Biden Has 'Complete Trust' in Lloyd Austin After Secret Hospitalization

President Joe Biden has no immediate plans to fire U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following a lack of communication regarding a recent hospital stay, sources tell Newsweek.

Austin was admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, on January 1, Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said on Friday. Austin suffered "complications following a recent elective medical procedure," adding that Austin, as of that day, remained hospitalized "but is recovering well and in good spirits."

The situation led to questions about Austin's relationship with the White House and President Biden and whether his job was potentially in jeopardy due to the clandestine nature of his hospitalization combined with the wars requiring attention in Ukraine and Gaza. The hospital stay was not relayed to the president until Thursday, a U.S. official told Reuters.

A Biden administration official told CBS News that National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and the White House's National Security Council were told on Thursday morning.