As early morning news headlines blared Wednesday that President Donald Trump’s top diplomat had insulted the President’s intelligence, the man hired by Trump to rein in West Wing chaos found himself caught between his boss and his ally.

The President was so furious at the situation, multiple sources told CNN, that chief of staff John Kelly was forced to navigate between two men who are, at this point, fed up with each other.

Kelly suggested to the President in a nuanced way that if Secretary of State Rex Tillerson left, the retired general’s own ability to do his job properly could be at risk, sources familiar with the conversation said.

The discussion between the President and his top aide came as whispers about how long Kelly is going to last are getting louder.

“Every day for John Kelly ends in ‘why?’ Every day is tense,” a source close to the President said, referring to the struggles Kelly faces.