Expect to see new faces on Trump's Cabinet after the midterms

Trump with his Cabinet.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As soon as the midterm elections are over next month, don't be surprised if several of President Trump's Cabinet officials leave the administration, either by choice or by force, people inside and close to the White House told Politico.

Trump already has the highest turnover rate in recent history, with several Cabinet officials fired, like former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The most likely to leave are Defense Secretary James Mattis, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, administration sources and White House advisers said. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley announced last month she is leaving at the end of the year, one of the rare Cabinet members to not get the boot, but there is no replacement in line.

Several people told Politico they believe that Attorney General Jeff Sessions — who enraged Trump last year when he recused himself from the Russia investigation, which led to the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller — will be the first one fired after the midterms, and it could happen via tweet. One Republican close to the White House said Trump is "looking to get better performers — all of these decisions are being made in the context of the re-election campaign. Trump wants the strongest possible A-team going into 2020."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.