After two years of already-high turnover, the president is expected to push out or accept the resignations of several more department chiefs by January.
President Donald Trump could see up to six Cabinet officials depart in the weeks after next month’s midterm elections, according to interviews with a half-dozen current and former Trump officials and Republicans close to the White House.
For a president who has already shed or shuffled up eight Cabinet officials, that would make for the highest turnover rate in recent history.
It would also be a major disruption even by the standards of an ever-churning administration — possibly creating new confusion across departments and agencies and risking multiple bloody Senate confirmation fights.
The list includes United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who announced last month that she will depart by the end of the year, with no replacement in line. Trump is widely expected to oust Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whom he has criticized for months. Others who appear most likely to depart, according to administration sources and White House advisers, include Defense Secretary James Mattis, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, a close ally to chief-of-staff Gen. John Kelly.
Trump allies said that, in choosing replacements, the president will have a particular focus on how they might benefit him politically.
“The president is looking to get better performers – all of these decisions are being made in the context of the re-election campaign,” said one Republican close to the White House. “Trump wants the strongest possible A-team going into 2020.”
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Trump's Cabinet is expected to go through a major shake-up after the midterms. Here's who is leaving:
▪️ James Mattis
▪️ Ryan Zinke
▪️ Wilbur Ross
▪️ Kirstjen Nielsen
▪️ Jeff Sessions
▪️ Nikki Haleyhttps://t.co/iHjKYemE4E— POLITICO (@politico) October 28, 2018
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