James Mattis could be the next Cabinet official to go


President Trump's brief tenure in office has been marked by a record-setting rate of Cabinet dismissals and other high-profile staff resignations. Defense Secretary James Mattis has hung on longer than many, but a Monday NBC News report citing unnamed current and former administration officials says he is increasingly marginalized by the president.
Last month, for example, Mattis learned second-hand that Trump had decided to exit the Iran nuclear deal, and NBC reports he had to rush to get in touch with Trump to discuss the news before it was made public. Likewise, Trump told Mattis about his plan to suspend Korean "war games" after he'd promised the change to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Trump "blindsided and overruled his defense secretary by publicly directing the Pentagon to create a sixth military branch overseeing operations in space."
Mattis and Trump "don't really see eye to eye," one source told NBC, while another said the defense secretary, though garnering Trump's respect, has "never been one of the go-tos in the gang that's very close to the president." On foreign policy questions, Trump is more likely to seek the advice of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo or National Security Adviser John Bolton, both of whom take a more hawkish approach.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Crossword: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creature
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans