The Trump administration is reportedly entering a period of high-stakes volatility as the calendar approaches January. While the President-elect has spent weeks selecting his top-tier officials, a looming 'New Year's shakeup' threatens to dismantle several key appointments.
Inside the Mar-a-Lago war room, the mood has reportedly shifted from celebratory to surgical. President Donald Trump is reportedly considering letting some of his appointed advisors go after various allegations, leading him to question whether they were up to the job.
The Looming Culling Of The Cabinet Nominees
Rumours of a systematic realignment have begun to circulate as Donald Trump allegedly re-evaluates his initial roster of loyalists. It seems that Trump isn't happy with his initial choice and is considering rescinding some nominations to protect his administration.
Among those described as being on the bubble is Kash Patel, the controversial pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Patel has been making headlines for allegedly mishandling the hunt for the suspects behind Charlie Kirk's murder in September. He finds himself in hot water again following the shooting at Brown University on 13 December, where two students were killed.
Aside from Patel, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Homeland Security nominee Kristi Noem are also at risk of losing their positions. All three have controversies of their own that led Trump to question their capabilities.
Hegseth made headlines earlier this year for using Signal to communicate sensitive details about the Yemen attack in March. Their conversation leaked after he accidentally added the Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. Now, Hegseth is reportedly losing support within the West Wing.
Bondi, on the other hand, attracted intense criticism after failing to release the complete Epstein files on the set deadline. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie are pursuing 'inherent contempt' against her.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called the partial release a 'blatant cover-up,' accusing Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of 'shielding Donald Trump from accountability,' ABC News reported.
Noem, who has been hit by extramarital affair rumours with Trump political advisor Corey Lewandowski for several years, has reportedly failed to convince Trump that she can handle the job. So, she's also in line to be axed, per the Daily Beast.
Trump Admin to Keep Susie Wiles
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles also found herself in an inconvenient position when Vanity Fair released a report seemingly questioning her loyalty to Trump earlier this month. However, she's among those who are likely to keep their jobs, along with Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
The Vanity Fair report included an incriminating statement from Wiles, where she described the POTUS as someone with an 'alcoholic's personality' operating like 'there's nothing he can't do.'
Wiles, however, denounced the report, saying, 'Significant context was disregarded.' She also criticised it by calling it a 'disingenuously framed hit piece on me and the finest President, White House staff, and Cabinet in history.'
Leavitt supported Wiles, saying she remains among Trump's most trusted aides, and the report was 'an attempt at fake news.'
How Trump Handles His Staff?
CBS chief Washington analyst Robert Costa weighed in on how Trump managed his staff. According to him, the businessman-turned-politician 'doesn't like to be pressured to get rid of anybody.'
However, many people in his circle want to fill the positions. So, it will be easy to get rid of those who performed poorly, as someone within the 'MAGA universe' is willing to take over.
