Donald Trump, who had promised during his presidential campaign to hire only the most qualified individuals, has acknowledged that this did not happen as planned. During a recent interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo, when questioned about his administration’s personnel decisions, Trump responded by pointing out similar issues in previous administrations. He also emphasized his willingness to dismiss individuals, stating, “The difference is I fire people.”
Trump’s administration witnessed significant turnover in senior and Cabinet-level positions, far exceeding that of his predecessors. While President Barack Obama had three Cabinet secretaries resign during his four-year term, Trump had 14 turnovers, as reported by the Brookings Institute.
Bartiromo raised concerns about the possibility of Trump facing opposition from his own associates if he were to be reelected. Trump admitted that this could be a challenge, and applied a broad criticism, referring to such individuals as “sick”.
Despite his initial commitment to hiring the most capable individuals, Trump ultimately parted ways with several key figures, such as William Barr (attorney general), Jeff Sessions (attorney general), Rex Tillerson (secretary of state), James Mattis (defense secretary), John Bolton (national security adviser), H.R. McMaster (national security adviser), John Kelly (homeland security secretary and White House chief of staff), Mike Pence (vice president), and Kayleigh McEnany (press secretary), among others.
For more of the interview with Bartiromo, see the video below:
