When President Donald Trump ousted his attorney general, Pam Bondi, it sent a clear message to his remaining Cabinet members: The job security they’ve enjoyed until now is no longer guaranteed.
Trump has grown increasingly willing to fire top officials who he believes are underperforming, amid deepening frustration with his declining approval ratings and fears of a wipeout in the November midterm elections, a half-dozen sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
The president announced he was removing then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in March following months of damaging headlines and internal complaints, marking the first major departure from his senior ranks. On Thursday, he ousted Bondi after souring on her ability to do the high-profile job.
The twin firings have fanned fears that additional Cabinet members could soon be on the chopping block, multiple sources said. That’s brought an abrupt end to the sense of relative stability that once pervaded the administration — even as it remains unclear what changes Trump will make and when.
“This is a recalibration,” said one person close to Trump. “There are high expectations that are not being met.”
There are multiple Cabinet officials who could be at risk, according to several sources familiar. There’s Labor Department Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who has come under internal investigation following complaints within the department about her conduct. However, ousting Chavez-DeRemer could cause a headache for the White House, one source noted, suggesting the media reaction would focus on the fact that all three of Trump’s first high-profile firings were women.
There’s also FBI Director Kash Patel, who generated a series of negative headlines earlier this year after being filmed chugging beer with the Olympic hockey team — an episode that irritated Trump at the time and was viewed by some around the president as just the latest of several easily avoidable missteps.
And Trump has been hot and cold for months on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, multiple sources said. An abrasive figure within the administration, Lutnick has also attracted a wide range of internal critics. Yet he maintains a longstanding friendship with Trump, who has so far proven unwilling to dump one of the few Cabinet officials who knew him well before his political career.
The fresh scrutiny of Trump’s top lieutenants represents a marked shift from the first year of his second presidential term, when the White House reflexively resisted carrying out any firings at all. At the time, Trump and his top aides worried doing so would amount to confirming Democratic critiques of the administration, while undercutting claims that he’d assembled the best collection of talent in White House history.
But Trump’s standing with voters has eroded significantly in recent months, driven by Americans’ angst over the economy and unhappiness with his administration’s priorities. Republicans are now increasingly likely to lose control of Congress next year, a development that would curtail Trump’s ambitions and expose his administration to a range of Democratic investigations. Depending on Senate elections — and how many seats Republicans potentially lose — it could also make confirming new Cabinet officials significantly harder.
Those stakes have fueled speculation among officials and allies that Trump will make more personnel moves, in a bid to demonstrate the high standards he’s setting for his administration — and signal that more needs to be accomplished in the coming months.
“It’s just a function of whether he thinks you’re doing the job well,” another person close to Trump said. “When it comes to this stuff, it’s an audience of one.”
In a statement, White House spokesman Davis Ingle praised the performance of Chavez-DeRemer, Patel and Lutnick.
“President Trump has the most talented cabinet and team in American history,” he said. “Patriots like Kash Patel, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and Howard Lutnick are tirelessly implementing the President’s agenda and achieving tremendous results for the American people.”
Even for those closest to Trump, it remains unclear what the president will ultimately decide to do. The president often wavers on firing someone for months, surveying associates and floating potential replacements without committing to a final decision, sources said.
Beyond Trump’s personal feelings, there are also more conventional concerns in play when it comes to dismissing his top officials — chief among them who might serve as a viable replacement.
The White House already has a handful of pending lower-level nominees being considered by the closely divided Senate. Ousting more Cabinet officials now would mean finding more candidates who could win confirmation — and adding them to the queue at a time when Trump is already pressuring lawmakers to defy precedent and pass a sprawling legislative package just ahead of the midterms.
Even so, Bondi’s firing has ramped up anxiety in MAGA world that Trump is willing to make more changes regardless of the obstacles they create. Trump officials are increasingly aware that stepping out of line could cost them their job, multiple people close to the White House said.
And while Noem’s ouster was well-telegraphed, coming soon after a disastrous congressional hearing, a consistent subject of discussion when it comes to Bondi’s ouster has been: “Why now?”
The handling of the Epstein files, while a huge issue for the president, had been ongoing for over a year. During that time, Trump had praised Bondi both publicly and privately. There was no apparent catalyst, no defining moment, and no clear sense even in the hours before he made the decision that Trump would follow through with the firing.
“Do I think she’ll probably get fired? Yes. But could he see all the negative coverage and change his mind, also yes,” one senior White House adviser said Thursday, moments before Trump officially fired Bondi.
That sequence of events has been a source of discomfort to others in the Cabinet who have at times faced Trump’s ire. And 14 months into his presidency, it’s left them with the distinct impression that anyone could be next.
“I don’t think anybody’s safe,” said one White House ally. “Ever.”
