There was a fair amount of drama and staff turnover during President Donald Trump’s first term. So much so that it was actually described as “record-setting.” So, when Trump took office again, people were expecting something similar, only to find that he seemingly selected fiercely loyal staffers this time around.
But things are not exactly as they might seem. Although there have been fewer high-level departures this time (but definitely not zero), there seems to be far more dissatisfaction and tension than people realize, based on recent reports.
Staff turnover has gotten less attention this time, but it’s still happening.
In fact, it might actually be worse. In July, a turnover review published by the Partnership for Public Service showed that Trump is actually breaking records again — because so many people are leaving him.
Per CNN, 11 Senate-confirmed officials left during the first 18 months of Trump’s first term. Meanwhile, in the first 18 months of his second term, 27 Senate-confirmed officials have left. Yikes.
The report noted that staff turnover has gotten “remarkably little public attention” and “far less coverage” during Trump’s second term, but it’s still very much a thing.
And those who are still there are not necessarily happy.
To Trump’s critics, it’s hard to imagine how people in his administration can continue to stand by him. Technically, on the surface, that’s what they’re doing. But that doesn’t mean they are enjoying their jobs.
New York Times correspondent Maggie Haberman recently told MS Now that things are not looking so great behind closed doors.
“He is not in a great place with his staff, according to everyone we talked to,” Haberman said. She noted that Trump has been “lashing out a lot,” which is a sign that “things are not going well.”
While they’re still working for Trump, they might be daydreaming about their exits. Apparently, “most people have decided that they want to go do something else,” according to her.
The White House denies this, though.
In a statement shared with The Independent, a White House spokesperson criticized Haberman and acted like she’s not a reliable source of information.
“Maggie Haberman of the Failing New York Times constantly speaks like she’s a Trump psychologist when in reality she just has a creepy obsession with the President and clings onto him for relevance,” spokesperson Davis Ingle told the publication. He took it a step further and claimed that her alleged “creepy obsession” has “been very sad to watch for years.”
There have been rumors about tension involving several different people within the Trump administration, especially now that (former) White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has left. Previously, reports alleged that there could be some drama between Trump and Vice President JD Vance. However, the White House called these claims “100% fake news” and said only “a moron” would believe that the two men were not getting along.
The official story about Leavitt’s departure is that she wanted to focus on her family. Earlier this week, Trump jokingly complained about this. “She decided she loved her children more than she loved Donald Trump. I’m very upset about this,” he said.
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