As the U.S. midterm elections approach, the Trump administration has gone through a dense stretch of personnel turnover, according to BlockBeats on Sept. 1. Over the past month, several core aides have left their posts, including the White House press secretary, the chief legal counsel, the national security adviser and senior congressional liaison officials. The report said more departures could still come in the next few months.
Pentagon turnover continues
The latest development is the resignation of Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, who has submitted his resignation to Trump. Reports said Driscoll and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had differences over the direction of Army development and over whether several senior generals should remain in their posts. He is expected to leave the Pentagon in the coming days.
Before that, Army Chief of Staff Randy George and Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, had also left one after another, extending the turbulence inside the Pentagon.
Senior White House aides also depart
The White House has also seen a string of senior staff exits, including press secretary Karoline Leavitt, White House director of congressional liaison James Braid, White House counsel Dave Warrington and White House pardon attorney Ed Martin.
At the same time, some of those leaving are expected to remain within Trump’s political circle and continue taking part in related matters as advisers.
Staff reshuffle picks up ahead of the midterms
U.S. media analysis cited in the report said the departure of several core aides may not push the government into paralysis in the short term. Even so, with the midterms drawing closer and Republicans facing the possibility of losing control of Congress, the concentrated loss of personnel is seen as adding uncertainty to the second half of the Trump administration’s term.
The administration is now speeding up personnel adjustments and its broader political positioning, while bringing back some veteran advisers to handle public opinion work and campaign coordination for the midterms. According to the report, Trump has also designated Cabinet Secretary Will Scharf to replace Warrington as White House counsel in preparation for possible congressional investigations if Democrats retake the House of Representatives.
As power becomes more concentrated in the hands of a smaller group of remaining core figures, White House insiders quoted in the report said the administration will need not only to fill a large number of vacancies, but also to rebuild its decision-making and management system before the midterm elections.