Day 421: The Revolving White House Door Continues

Donald Trump’s allies claim he thrives on chaos and believes that only the strong survive a hectic environment. He’s certainly putting that to the test as White House turnover hits dubious records.

Mr. Trump’s administration has set records for turnover among senior administration aides. Top economic adviser Gary Cohn and communications director Hope Hicks are leaving the White House in coming weeks. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was just unceremoniously ousted, on Twitter. And junior-level aides were particularly troubled by the abrupt exit of Mr. Trump’s personal assistant John McEntee this week, who was removed from his job and escorted off White House grounds — then quickly handed a job on Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign.

In addition, numerous new reports have National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster on the way out in the coming weeks as Trump searches for a replacement. There are new rumors every week that Trump’s chief of staff, John Kelly, may be replaced soon. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ job has been under question for nearly a year, and other Cabinet members appear in Trump’s crosshairs as well as at least a half dozen have been mired in federal investigations related to wasteful spending and/or ethics.

As unhappy as Trump is with most everyone around him, his decisions seem based on the most minute of actions: a look, a pass in the hallway, a mention on cable news.

For the people inside the White House, the dysfunction has caused many to hit their breaking points.

The mood inside the White House in recent days has verged on mania, as Trump increasingly keeps his own counsel and senior aides struggle to determine the gradations between rumor and truth. At times, they say, they are anxious and nervous, wondering what each new headline may mean for them personally.

But in other moments, they appear almost as characters in an absurdist farce — openly joking about whose career might end with the next presidential tweet. White House officials have begun betting about which staffer will be ousted next, though few, if any, have much reliable information about what is actually going on.

Trump has one thing that he must consider before replacing too many Cabinet members and other positions requiring confirmation: a divided Senate. With Republicans enjoying a narrow 51–49 advantage in the upper chamber, a few defectors on the right means that Trump’s picks would fail to be confirmed. Furthermore, if Trump taps a congressperson to a role, he faces the prospect of watching a special election elect another Democrat, as was seen in Alabama when Doug Jones defeated Republican Luther Strange.

Nevertheless, Trump’s desire for shakeups and turmoil started in his first days and weeks in the White House and has showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

421 days in, 1041 to go

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