President Trump lauded White House chief of staff John Kelly via Twitter on Friday morning, but a new report reveals the commander in chief may be privately frustrated with the retired Marine Corps general's control.

Since his stepping into the role previously held by Reince Priebus, Kelly has sought to stomp out the chaos of leaks and palace intrigue that has plagued the Trump administration in its first calendar year. According to the Washington Post, Trump loyalists say this crackdown approach runs counter to Trump's natural way of conducting White House business, and Kelly has now been dubbed "the church lady" by some close to the president.

Per the Washington Post report published on Thursday, several people close to the president say Trump resents Kelly's moves to restrict Oval Office access and keep the leader in direct paths of operation -- leading to the "church lady" nickname because they view him as morally superior and strict.

RELATED: Members past and present of President Trump's inner circle



28 PHOTOS Members past and present of President Trump's inner circle See Gallery Members past and present of President Trump's inner circle Hope Hicks: Former White House Director of Strategic Communications Melania Trump: Wife to President Trump and first lady of the United States Gary Cohn: Former Director of the U.S. National Economic Council Michael Flynn: Former National Security Advisor, no longer with the Trump administration Ivanka Trump: First daughter and presidential adviser Gen. John Kelly: Former Secretary of Homeland Security, current White House chief of staff Steve Bannon: Former White House chief strategist, no longer with the Trump administration Jared Kushner: Son-in-law and senior adviser Kellyanne Conway: Former Trump campaign manager, current counselor to the president Reince Priebus: Former White House chief of staff, no longer with the Trump administration Anthony Scaramucci: Former White House communications director, no longer with the Trump administration Sarah Huckabee Sanders: White House press secretary Donald Trump Jr.: First son to President Trump Sean Spicer: Former White House press secretary, soon to be no longer with the Trump administration Jeff Sessions: U.S. attorney general Steve Mnuchin: Secretary of Treasury Paul Manafort: Former Trump campaign chairman Carter Page: Former foreign policy adviser to Trump's presidential campaign Omarosa Manigault: Former Director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison Jason Miller: Former White House communications director, no longer with the Trump administration Mike Dubke: Former White House communications director, no longer with the Trump administration Stephen Miller: Trump senior policy adviser Corey Lewandowski: Former Trump campaign manager Eric Trump: Son to President Trump Rex Tillerson: Former Secretary of State Sebastian Gorka: Former deputy assistant to the president in the Trump administration, no longer in his White House role Roger Stone: Former Trump campaign adviser, current host of Stone Cold Truth Betsy DeVos: U.S. Education Secretary Up Next See Gallery Discover More Like This HIDE CAPTION SHOW CAPTION of SEE ALL BACK TO SLIDE

"He’s having a very hard time," someone who had recently spoke with the president said. "He doesn’t like the way the media’s handling him. He doesn’t like how Kelly’s handling him. He’s turning on people that are very close to him."

Despite this report, Trump's external view of Kelly appears favorable.

"General John Kelly is doing a great job as Chief of Staff," the president tweeted on Friday morning. "I could not be happier or more impressed - and this Administration continues to get things done at a record clip. Many big decisions to be made over the coming days and weeks. AMERICA FIRST!"

General John Kelly is doing a great job as Chief of Staff. I could not be happier or more impressed - and this Administration continues to.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2017

...get things done at a record clip. Many big decisions to be made over the coming days and weeks. AMERICA FIRST! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2017

The "church lady" nickname is, of course, a reference to Dana Carvey's classic Saturday Night Live skit that featured Carvey as an uptight, religious woman named "Enid Strict."

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