Trump’s latest firings show a 'presidency on the brink': analysis

U.S. President Donald Trump with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci

The second Trump Administration was rocked by more upheaval and chaos when, on Monday, April 20, then-Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer — facing allegations of drinking on the job and having an affair with a subordinate — resigned. Her husband, Shawn DeRemer, played a role in the controversy: The New York Times reported that he was "barred from" the Labor Department's headquarters "after female staff members accused him of making unwanted sexual advances, including filing a police report."

Lori Chavez-DeRemer's resignation follows President Donald Trump's firings of two prominent loyalists: former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ex-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Firings were common during Trump's first presidency, which found him clashing with a long list of traditional conservatives he appointed. After returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump made a point of choosing staunch MAGA loyalists in order to avoid having so much turnover. But Salon's Heather Digby Parton, in an article published on April 23, points to these firings as examples of how chaotic Trump's second presidency is.

"Incidents like this were commonplace during the president's first term, and now, with a series of three Cabinet firings or forced resignations in six weeks — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on March 5, Attorney General Pam Bondi on April 2 and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer on April 20 — it appears he may be returning to his old ways," Parton explains. "Trump entered office in 2017 unschooled in the ways of Washington, and he knew nothing about how the presidency worked. He expected that members of his staff and Cabinet would be as fawning and obsequious as his employees at the Trump Organization. Instead, he found they considered themselves professionals, with a responsibility to give the president their best advice. He soon disabused them of such a notion…. The main lesson Trump appears to have taken from his first term was to only hire staff who would never dare to cross him or tell him anything he doesn't want to hear."

Parton continues, "All you have to do is witness the displays of sycophancy by his appointees during his televised Cabinet meetings to understand the dynamics within his second administration. And until recently, Trump has refused to fire any of them — no matter what they've done."

The Salon journalist notes that reportedly, National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard could be Trump's next firing.

"As the president's approval ratings have plunged into the low to mid-30s amid rising inflation," Parton argues, "the spectacle of his immigration policy and his inexplicable decision to go to war with Iran, Trump appears to be looking for scapegoats — and ways to distract the media and the public. It's a mark of a presidency on the brink, teetering due to a chaotic and vacillating policy agenda, poor management and outright incompetence…. Whatever the case, more scapegoats are almost certainly on the way. If there's one thing we know about Trump, it's that he will never blame himself."

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