The dissatisfaction with Kelly’s leadership was evident this week when eight staffers told NBC that Kelly had called the president “an idiot” — a story that reflected less on the president’s capacities than on the chief of staff’s stature with some of his colleagues.

“Anytime you have eight administration sources who are conspiring against you on this and putting you in conflict with the president, that is mutiny and a coup d’état of leadership,” said one former Trump campaign official.

To some on the inside of the administration, the situation doesn’t bode well for Kelly’s future.

“He doesn’t have control over the White House he runs,” said another senior administration official. “There’s no common purpose binding people together.”