Of the President’s men, only Mike Pence survives from this photograph with, from left, Reince Priebus, Steve Bannon, Sean Spicer and Michael Flynn (Getty)
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President Donald Trump’s first year in office was chaotic for several reasons – one of the most significant being the record-setting turnover of staff in his White House and administration.
The attrition rate among top-level staff in the Trump White House was more than triple that in former President Barack Obama's first year, according to a new Brookings Institution report. It was also double the rate in President Ronald Reagan's White House.
“While some turnover is expected and possibly beneficial, excessive turnover portends problems,” writes Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a non-resident senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution. “[Mr Trump] has valued loyalty over qualifications and suffered from a White House that has functioned in a chaotic manner. Both features have made it difficult to retain staff and have contributed to the governance difficulties he has encountered.”
After nearly three decades at the Department of Justice, Ms Yates became acting attorney general as Mr Trump’s pick for the role, Jeff Sessions, waited to be confirmed by the Senate. Ms Yates was fired after she instructed Justice Department attorneys to not defend the President’s executive order on 27 January 2017 that barred nationals from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the country for 90 days. In a letter to the lawyers, she said the order was not defensible in court. The White House said in a statement that Ms Yates “betrayed the Department of Justice”.
Mr Flynn, who had supported Mr Trump on the campaign trail, was forced to resign after it was revealed that he misled Vice President Mike Pence about the nature of multiple meetings with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian Ambassador to the US.
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into possible collusion between Donald Trump's campaign team and Russia struck at the heart of the White House in December, with Mr Flynn admitting that he lied to the FBI about contacts with a senior Russian diplomat.
Mr Flynn agreed to cooperate with investigators as part of his plea deal, reportedly worrying remaining members of Mr Trump’s White House team.
Katie Walsh, Deputy Chief of Staff
Length of tenure: 69 days
In March, days after Mr Trump faced his first major legislative setback with the House’s failure to pass a Obamacare repeal and replacement bill, the President’s deputy chief of staff left the White House. Ms Walsh joined a nonprofit group supporting Mr Trump’s agenda, according to CNN. A senior White House official insisted to the news outlet that Ms Walsh was “not being fired”.
Length of tenure: 190 days into the Trump administration
Mr Trump’s firing of Mr Comey set off what Democrats called a “constitutional crisis”. This is because he was heading an investigation into the Trump campaign’s alleged ties to Russia when he was axed.
When Mr Trump fired Mr Comey, the White House said it was acting on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who criticised Mr Comey's handling of an investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails. But later, Mr Trump said he was thinking of “this Russia thing” when he resolved to dismiss his FBI chief.
Mr Trump’s decision to fire his FBI Director only created more issues for the President. Mr Rosenstein quickly appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, to lead the federal Russia probe – a move that the President criticised. Mr Comey also later testified to a Senate committee that he believed Mr Trump tried to pressure him into dropping a probe into Mr Flynn; testimony that appears to have inspired an investigation into whether the President obstructed justice.
Mr Dubke is reported to have left the White House on good terms. But according to Axios, he had difficulty gelling with those who had been with Mr Trump since the campaign. After he resigned, Mr Dubke offered to stay on until the end of Mr Trump’s first trip abroad as president and “until a transition is concluded”.
Walter Shaub, Director of the Office of Government Ethics
Length of tenure: 180 days into Trump administration
Mr Shaub accepted a position with the Campaign Legal Centre after months of clashing with the administration over Mr Trump's refusal to divest his businesses while in office. Instead, the President transferred them into a trust in his name.
Mr Shaub had served as director of the office under President Obama since 2013.
After months of speculation that Mr Spicer was poised to leave the White House, it was announced in July that deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders had been promoted to fill his position. Mr Trump had asked Mr Spicer to stay on, according to The New York Times, but the ex-aide told the President that the appointment of financier Anthony Scaramucci as communications director was a big mistake.
In an interview with ABC News, Mr Spicer said he felt “relieved” and that “organisationally” the White House communications team needed a “fresh start.”
Michael Short, Assistant Press Secretary
Length of tenure: 186 days
During one of his first days on the job, Mr Scaramucci told Politico that he planned to fire Mr Short, ostensibly to stop leaks to the media. But at a press gaggle, Mr Scaramucci specifically pointed to the report about Mr Short's possible firing as a reason that leaks needed to stop - even though he was reportedly the one who told Politico that Mr Short should be fired.
“Let's say I'm firing Michael Short today. The fact that you guys know about it before he does really upsets me as a human being and as a Roman Catholic,” Mr Scaramucci said.
Mr Trump announced on Twitter that he was replacing Mr Priebus as his right-hand man with John Kelly, the secretary of Homeland Security. After he left the White House, Mr Priebus told Fox News he is going to be “Team Trump all the time.”
“I'll always be out there trying to help the president, advance his goals, support him as a friend too,” Mr Priebus said.
Mr Scaramucci's resignation came after he told a New Yorker reporter that Mr Priebus was a “paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac” and accused him of leaking information to journalists.
Mr Scaramucci, a former Wall Street financier and longtime supporter of Mr Trump, turned the White House upside down during his short tenure. His hiring was quickly followed by the departures of both Mr Priebus and Mr Spicer. He has been replaced by longtime Trump aide Hope Hicks.
The dismissal of Mr Bannon is said to have been the result of Mr Trump’s growing frustration with his chief strategist. Mr Bannon joined the Trump campaign in August 2016, after serving as an executive at Breitbart.
His time at the White House has been characterised as highly contentious, and he disagreed with Mr Trump on several issues including on the President’s decision to send more troops to Afghanistan. His tenure was also marked by infighting with his colleagues in the West Wing, including Mr Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.
Mr Bannon returned to Breitbart after leaving the White House. However, he left the media outlet following a blow-up with Mr Trump over comments he made in Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury, a controversial account of the Trump presidency.
Mr Gorka focused on national security and counterterrorism during his time at the White House. Before that, he had worked as a paid policy consultant for Mr Trump's campaign. A White House official disputed a report saying Mr Gorka resigned, but confirmed that the ex-aide “no longer works at the White House”.
The Federalist, an online magazine, obtained and posted what it says is Mr Gorka's resignation letter. “[G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House,” the Federalist quotes Mr Gorka as saying. “As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr President, is from outside the People’s House.”
Mr Gorka said he would return to Breitbart, a right-wing media outlet, where he had previously worked as national security editor and often warned of Islamist terrorism.
Mike Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services
Length of tenure: 232 days
Mr Price resigned after being caught up in a controversy over his use of private jets for government travel. The former congressman and orthopaedic surgeon took as many as 26 chartered planes during his brief tenure. He is reported to have spent an estimated $1m of taxpayers’ money on both domestic trips and military flights to Africa, Asia and Europe. The HHS Office of Inspector General had launched an investigation into the matter a week before Mr Price’s resignation.
Ms Newman is a former Apprentice star and one of the president’s prominent African-American supporters. Reports have suggested that her position at the White House was vague and undefined.
On 13 December, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Ms Newman “resigned yesterday to pursue other opportunities”.
“Her departure will not be effective until Jan. 20, 2018. We wish her the best in future endeavours and are grateful for her service,” Ms Sanders added.
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