Donald Trump's Health Secretary Tom Price has resigned, the White House has announced, after the US president made his displeasure clear over a scandal regarding private jet travel.

Mr Price is the latest official to depart Mr Trump's controversy-ridden administration, which in nine months has seen the dramatic oustings of the President's FBI chief and National Security Adviser, as well as the resignations of multiple advisers and members of the White House communications team.

Mr Price was already in hot water for Republicans' several failed attempts to repeal and replace Obamacare, otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act. But his job as head of the administration's Health and Human Services department began to be threatened following a slew of reports about his extensive use of charter aircraft.

According to Politico, Mr Price racked up at least $400,000 in travel bills for chartered flights, undermining Mr Trump’s campaign promise to "drain the swamp".

Mr Trump reportedly feared these revelations undercut his promise to expel everything his supporters hated about Washington: lobbying, corruption and entitled bureaucrats.

On Thursday, Mr Price had apparently tried to defuse the President's anger by agreeing to reimburse the government $51,887 for his past use of private jets. However, that didn't appear to work.

"I certainly don't like the optics," Mr Trump said on Friday before Mr Price's resignation. "I'm not happy, I can tell you that. I'm not happy." The President said he would decide whether to fire the secretary by the end of the day.

Mr Price is not the only member of Mr Trump's cabinet to have come under fire for using private chartered flights or government aircraft to travel for work. Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin have also been scrutinised for such conduct. In some cases, cheaper commercial flights were available, but the officials opted against them.

In the wake of Mr Price's resignation, the White House sought to crackdown on government officials using charter aircraft. In a memo to government agencies, White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney said commercial air travel is “appropriate” with few exceptions even for very senior officials, and the use of chartered aircraft must be approved in advance by the White House chief of staff, John Kelly.

Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Show all 33 1 /33 Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad

Mr Trump made clear that Mr Price's use of private jets went against his promise to save the government money.

In his resignation letter to the President, Mr Price said that under Mr Trump's leadership, the Department of Health and Human Services was working "to reform a broken health care system, empower patients, [and] reduce regulatory burdens", among other tasks.

"I regret that the recent events have created a distraction from these important objectives," Mr Price wrote. "Success on these issues is more important than any one person. In order for you to move forward without further disruption, I am officially tendering my resignation".

The President intends to designate Don Wright of Virginia to serve as Acting Secretary of HHS, the White House said. Mr Wright currently serves as the deputy assistant secretary for health, and director of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

From his perch at HHS – Mr Price – a former congressman who long opposed Obamacare – had been leading the drive to overhaul former President Barack Obama's healthcare law.

In July, Mr Trump joked that he would fire Mr Price if he did not get the votes for an Obamacare repeal bill. "He better get them," Mr Trump told an audience while standing close to the secretary. "Otherwise, I’ll say, 'Tom, you’re fired.'"