US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has rubbished reports of a rift with his Chief of Staff John Kelly, describing them as “fake news.”

“The Fake News is at it again, this time trying to hurt one of the finest people I know, General John Kelly, by saying he will soon be fired,” Trump said on Twitter late last night.

This story is totally made up by the dishonest media. The Chief is doing a FANTASTIC job for me and, more importantly, for the USA!

Its unclear exactly what story Trump is referring to as there have been numerous reports of him struggling with Kelly’s stern operation in the West Wing in recent months.

The latest came yesterday when a Vanity Fair report suggested was a “widening rift” between him and Kelly.

“He doesn’t love this job. He’s doing it as a duty for the country,” a source reportedly close to Kelly told the magazine.

Last month Kelly was famously photographed face-palming when Trump threatened to wipe out North Korea during a UN speech.

Kelly is credited with creating a buffer zone around Trump that contains an impulsive president.

He has worked to control the flow of information that crosses Trump’s desk and imposed a decision-making structure that was absent in the early days of the administration.

- With reporting from AFP

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