James Mattis, the U.S. defense secretary, said on Tuesday that he was assured by President Trump that his job is "100 percent" safe after a "60 Minutes" interview with his boss led to some speculation about the cabinet member's future.

Mattis told reporters that he had an in-flight conversation with Trump and was told by the president that he has his full support.

In an interview that aired Sunday, Trump appeared to question Mattis' future, saying he "may leave."

"I think he's sort of a Democrat, if you want to know the truth," Trump told Lesley Stahl. "But Gen. Mattis is a good guy. We get along very well. He may leave. I mean, at some point, everybody leaves."

The Associated Press contributed to this report