Among the Trump administration's defining characteristics has been the president’s ire for those appointed to positions of power by past administrations, with President Donald Trump declaring early on in his second term that he would “clean house immediately” of most officials appointed under the Biden administration.
Now, however, Trump has redirected his angst toward his own appointed officials in a pattern of firings that one expert noted surpassed any previous administration in history.
“No administration has seen more chaos in its leadership ranks than the Trump administration other than Trump one,” said Max Stier, an attorney and president of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, which tracks government hiring and firing, speaking with the Wall Street Journal Friday. “He begins by being right, and if anyone challenges his worldview, they need to go away.”
The observation of Trump’s chaotic second tenure comes just days after Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr. fired Susan Monarez, the Trump-appointed director for the Centers for Disease Control, in a decision that was backed up by the White House. Trump also fired former Rep. Bill Long (R-MO) this month, whom he appointed to head the Internal Revenue Service, just two months into the job.
A number of other high-profile firings of Trump-appointed officials, by Trump, have also taken place within the past seven months; the acting FEMA administrator was removed, the Department of Treasury’s second-in-command was replaced, and two senior Justice Department officials were axed earlier this month.
Trump and his supporters have largely defended the firings, with GOP strategist Brad Todd telling the Wall Street Journal Friday that the president’s leadership shakeups – even when it’s directed at his own appointees – came with Trump’s 2024 election victory.
“The voters pick one person to lead the executive branch and that means that person gets to choose every other person,” Todd said.
The turnover rate during Trump’s first term in office was as high as 92% as of Jan. 20, 2021, according to extensive tracking by the nonprofit organization the Brookings Institution. And his second term, while only seven months in, has also been plagued with rising numbers of departures and high-profile firings.