observing the situation in the White House, realize the White House is failing,” said one informal White House adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share a candid assessment. “And when the White House is failing, you can't replace the president.” 
 
 
 
 Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) 
 
 Trump has long been drawn to military leaders -- “my generals,” he calls them -- and by appointing Kelly, the president hopes to bring military discipline to his often-unruly West Wing. 
 
 Kelly is expected to be sworn into the job on Monday morning and convene a Cabinet meeting. He is being succeeded at the Department of Homeland Security by his current deputy, Elaine Duke, who will become acting secretary. 
 
 Currently, Scaramucci reports directly to the president in his role as communications director, as do many other top aides. But two people familiar with Kelly's plans said they expect him to try to require most aides — even those who currently enjoy walk-in privileges to the Oval Office — to report to him, rather than circumventing the chief of staff. 
 
 Kelly, who is widely admired by Trump family members and loyalists, has formed a bond with the president over recent months that was fortified when he aggressively defended the travel ban policy. Their relationship has only grown stronger since, with Trump telling aides that he sees Kelly as someone who dutifully follows through on his agenda -- including a border security crackdown and sharp reduction in illegal immigration -- and does not cause him problems. 
 
 Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the incoming White House press secretary, said of Kelly in a statement, “The entire administration loves him and no one is comparable.” 
 
 Because Kelly has little political and legislative experience, many officials in the West Wing expect that policy issues will largely fall under Vice President Pence’s portfolio, said two people familiar with the likely changes. Pence — who spent Thursday evening in the Capitol unsuccessfully trying to convince Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) to vote for the Republican health care plan — is expected to serve as a de facto chief legislative adviser to the president, with Nick Ayers, his newly sworn-in chief of staff, and Marc Short, a longtime Pence adviser who is now the White House director of legislative affairs, serving as his deputies on issues of both legislation and politics. 
 
 Priebus, who as chairman of the Republican National Committee nurtured a close relationship with Trump during last year's campaign, was named White House chief of staff to bring Washington experience to the administration of a political novice. Part of Priebus' pitch was that he could use his long-standing relationships with Republican leaders on Capitol Hill — including House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.), a personal friend — to help pass Trump's ambitious agenda. 
 
 “On paper, he was a perfect choice, but he didn't have the managerial skills,” said Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax Media and a Trump friend. But, he continued, "That Ryan connection became a burden for him as health care failed. The president felt he had to carry this defective football that had no buy in, thanks to Reince and Ryan.” 
 
 Ryan issued a statement praising Priebus, saying he “left it all out on the field, for our party and our country.” 
 
 “He has achieved so much, and he has done it all with class,” Ryan said. “I could not be more proud to call Reince a dear friend.” 
 
 Members of President Trump's Cabinet met on June 12, 2017 at the White House. (The Washington Post) 
 
 [White House tensions flare in the open as Scaramucci rips Priebus in vulgar tirade] 
 
 After Scaramucci was named communications director last week against Priebus' vehement objections, White House officials widely believed that Priebus' position had become more imperiled. His closest ally, press secretary Sean Spicer, resigned in protest last week over Scaramucci's hiring and at a time urged Priebus to consider his own future, officials said, noting that the situation had darkened. 
 
 Rumors of Priebus' firing have circulated for months now. Trump himself fed the rumor mill, asking friends and other advisers to evaluate Priebus' performance and tossing around names of possible replacements. Some possibilities floated by Trump allies included Gary Cohn, the National Economic Council director; Wayne Berman, a longtime Republican fixture in Washington; David Urban, a former Senate chief of staff who ran Trump's Pennsylvania campaign; and Dina Powell, the deputy national security adviser who had a powerful advocate in Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and White House adviser. 
 
 For Trump, the imperative to remove Priebus heightened over the past 10 days or so, according to White House officials. Trump's own family had soured on Priebus at least several weeks prior. Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and senior adviser, had been telling associates he believed Priebus was doing a poor job and running the White House ineffectively — a view that both Ivanka Trump and first lady Melania Trump also privately conveyed to the president. 
 
 “It reached a fever pitch of the president complaining about Reince to all of us,” said one senior White House official, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “If we heard it once, we heard it 20 times in the last week — this erosion of confidence. The word was 'weak' — 'weak,' 'weak,' 'weak.' 'Can’t get it done.'” 
 
 Trump had long questioned the depth of Priebus' loyalty, often remarking about how last October Priebus encouraged Trump to drop out of the presidential race after The Washington Post published a video of Trump bragging about sexual harassment in a 2005 “Access Hollywood” interview. The senior official described Priebus' counsel that day as “a stain he was never going to remove. The scarlet 'A.H.'” 
 
 Trump's demeaning of Priebus came through in other ways, too. At one point, during a meeting in the Oval Office, a fly began buzzing overhead, distracting the president. As the fly continued to circle, Trump summoned his chief of staff and tasked him with killing the insect, according to someone familiar with the incident. (The West Wing has a regular fly problem.) 
 
 Inside the White House, Priebus' rivals tried to sow doubts about Priebus' loyalty. Any negative mention of Priebus in a news story — even a single sentence or mere clause — would often elicit frantic phone calls from more junior staffers, the sort of vigorous defense in the media the president came to believe was not afforded to him. The impression within the White House — that Priebus was most concerned with defending his own image — further undercut his standing with Trump and the president’s family. 
 
 Both Kushner and Ivanka Trump were supportive of Priebus’s departure Friday, but also expressed admiration for Kelly, according to an administration official. 
 
 Speculation about Priebus' departure began within only a few weeks of his taking office. After dining with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in February, Ruddy publicly criticized Priebus and said Trump was considering making a change. "It's pretty clear the guy is in way over his head," Ruddy told The Post on Feb. 12. 
 
 On Friday, after Priebus exited, Ruddy reminded The Post that he was the first Trump friend to raise doubts about Priebus. 
 
 Carol D. Leonnig, Tom Hamburger and Anne Gearan contributed to this story.
– Reince Priebus is out as White House chief of staff, the AP reports, as President Trump announced in a tweet Friday: "I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American...." Trump continued, "...and a Great Leader. John has also done a spectacular job at Homeland Security. He has been a true star of my Administration." Kelly, a retired general and the current Homeland Security secretary, was named in a New York Times report last night as Trump's preferred replacement for Priebus, and CNN reports that Priebus resigned privately Thursday. Trump also spoke about the change Friday after Air Force One landed at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington, calling Priebus a "good man" and saying Kelly "will do a fantastic job."