Former US Secretary Of Defense Mattis Reportedly Slept In His Clothes To Be Ready For North Korea's Missile Launches Against The U.S.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visits the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea on Oct. 27, 2017. (U.S. Army / Sgt. Amber I. Smith)

Task & Purpose/Business Insider: James Mattis reportedly slept in his clothes to be ready for North Korea's missile launches

Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis slept in his clothes because of North Korea's missile launches amid the U.S.'s rocky relations with the regime in 2017, according to a new book on the Trump administration.

The account comes from CNN's review of Bob Woodward's upcoming book, Rage, which is scheduled for release on September 15.

According to the book, U.S.-North Korean relations were fragile and the potential for nuclear war was on the mind of the president's national security staff. Pyongyang fired roughly two dozen missiles in 2017, including its highest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile, shortly after Donald Trump became president.

As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un continued to conduct missile and nuclear tests, Trump warned the regime of "fire and fury" if it threatened the U.S.. The situation concerned Trump's national security team, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who reportedly said, "We never knew whether it was real" or "a bluff."

Meanwhile, then-Defense Secretary Mattis, a retired four-star Marine Corps general, had slept in his clothes in case of North Korea's missile launch and visited the nearby Washington National Cathedral to pray, according to CNN's review of the book.

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WNU Editor: I commented at the time that I was not worried that this would explode into a shooting war. North Korea's is known to be bombastic. They are also always playing to their own audience, not to the US public. And you do not have to be a genius to know that  war was definitely not in Kim Jong-un's interest .... or anyone else for that matter. But I do admit that I was surprised when the US and South Korea approached North Korea after this period of tensions. We now know that Kim Jong-un wants better relations, and that is a positive sign. How to get there is going to take time.

U.S. Secretary Of Defense Jim Mattis’ In His Own Words

Secretary of Defense James Mattis meets with Lithuania's Minister of National Defence Raimundas Karoblis at the Pentagon on Nov. 28, 2018. (Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith/DoD)

Military Times: Mattis’ two years at the Pentagon, in his own words

On his first day on the job, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis spent four hours at the Pentagon. He had in-briefings, met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford. He even had to take a urine test, like every other service member and civilian employee.

He also sent out a carefully thought-out message to every service member and defense civilian employee.

“We are the sentinels and guardians of our nation,” Mattis wrote. “We need only look to you, the uniformed and civilian members of the Department and your families, to see the fundamental unity of our country. You represent an America committed to the common good; an America that is never complacent about defending its freedoms; and an America that remains a steady beacon of hope for all mankind.”

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WNU Editor: This is how the transfer of authority will occur .... On New Year's Eve, A Brief Phone Call Will Mark The End Of Mattis' Tenure As Defense Secretary (Task & Purpose).

Tom Mattis Says His Brother Has 'No Anger' That The President Forced Him Out Early

U.S. Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis speaks to reporters at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Nov. 21, 2018. DoD Photo

Task & Purpose/Seattle Times: Mattis Has ‘No Anger’ After Trump Forces Him Out Early, Brother Says

Tom Mattis got a phone call Sunday morning from his younger brother. It wasn’t the cheeriest of conversations.

His brother, Jim Mattis, had just learned that President Donald Trump wanted him to leave his post as defense secretary on Jan. 1, rather than continue on until a planned resignation on Feb. 28.

Jim Mattis appeared unruffled by this latest development after the stormy week in Washington, D.C.

“He was very calm about the whole thing. Very matter of fact. No anger, ” Tom Mattis recalled in an interview from his home in Richland, Washington State. “As I have said many times in other circumstances, Jim knows who he is … many more Americans (now) know his character.”

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WNU Editor: Why should he be angry. He is a soldier. He followed his orders, and did so with honor.

President Trump: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Will Leave His Post On January 1, Two Months Earlier Than Planned

I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting January 1, 2019. Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2018

Update: Trump says Mattis to leave by end of year, announces new acting secretary of defense (CNN)

WNU Editor: Everyone in the White House and Cabinet serves at the pleasure of the President, and this is what happens when you lose the trust of the President .... Trump, Angry Over Mattis’s Rebuke, Removes Him 2 Months Early (New York Times). And while I do not know if President Trump is angry with him, I do know that with Syria in flux and the war situation in Afghanistan deteriorating very quickly now, President Trump needs someone at the Pentagon who is in sync with views instead of a lame duck Secretary of Defense who opposes his policies for the next two months.

President Trump: I Gave Mattis A 'Second Chance'

When President Obama ingloriously fired Jim Mattis, I gave him a second chance. Some thought I shouldn’t, I thought I should. Interesting relationship-but I also gave all of the resources that he never really had. Allies are very important-but not when they take advantage of U.S.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2018

Politico: Trump: I gave Mattis 'second chance'

President Donald Trump claimed Saturday he gave outgoing Defense Secretary James Mattis “a second chance” after the retired Marine general was ousted from military leadership under the Obama administration.

“When President Obama ingloriously fired Jim Mattis, I gave him a second chance. Some thought I shouldn’t, I thought I should,” Trump tweeted Saturday evening.

Former President Barack Obama fired Mattis as head of U.S. Central Command in 2013 in large part because of Mattis’ increasingly hawkish posture toward Iran.

Mattis resigned from the Trump Cabinet on Thursday in protest of Trump’s abrupt plan to withdraw all U.S. forces from Syria.

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WNU editor:  The debate on who will replace Defense Secretary Mattis is starting ....

Who might replace Mattis? -- Connor O'Brien and David Brown (Politico)
Trump's frontrunners for Pentagon job likely to share Mattis' views on Syria, Afghanistan -- Lukas Mikelionis, FOX News
Who will Trump tap to replace Mattis? ( Leo Shane III , Aaron Mehta , and David B. Larter, Military Times)
Trump's troop withdrawals making it harder to find a Mattis replacement (Jamie McIntyre, Washington Examiner)
Mattis’ replacement faces tightrope walk between Capitol Hill, Trump (Claudia Grisales and Caitlin Kenny, Stars and Stripes)

Pentagon In State Of Depression Over Defense Secretary Mattis Exit

VOA: Mattis exit leaves Pentagon in state of depression

The mood at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill darkened with the resignation of Defense Secretary James Mattis.

A Pentagon official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity on Friday, described the mood inside the building as “eerie.”

“Obviously it’s close to the holidays so you don’t expect to see a lot of people, but there’s just a general fear of the unknown,” the official said.

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WNU Editor: The Pentagon will recover.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Will Leave The Trump Administration In February

Daily Mail: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis flames Trump for deserting allies as he announces he will RESIGN in February – just one day after president ordered Syria troop pullout over his objections

* Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general, has been Trump's only defense secretary
* President says he'll leave in February, 'retiring with distinction'
* The move comes just a day after Trump announced a military pullout from Syria
* Mattis reportedly objected to the drawdown; ISIS still has 30,000 fighters
* Trump hinted in October that Mattis might leave, calling him 'sort of a Democrat'
* In a resignation letter, Mattis said he would leave so Trump could have someone in the job who more closely agreed with him
* Democrats in Congress pilloried Trump and lamented that one of the few 'adults in the room' would be leaving

President Donald Trump said Thursday that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will leave the administration in early 2019, but the onetime Marine Corps general is doing it on his own terms – listing the ways he's incompatible with his commander-in-chief.

Chief among them is that Mattis believes Trump hasn't tended the diplomatic garden of international alliances, leaving the United States unable to defend its interests overseas.

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WNU Editor: Here is his resignation letter .... Defense Secretary James Mattis' resignation letter (FOX News).

More News On U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Announcing That He Will Resign In February

Mattis leaving as Pentagon chief after clashes with Trump -- AP
Pentagon chief Mattis quits in disagreement with Trump policies -- Reuters
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Resigns, Rebuking Trump’s Worldview -- The New York Times
Mattis to step down as defense secretary over differences with Trump -- Washington Post
Mattis out: Defense secretary says his views no longer aligned with Trump -- Military Times
Mattis Resigns Following Trump's Syria Withdrawal Order -- Military.com
Mattis resigns, says views aren't in line with Trump's -- The Hill
Defense Secretary James Mattis to retire at the end of February, Trump says -- FOX News
Mattis quits, says his views aren't 'aligned' with Trump's -- CNN
Defense secretary Jim Mattis to retire in February, Trump says -- The Guardian
US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to retire -- DW
Jim Mattis, US Defence Secretary, becomes latest departure from Donald Trump's inner circle -- ABC News Online
Mattis Is Out As Defense Secretary In Wake Of Trump's Sudden Syria Withdrawal Order -- Warzone/The Drive
Defense Secretary Mattis Is Out -- Task & Purpose
GOP lawmaker hits Trump after news of Mattis resignation: ‘That’s what happens when you ignore sound military advice’ -- The Hill
Lawmakers express 'great sadness' and concern over the state of Trump's administration following Mattis resignation -- Business Insider
Pelosi: I am shaken by resignation of Mattis -- The Hill
Rubio: Mattis resignation shows US headed toward ‘grave policy errors’ -- The Hill
In 2014, Mattis Said What Would Make Him Resign In Protest. In 2018, He Actually Did It -- Paul Szoldra, Task & Purpose
Why Mattis Is Leaving The Pentagon, In 3 Sentences -- Paul Szoldra, Task & Purpose

President Trump: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Will Be Retiring In February

General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

....equipment. General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 20, 2018

WNU Editor: This breaking news story. It will be updated in the next few hours.

Secretary of Defense James Mattis Gets Involved In The Niger Ambush Investigation After Only Junior Officers Were Punished

Task & Purpose: The Pentagon Scapegoated Junior Officers For The Niger Ambush. Then Mattis Got Involved

The Department of Defense last month did an about-face on the punishments handed down to members of the Green Beret team deemed responsible for the deadly Oct. 4, 2017, ambush in Niger that left four Army Special Forces personnel dead, the New York Times reports, shifting blame from junior officers to more senior commanders following a furious intervention from Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

* According to the New York Times, a “livid” Mattis chewed out “top military officials” involved in the Niger investigation after purportedly reading news reports regarding letters of reprimand handed down to Capt. Mike Perozeni, the team leader of Operational Detachment Alpha Team 3212 singled out for blame for the ambush.

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WNU Editor:  This sends a message to everyone that no one is immune when something "screws-up".

U.S. Secretary Of Defense Mattis: War In Afghanistan Needs To End: ‘40 Years Is Enough’

The Hill: Mattis says war in Afghanistan needs to end: ‘40 years is enough’

Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Monday called for the international community to help end the war in Afghanistan and aid regional leaders in their efforts to bridge longstanding disagreements, saying that conflicts in Afghanistan have now gone on for “40 years.”

“In Afghanistan, it’s gone on now it’s approaching 40 years; 40 years is enough and it’s time for everyone to get on board, support the United Nations, support Prime Minister Modi, support President Ghani and all those who are trying to maintain peace and make for a better world here. So, we are on that track,” Mattis told reporters ahead of a meeting with his Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman.

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Update: Mattis Says 40 Years Of War Enough For Afghanistan (TOLO News)

WNU Editor: Some wars and conflicts go on for decades. Afghanistan is one of them.

U.S. Secretary Of Defense Mattis: When The U.S. President Asks You To Serve, You 'Just Do It'

ABC News: Defense Secretary quotes Nike saying when the president asks you to serve 'Just Do It'

Amid some speculation about whether Defense Secretary James Mattis will become the latest Trump administration official to exit what seems to be an ever-revolving door, the former four-star Marine Corps general is showing no public signs that he will step down anytime soon.

Asked at the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday if he had any plans to leave office, the secretary instead spoke about his love for U.S. troops and revealed once again a deep-seated duty to serve the country.

"When the President of the United States asks you to do something in America, you just do it. To quote Nike, 'Just Do It,'" Mattis told an audience at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

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More Remarks By U.S. Secretary Of Defense Mattis At The Reagan National Defense Forum

Mattis: Cutting defense will not help deficit -- Defense News
Jim Mattis warns top Democrat: Defense cuts could lead to war -- Washington Examiner
Mattis condemns Russia for treaty violations and election interference -- The Guardian
Mattis Slams Putin; Says No ‘Smoking Gun’ on Khashoggi Murder -- Breaking Defense
Mattis Signals He's Likely to Approve Extension of Border Troops -- Bloomberg
Mattis condemns Venezuela's Maduro as a 'despot' who has to go -- Reuters
Deepening security cooperation shows growing trust between US and India: Mattis -- The Tribune
Mattis sees progress in Afghanistan, but no plans for troop drawdowns -- Military Times
Mattis Sees Progress In Afghanistan -- TOLO News

U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis Says Russia Interfered In The US Midterm Elections Last Month

Daily Mail: 'We're dealing with someone we simply cannot trust': Mattis hits out at Putin and calls him a 'slow learner' as he reveals the Russian government attempted to interfere in the US midterm elections

* Mattis said Putin 'tried again to muck around in our elections this last month'
* 'This is a very complex situation because clearly Mr Putin a slow learner,' he said at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California on Saturday
* Said there is 'no doubt' the relationship between Russia and US 'has worsened'
* US intelligence community is probing whether there was foreign interference
* Mattis' words come days after Trump canceled a formal G20 meeting with Putin

Defense Secretary James Mattis has revealed that the Russian government attempted to interfere in the US midterm elections last month.

'He tried again to muck around in our elections this last month,' Mattis said of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

'We are seeing a continued effort around those lines.'

Mattis also said there is 'no doubt' that the relationship between Putin and President Donald Trump's administration 'has worsened'.

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More News On U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis Saying Russia Interfered In The US Midterm Elections Last Month

Mattis accuses Putin of trying to 'muck around' in US midterm elections -- NBC
Defense Secretary James Mattis said Saturday that Russia attempted to interfere in the US midterm elections last month. -- CNN
Mattis: Putin a 'slow learner' who tried to 'muck around' in midterms -- Politico
Mattis: Russia tried to interfere in 2018 midterms -- The Hill
Mattis says Russia tried to 'muck around' US vote, again -- AFP
US Defense Secretary Claims Russia Tried ‘to Muck Around’ in November Midterms -- Sputnik
US Defence Sec Calls Putin 'Slow Learner', Alleges Recent Election Meddling -- Sputnik

U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis Tries To Maintain Ties With China's Military Leaders

Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe and US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis review an honour guard during a welcome ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Reuters: How Mattis is trying to keep U.S.-China tensions from boiling over

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the United States imposed sanctions on China’s military this fall, China retaliated by canceling Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ plans to meet his counterpart in Beijing. But just days later, a Chinese general visited the Pentagon with a reassuring message: Beijing valued the importance of military ties between the two countries.

In the previously unreported visit, Huang Xueping arrived on Oct. 10 to see Mattis’ aides, but the secretary briefly met him in the hallway with a message for Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe. The two were still going to be at a security conference in Singapore later in October, and Mattis told Huang he looked forward to meeting Wei there, said Randall Schriver, the Pentagon’s top Asia policy official.

Relations between the world’s two largest economies have plumbed new depths under President Donald Trump amid a bitter trade war and disagreements over Taiwan, the South China Sea, and other geopolitical flashpoints.

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WNU Editor: The above Reuters article overestimates the role that the Chinese military plays in the Chinese government. The Chinese military is subservient to the Chinese Communist Party, more specifically to President Xi and the Politburo. All that they can do is advise Beijing, and what Beijing decides is what the Chinese military must follow.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis Discusses U.S. National Defense Strategy

U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis: Border Force Is Not Politically Motivated. ‘We Don’t Do Stunts’

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

This map shows the positions of all the caravans headed to the US, including the fourth group that departed El Salvador Wednesday

Washington Examiner: Jim Mattis denies border force is politically motivated: ‘We don’t do stunts’

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis denied on Wednesday that the 5,200 active-duty troops being deployed to the Mexico border is a political stunt to help Republicans in the midterm elections.

“The support that we provide to the secretary for homeland security is practical support based on the request from the commissioner of customs and border police, so we don't do stunts in this department,” Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.

With less than a week until the midterm elections, President Trump has ordered the deployment of the troops in addition to 2,100 National Guardsmen at the border since April because he said a group of migrants walking north through Mexico is a threat to national security.

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Update #1: Report: Pentagon Identifies 7,000 American Troops for Mexico Border (Epoch Times)
Update #2: Pentagon readies 7,000 troops for border duty as Trump warns of ‘gang members’ in caravan (VIDEO) (RT)

WNU Editor: A new migrant caravan (the fourth one) has now formed .... Now a FOURTH caravan has left El Salvador to join other groups of migrants trekking through Mexico on their way to the US (Daily Mail).

Is There A Campaign To Oust U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis?

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House national security adviser John Bolton. Reuters

Foreign Policy: Bolton’s Whisper Campaign to Oust Mattis

Sources say the hawkish national security advisor is behind rumors that the defense secretary plans to resign.

White House National Security Advisor John Bolton and his deputy are trying to squeeze out U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis by spreading rumors about his imminent departure, according to two well-placed sources.

Bolton and Mira Ricardel, the deputy national security advisor, who has repeatedly clashed with Mattis over Defense Department personnel appointments, believe the defense secretary is “not ideologically aligned” with President Donald Trump’s administration, according to one of the sources, a former senior defense official. The two are trying “to build the sense that he is done for,” the former official said.

“They have the knives out.”

One Trump administration official noted, “Mira and Bolton are the only ones who benefit if Secretary Mattis leaves.” The secretary is “highly regarded” within the cabinet and by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the official said.

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Update: John Bolton reportedly has 'knives out' for Jim Mattis (Washington Examiner)

WNU Editor: Everyone in the White House serves at the pleasure of President Trump, and President Trump has made it very clear that he wants him to stay .... U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis: President Trump Called Him To Express '100 Percent' Support (October 16, 2018).

U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis Has Been Busy In The Past Few Days

Reuters: Mattis looks to calm European allies nervous about INF treaty

PRAGUE (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Sunday that the United States was in consultation with its European allies on an arms control treaty, as NATO members urge Washington to try to bring Russia back into compliance with the pact rather than quit it.

President Donald Trump said on Oct. 20 that Washington planned to quit the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty which Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, and Ronald Reagan had signed in 1987.

Washington has cited Russia’s alleged violation of the treaty as its reason for leaving it, a charge Moscow denies. Russia in turn accuses Washington of breaking the pact and says it is working to answer U.S. questions about the pact.

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More News On U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis

Mattis says Russia cannot replace US in Mideast -- AFP
Mattis approves plans to send troops to border -- The Hill
Mattis: China's defense chief to visit Washington next week -- Stars and Stripes
China’s defence minister to visit US, James Mattis says -- SCMP/AFP
Mattis Vows U.S. Will Hold Khashoggi’s Killers Accountable -- The New York Times
Secretary Mattis warns Khashoggi murder threatens regional stability -- Euronews/NBC/AP
Mattis: Pittsburgh synagogue gunman a 'coward', 'poorest excuse for a man' -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters
‘I won’t even call him a man:’ Mattis rips into synagogue shooter -- Military Times

U.S. Senators Are Urging President Trump To Not Get Rid Of U.S. Secretary Of Defense James Mattis

U.S. President Donald Trump exits the Pentagon talking to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Jan. 27, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (Staff Sgt. Jette Carr/U.S. Air Force)

The Hill: Lawmakers press Trump to keep Mattis

President Trump may have signaled that he's grown lukewarm about his Pentagon chief James Mattis, but lawmakers are urging the president not to get rid of him.

Any effort to push Mattis out would be “very inappropriate and would not be helpful to national security,” Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.) told reporters this week.

Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he believes other members of Congress would also push back on an effort to oust Mattis.

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WNU Editor: Pentagon chief James Mattis is not going to be fired.

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis Plays Down Tensions With Beijing

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis attends a news conference in Skopje, Macedonia September 17, 2018. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski

Bloomberg: The U.S. ‘Obviously’ Doesn’t Want to Contain China, Mattis Says

* Defense Secretary says they ‘step on each other’s toes’
* Washington ‘highly concerned’ over South China Sea features

Secretary of Defense James Mattis played down tensions with Beijing, saying the U.S. was “not out to contain China” and was cooperating whenever possible, but that there would be times they would “step on each other’s toes.”

“Obviously, we’re not out to contain China. We’d have taken an altogether different stance had that been considered. It has not been considered,” he told reporters Monday on a plane en route to Vietnam.

“We seek a relationship with China that’s grounded in fairness, reciprocity and respect for sovereignty,” he said.

He said Washington is cooperating with China on issues including North Korea and the United Nations.

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WNU Editor: U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis may be playing down the tensions, but they are there (see below).

More News On U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis Playing Down Tensions With Beijing

US Defence Secretary James Mattis hits out at ‘predatory’ Chinese behaviour -- SCMP
US alarmed by China's 'predatory' practices: Mattis -- AFP
US alarmed by China's 'predatory' practices: James Mattis -- Economic Times
US Says Continued Militarisation Of South China Sea Highly Concerning -- NDTV

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis: President Trump Called Him To Express '100 Percent' Support

Politico: Mattis says Trump called him to express '100 percent' support

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Tuesday said that President Donald Trump assured him that he is "100 percent" behind him, and that the two have never discussed the retired Marine Corps general leaving his position.

The comments come after the president implied during a "60 Minutes" interview that aired Sunday that Mattis “may leave” his administration.

Mattis told reporters on Tuesday that Trump called him during his flight from Washington D.C. to Ho Chin Minh City, Vietnam, according to the Associated Press. He said the president asked him if he had seen the interview, to which Mattis said he hadn't. Mattis also said Trump told him he has his full support and that he should let the media know, the AP reported.

“We have never talked about me leaving," Mattis said, according to AP.

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WNU Editor: He is secured in his job. Always was.

More News On U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Remarks That President Trump Called Him To Express '100 Percent' Support

Mattis: Trump says defense chief’s job is ’100 percent’ safe -- AP
US defence chief Mattis says Trump is '100 percent' with him -- AFP
US defense chief Mattis says he is on Trump's 'team' -- AFP
Jim Mattis Says He and Trump ‘Never Talked About Me Leaving’ -- The New York Times
Mad Dog Mattis says Trump told him his top Pentagon job is '100 per cent' safe after president stunned the nation by saying on 60 Minutes that 'he might leave' -- Daily Mail
Mattis fights Trump rift speculation, says 'I'm on his team' -- FOX News
Defense Secretary James Mattis says he ‘never’ discussed leaving job with Trump -- USA Today
Mattis Isn’t Going Anywhere Unless Trump Says ‘You’re Fired!’ -- Daily Beast