Hot Topics

Hired and Fired: The Unprecedented Turnover of the Trump Administration

By DENISE LU and KAREN YOURISH 

President Trump’s record-breaking staff churn continues, with departures of top officials becoming routine. It has not been this way in past administrations.

On March 28, President Trump announced in a Twitter postthat he planned to replace David J. Shulkin, the secretary of veterans affairs, with his White House physician, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy.

Less than a week earlier, Mr. Trump had decided to replace Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, with John R. Bolton.

These shake-ups come after Mr. Trump’s dismissal of Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson via Twitter in mid-March and at least two dozen other departures during his tenure — so far.

Some roles have been more volatile than others. For example, there have been four White House communications directors, with stints ranging from less than a week (Anthony Scaramucci) to more than six months (Hope Hicks). Sean Spicer, while serving as press secretary, filled the position twice — once in an acting capacity after Michael Dubke resigned.
 The flurry of changes at the White House and cabinet level so early in a president’s administration is “unprecedented,” according to Max Stier, the president and chief executive of the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization that specializes in federal government management issues.

“The disruption is highly consequential,” Mr. Stier said. “When you lose a leader, it has a cascade effect throughout the organization.”

A New York Times analysis of 21 top White House and cabinet positions back to President Bill Clinton’s first term shows how unusual the upheaval is through the first 14 months of a presidency. Nine of these positions have turned over at least once during the Trump administration, compared with three at the same point of the Clinton administration, two under President Barack Obama and one under President George W. Bush.

 On several occasions, Mr. Trump has filled newly open positions with officials already in his administration. He chose Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, to replace Mr. Tillerson, and Mr. Pompeo’s deputy, Gina Haspel, to replace Mr. Pompeo. Ms. Hicks, a longtime aide and confidant, took over communications after Mr. Scaramucci’s disastrous tenure. And Kirstjen Nielsen, who now leads the Department of Homeland Security, crisscrossed from that department to the White House and then back again.

“There’s a pull to fill from within, but that’s often a bad idea,” Mr. Stier said. “Not only does it create a new vacancy but you’re also not expanding the talent pool. One of the primary leadership challenges is getting information from outside the bubble you exist in.”

 

SHARE TWEET PIN SHARE