WH official shreds Trump ahead of rumored mass firings: 'That's how he works -- he's doused people in gasoline'

With President Donald Trump reportedly considering a mass purge of top White House officials, one Trump White House official bitterly compared the president to an arsonist.

In a Wall Street Journal report that details Trump's plans to fire both Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and top John Bolton deputy Mira Ricardel, one current White House official said that the president has made a habit of keeping officials constantly on edge about their fates.

"This is how the president works," the official said. "He’s doused a bunch of people in gasoline and he’s waiting for someone to light a match."

The report also says that while Trump has been mulling over possible replacements for chief of staff John Kelly, he has not made any final decisions. That said, ousting longtime Kelly ally Nielsen could help push the chief of staff out the door regardless.

"Mr. Trump has told aides that he is aware that forcing out Ms. Nielsen may result in Mr. Kelly quitting," WSJ reports. "Mr. Trump has told these aides that he is resigned to the possibility of Mr. Kelly leaving, and that he probably will replace Mr. Kelly with Nick Ayers, who is currently chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence."