Political guru says Trump’s staff preparing for ugly firing spree

U.S. President Donald Trump with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Members of President Donald Trump's White House are eyeing up the exits and plotting their next steps, as one political guru told The Daily Beast that an ugly firing spree could arrive soon after the midterms.

This week, David Rothkopf, a former Bill Clinton administration official turned prolific political commentator, appeared as a guest on the latest episode of The Daily Beast Podcast, where he predicted that many in the Trump administration are awaiting their own version of "the Night of the Long Knives," a reference to the infamously brutal purge of political rivals ordered by Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany during the spring of 1934. He also noted that it is not uncommon for administrations to undergo staffing shakeups in the wake of the midterms, and suggested a few names that might be concerned about how much time they have left.

"There are a bunch of people in the White House right now who are waiting for the Night of the Long Knives that is undoubtedly going to follow this election," Rothkopf told host Joanna Coles. "Because even typically in most administrations, sort of halfway through, you get some turnover. But if you're [FBI Director] Kash Patel or you're [Defense Secretary] Pete [Hegseth] or you're [HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.], or you're [chief of staff] Susie Wiles,or you're some of these other characters who are out there, you're probably thinking, how much longer do I have? What's my next job?"

Rothkopf added that, from his own perspective, Trump's thoughts about who to fire next are a "good thing, because these are good people to get rid of." He noted, however, that the issue with a mass White House exodus is the fact that Trump almost never "trades up" with his officials, suggesting that even worse people could be in line to replace the people he ditches after the midterms.

"The longer he gets into his term, he trades down, and we get, you know, the less good version of Kash Patel, the less sane version of RFK Jr., the more demented version of Pete," Rothkopf said. "And, you know, yuck. Is there a more demented version of Pete?"

Following that line of thought, Rothkopf wondered if Hegseth might get replaced by Doug Jones, his Christian nationalist "preacher friend who's giving him all these big ideas that the military shouldn't have women in it or people of color."

“There’s going to be so much churn that I’d just advise everybody, you know, keep your powder dry,” Rothkopf said. “Election Day is going to be interesting.”

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