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The recurring abrupt firings and departures of Trump administration officials

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You're probably here because of the Oct 2026 rerun. This is the 16th time since 2017 this story has run. The previous rerun was Apr 2026.

About this story

Senior officials in both Trump administrations have been fired, pushed out or have resigned abruptly. The cases run from National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's resignation after 24 days in February 2017 to Attorney General Pam Bondi's removal in April 2026. Many departures were announced in posts on Twitter or Truth Social, including those of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown and BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer, and some officials, including FBI Director James Comey, learned of their removal from news reports. In January 2025 at least 17 inspectors general were removed without the notice to Congress that a 2022 law requires, according to Lawfare, and in 2019 Axios reported that Trump's White House had record-breaking turnover.

Sources: 1

20162026

Oct 2026 Katie Zacharia's exit as White House press secretary after five days

Katie Zacharia started as White House press secretary on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, and was out by Friday, Oct. 16. Two U.S. officials told CBS she was being removed after just five days, and some White House staff learned of the change from news coverage. Earlier that Friday, Trump told reporters that if he were her, he would reconsider taking the job. Axios called her the shortest-tenured press secretary in modern history, and CBS compared the episode to Anthony Scaramucci's 11 days as communications director. Outlets described the departure in different ways: fired (Fox News), ousted (Axios), transitioning out of the role (AP, citing a person familiar with the matter) and stepped down (The Hill). The suggested label is forced out / removed.

  • cbsnews.com article
    is being removed from the role after just five days on the job, two U.S. officials told CBS News on Friday.
  • x.com social post
    It was an honor to work for him.
  • Fox News article
    President Donald Trump has fired Katie Zacharia after one week in the White House Press Secretary role.
  • youtube.com video
    is being removed from the role after just five days on the job, two U.S. officials told CBS News.

Sources: cbsnews.com reliable · Public Broadcasting Service reliable · Axios reliable · Yahoo News reliable

Apr 2026 Attorney General Pam Bondi pushed out after about 14 months; Todd Blanche named acting AG

On April 2, 2026, Trump said in a Truth Social post that Bondi would move to "a much needed and important new job in the private sector." He also said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche would be acting attorney general. CBS and AP/PBS called it a firing, and NPR said Bondi was "the second member of the president's Cabinet to be forced out," about a month after Kristi Noem was fired. CBS reported that Bondi tried that week to keep her job, and that she was in Florida on a previously scheduled trip when the news broke. She had been sworn in on February 5, 2025, so she served about 14 months. The sources named the Epstein files and Trump's frustration that the department hadn't won more cases against his rivals as background.

  • truthsocial.com social post
    she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector...
  • x.com social post
    moving to an important private sector role I am thrilled about.
  • cbsnews.com article
    When news of her firing broke, Bondi was in Florida on a previously scheduled trip.
  • youtube.com video

Sources: cbsnews.com reliable · NPR reliable · Public Broadcasting Service reliable

Mar 2026 Kristi Noem removed as Homeland Security Secretary

On March 5, 2026, Trump announced on social media that Sen. Markwayne Mullin would become Homeland Security Secretary effective March 31, 2026, and that Noem would move to a "Special Envoy" role. NPR, ABC News and Al Jazeera/Reuters reported it as a firing. The announcement came right after Noem spent two days being questioned by the Senate and House Judiciary Committees, about 13 months into the job. NPR called her the first Cabinet secretary to leave in Trump's second term. ABC reported, citing sources, that Trump had been privately frustrated by her Senate testimony on a $220 million DHS ad campaign and had called Republicans asking whether he should fire her.

  • NPR article
    Noem is the first Cabinet secretary to leave the Trump administration in Trump's second term.
  • ABC News article
    The president had privately expressed deep frustration over Noem's testimony during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday, sources with direct knowledge of the conversations said.
  • youtube.com video

Sources: NPR reliable · ABC News reliable · Al Jazeera reliable · ABC News reliable

Aug 2025 – Sep 2025 CDC Director Susan Monarez ousted after 29 days

Monarez was sworn in as CDC director on July 31, 2025. PBS/AP called her the shortest-serving director in the agency's 79-year history. HHS announced her removal in an X post on Aug. 27 without giving a reason. Her lawyers said she had "neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she was fired." Hours later they said a White House personnel staffer had told her she was fired, and they called that "legally deficient" because only the President could fire her. White House spokesman Kush Desai said she was terminated because she "refused to resign despite informing HHS leadership of her intent to do so." Her lawyers said she was targeted for refusing "to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated public health experts." In testimony to the Senate HELP Committee on Sept. 17, 2025, Monarez said her tenure "lasted 29 days."

  • Public Broadcasting Service article
    Susan Monarez is no longer director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We thank her for her dedicated service to the American people.
  • cbsnews.com article
    has neither resigned nor received notification from the White House that she was fired

Sources: cbsnews.com reliable · Public Broadcasting Service reliable · help.senate.gov needs a second source

Aug 2025 BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer fired hours after a jobs report

On August 1, 2025, Trump ordered the firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer in a Truth Social post, writing "We need accurate Jobs Numbers" and that she "will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified." The order came hours after BLS reported that the economy added 73,000 jobs in July and that revised May and June figures were lower than first announced by more than 200,000 jobs. In a later post Trump called the numbers "RIGGED"; NBC News reported that he cited no evidence for the claim. An administration official confirmed the firing to NBC News. McEntarfer, nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the Senate 86–8 in January 2024, said in a post on X that leading the agency had been the "honor of my life." Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said Deputy Commissioner Bill Wiatrowski would serve as acting chief during the search for a replacement. The abruptness rests on the firing being ordered by social post the same day as the report, about a year and a half into her tenure, rather than on a short tenure.

  • NBC News article
    In my opinion, today’s Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.

Sources: NBC News reliable · CNN reliable · cnbc.com reliable

May 2025 Mike Waltz removed as National Security Adviser and nominated as UN ambassador

On May 1, 2025, a day after a Cabinet meeting where Waltz praised Trump's first 100 days, Trump announced on Truth Social that Waltz was leaving the National Security Adviser post. Trump would nominate him as UN ambassador, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would serve as interim adviser (Roll Call; CBS; PBS). CBS sources said Trump decided that morning, and the "circle of people who knew" was very small. The State Department spokesperson learned Rubio's new role from a reporter during a briefing (CBS). Waltz had been on Fox News that morning promoting a minerals deal with Ukraine (Roll Call; TIME). The move came more than five weeks after The Atlantic's Signal chat report (TIME). Roll Call called it the first West Wing shake-up of the second term.

  • truthsocial.com social post
    I am pleased to announce that I will be nominating Mike Waltz to be the next United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
  • x.com social post
    I'm deeply honored to continue my service to President Trump and our great nation.
  • cbsnews.com article
    It was a last-minute decision to nominate Waltz to be U.N. ambassador, sources told CBS News.

Sources: cbsnews.com reliable · rollcall.com reliable · Public Broadcasting Service reliable · Time reliable

Feb 2025 Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. CQ Brown fired

President Trump announced the firing of Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a Truth Social post on the night of Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. In the same post he thanked Brown for "over 40 years of service" and named retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan Caine as his pick to replace him. Brown had been chairman since October 2023, and his four-year term was due to end in 2027. Hours before Trump's post, Brown had posted images on his official X account of himself meeting troops at the U.S.-Mexico border. Military.com reported that neither Trump nor Hegseth explained the firings that night. Two days later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday" that Brown was "an honorable man, not the right man for the moment."

  • stripes.com article
    I want to thank General Charles 'CQ' Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
  • military.com article
    Neither Trump nor Hegseth offered any explanation as to why any of the officers were being fired
  • NBC News article
    I have a lot of respect for CQ Brown. I got to know him over the course of a month. He’s an honorable man, not the right man for the moment

Sources: stripes.com needs a second source · military.com needs a second source · NBC News reliable

Jan 2025 Inspectors general removed without notice to Congress

On Friday night, Jan. 24, 2025, President Trump removed at least 17 inspectors general (Senate-confirmed agency watchdogs). The removals took effect immediately and were announced in emails from Sergio Gor, the White House Director of Presidential Personnel, which gave "changing priorities" as the reason (Lawfare). Lawfare says Trump did not give Congress the notice required by a 2022 law. EPI describes that requirement as 30 days' notice and a reason for dismissal. On Jan. 25 Trump defended the removals as "a very common thing to do," and said that "some people thought that some were unfair or were not doing the job" (Lawfare, quoting CNN). Hannibal Ware, the Small Business Administration inspector general, chaired the inspectors general's council and was one of those removed. He wrote to Gor that the firings were not "legally sufficient to dismiss" Senate-confirmed inspectors general (Lawfare).

  • lawfaremedia.org article
    The removals are probably lawful even though Trump defied a 2022 law that required congressional notice of the terminations, which Trump did not give.
  • epi.org article
    On January 24, 2025, President Trump fired Inspectors General (IGs) from 17 different federal agencies, including the Department of Labor.

Sources: lawfaremedia.org needs a second source · epi.org needs a second source

Nov 2020 Defense Secretary Mark Esper fired by tweet after the 2020 election

On Nov. 9, 2020, Trump announced in tweets that Defense Secretary Mark Esper "has been terminated." He named Christopher Miller, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, acting secretary "effective immediately" (NBC, CNBC). A defense official told Foreign Policy that White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told Esper before Trump tweeted. Foreign Policy called it "another Trump firing by tweet," following Rex Tillerson's removal. Esper had been defense secretary since July 2019 (NBC). NBC, CNBC and Foreign Policy reported earlier disagreements with Trump: Esper publicly opposed using active-duty troops against the June 2020 protests and invoking the Insurrection Act, and he supported removing Confederate names from military bases.

  • NBC News article
    Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his service.
  • foreignpolicy.com article
    The move marks another Trump firing by tweet

Sources: NBC News reliable · foreignpolicy.com needs a second source · cnbc.com reliable

Sep 2019 National Security Adviser John Bolton out; accounts conflict

Trump announced on Twitter on September 10, 2019 that he had told Bolton the night before "that his services are no longer needed at the White House." He said he had asked Bolton to resign because he "disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions" (CNBC). The tweet went out about 90 minutes before Bolton was due at a White House press briefing that had been publicly announced (CNBC). Bolton replied on Twitter that he had offered to resign the night before (NPR). Deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley named Bolton's deputy, Charles Kupperman, acting national security adviser (NPR).

  • cnbc.com article
    I informed John Bolton last night that his services are no longer needed at the White House.
  • NPR article
    I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
  • ABC News article
    he made some very big mistakes when he talked about the Libyan model with Kim Jong Un.

Sources: cnbc.com reliable · NPR reliable · ABC News reliable

Dec 2018 Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigns over policy differences; Trump moves his exit up by two months

Mattis announced his resignation in a Dec. 20, 2018 letter that cited differences with Trump over treating allies with respect and being clear-eyed about strategic competitors. He wrote that Trump "has the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours," and set February 28, 2019 as his last day. Defense One reported that the announcement followed an internal dispute over Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria. Mattis had reportedly argued against the withdrawal. On Sunday, Dec. 23, Trump tweeted that Deputy Secretary Patrick Shanahan would become acting secretary on Jan. 1, 2019. That ended Mattis's tenure two months before the date he had planned and about 23 months after it began (TIME). TIME reported, citing unnamed administration officials, that the move followed anger in the West Wing over coverage of the letter.

  • NPR article
    Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position.
  • defenseone.com article
    Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan will replace outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Jan. 1, President Trump tweeted on Sunday, ending Mattis's tenure two months prior to his planned resignation date.
  • Time article
    Fed up with the negative media coverage over the past four days, President Donald Trump on Sunday expedited the departure of Defense Secretary James Mattis two months earlier than planned

Sources: defenseone.com needs a second source · NPR reliable · defenseone.com needs a second source · Time reliable

Nov 2018 Jeff Sessions forced out as attorney general

On November 7, 2018, the day after the midterm elections, Attorney General Jeff Sessions submitted a resignation letter saying he was stepping down "at your request" (NPR via KGOU; CBS). A senior Justice Department official told CBS that White House chief of staff John Kelly called Sessions to ask for his resignation and that the president did not call him. Earlier that day, asked at a news conference whether Sessions would stay, Trump said only, "We're looking at different people for different positions" (CBS). Trump announced on Twitter that Sessions's chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, would be acting attorney general. Trump had criticized Sessions repeatedly since he recused himself from the Russia investigation in March 2017 (NPR via KGOU; Al Jazeera).

  • kgou.org article
    Sessions noted in his resignation letter to the president that he was stepping down "at your request."
  • cbsnews.com article
    A senior Justice Department official said White House chief of staff John Kelly called Sessions to request his resignation.
  • Al Jazeera article
    The protests come a day after Trump effectively fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Sources: kgou.org needs a second source · cbsnews.com reliable · Time reliable · Al Jazeera reliable

Mar 2018 Secretary of State Rex Tillerson fired by tweet

On the morning of March 13, 2018, President Trump announced on Twitter that CIA Director Mike Pompeo would become secretary of state. The same tweet thanked Tillerson for his service. Tillerson had held the job since February 1, 2017, about 13½ months. NBC News, citing a senior State Department official, reported that he learned he had been fired from the tweet. A State Department statement said he "did not speak to the President this morning and is unaware of the reason." Trump's stated reason was "We disagreed on things." Hours later, Under Secretary Steve Goldstein, who had issued that statement, was also fired.

  • x.com social post
    Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!
  • NBC News article
    A senior State Department official told NBC earlier Tuesday that Tillerson had officially learned of his firing when Trump tweeted the news.
  • cnbc.com article
    The Secretary had every intention of remaining because of the tangible progress made on critical national security issues

Sources: NBC News reliable · cnbc.com reliable · pressherald.com needs a second source · rferl.org needs a second source

Jul 2017 – Aug 2017 Scaramucci out 11 days after being named, amid a West Wing shake-up

Trump named Anthony Scaramucci White House communications director on July 21, 2017, over objections from Priebus and others. On Monday, July 31, he was removed from the job. The Washington Post reported that the move came at the request of new Chief of Staff John Kelly, who had been sworn in that morning. Al Jazeera described it as a removal after 11 days in the role. Variety reported that Scaramucci had not been scheduled to start officially until Aug. 15. The White House statement said Scaramucci "felt it was best to give Chief of Staff John Kelly a clean slate." The removal came days after the New Yorker interview and three days after Trump announced Priebus's exit on Twitter. Press Secretary Sean Spicer had already resigned the day Scaramucci was brought on.

  • The Washington Post article
    a move made at the request of new White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, according to two people with knowledge of the decision
  • The Washington Post article
    the president announced on Twitter Friday afternoon
  • Al Jazeera article
    Not long after, Scaramucci, who shocked many with his profane outburst last week against then chief of staff Reince Priebus, was gone.

Sources: The Washington Post reliable · The Washington Post reliable · Al Jazeera reliable · variety.com needs a second source

May 2017 – ongoing FBI Director James Comey fired; learns from TV

On May 9, 2017, press secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement that Trump "informed FBI Director James Comey that he has been terminated and removed from office." Trump's letter to Comey cited the need for "new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence." Comey was speaking to bureau employees in Los Angeles when TV screens behind him began showing the news, and the letter reached FBI headquarters soon after (TheWrap, citing the New York Times). The reason the White House gave changed within two days. Its May 9 statement said Trump acted on recommendations from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Rosenstein's memo faulted Comey's handling of the Clinton email investigation. But on May 11 Trump told NBC's Lester Holt he "was going to fire Comey" "regardless of recommendation" (FactCheck.org).

  • TheWrap article
    While Comey spoke, TV screens in the background started flashing the news.
  • factcheck.org article
    regardless of recommendation I was going to fire Comey, knowing there was no good time to do it
  • Washington Examiner article
    no one from the White House or Department of Justice called him to tell him the news.

Sources: TheWrap reliable · factcheck.org reliable · Washington Examiner needs a second source

Feb 2017 National Security Adviser Michael Flynn forced to resign after 24 days

Michael Flynn resigned as national security adviser on Feb. 13, 2017, about 24 days after President Trump took office. Roll Call reported that his 24 days were the shortest tenure ever in the job. On the day he left, White House officials gave mixed signals. Kellyanne Conway said on MSNBC that Flynn had Trump's full confidence, and about an hour later Spicer said the White House was reviewing his situation. A few hours after that, Flynn resigned. He wrote that he had given the vice president-elect "incomplete information" about his calls with the Russian ambassador. The next day Spicer said Trump had asked for the resignation because of "a trust issue," not a legal one.

  • cnbc.com article
    I inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador.
  • The Hill article
    There is not a legal issue but rather a trust issue,
  • cnbc.com article
    I asked for his resignation. He respectfully gave it,

Sources: govexec.com needs a second source · The Hill reliable · rollcall.com reliable · cnbc.com reliable

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