United States

Cabinet turnover

Almost from the outset, turnover was rampant in the Trump administration. Among the first to go was the chief of staff, Reince Priebus. He was replaced by Homeland Security head John Kelly, a former Marine Corps general who reportedly imposed order on a White House often characterized in the press as chaotic. Also early on, Sean Spicer’s duties as press secretary were assumed by Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Especially notable were the departures of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and national security adviser H.R. McMaster, both of whom were widely perceived as moderating influences on Trump’s inclination toward impetuous actions in the realm of foreign policy. Trump loyalist Mike Pompeo, whom Trump had appointed as director of the CIA, took over at the Department of State, while John R. Bolton, a controversial former UN ambassador, became national security adviser. Both men were much closer to Trump’s worldview than their predecessors had been. Accusations of corruption and ethics violations led to the resignations of a number of Trump appointees, including Tom Price as secretary of Health and Human Services and Scott Pruitt, who had worked to eliminate regulations as the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. They were the most prominent of the cabinet members who were alleged to be living in high style at taxpayer’s expense.