 During his tenure Coats sometimes took public positions that conflicted with Trump's statements or actions.Areas of disagreement included Russia, and particularly Russia's interference in the 2016 election, as well as North Korea and Iran.On July 28, 2019, following multiple anonymous reports that he was about to be let go, Trump announced on Twitter that Coats would depart on August 15 and that he would nominate Congressman John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) to replace him as Director of National Intelligence.