© EPA/AARON SCHWARTZ / POOL Further adjustments might ensue after the departures of the US Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security.
US President Donald Trump is voicing dissatisfaction with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer as he contemplates further staff changes, Politico discloses .
“He is quite displeased and intends to implement personnel adjustments,” a representative from the Trump administration informed the outlet.
Additional possible staffing modifications could occur following the terminations of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday, April 2, and Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem last month.
Definitive decisions about Chavez-DeRemer and Lutnik are still pending — furthermore, Trump has previously pondered dismissing certain officials, yet ultimately chose not to.
Should Trump orchestrate a significant overhaul within the government, it could signify a resolute endeavor to revitalize an administration grappling with a precarious political landscape.
According to another high-ranking official, the conceivable high-level personnel adjustments pertain to governmental figures who, according to Trump, “have fallen short of expectations or have garnered excessive unfavorable publicity.”
White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers affirmed that Chavez-DeRemer and Lutnick “are performing exceptionally well in safeguarding the interests of American workers and possess the complete backing of President Trump.”
“Everyone is delighted with the work that Howard has accomplished — on trade agreements, pharmaceuticals, Japan, tariffs, everything … He also adopted a firm stance on Canada from the outset, which the president values,” a White House official stated concerning Lutnick, remaining anonymous, mentioning he hadn’t heard anyone suggesting changes at the Commerce Department.
Nevertheless, another White House source suggested Lutnik was on “shaky ground.” However, the official cautioned that Trump had previously entertained the idea of dismissing Lutnik but never followed through. He conveyed that Chavez-DeRemer’s fate was “currently under consideration.”
The White House also perceives an opportunity to fortify its standing by further restructuring the government. An official from the Trump administration posited that Lutnik’s dismissal would aid the US president in announcing “shifts in the economy.”
One source conveyed that Trump is weighing personnel alterations owing to apprehensions that it may prove challenging to secure approvals for executive appointees in the coming year – particularly if Democrats secure additional seats in Congress during the midterm elections.
Chavez-DeRemer is the subject of an inquiry by the Labor Department's inspector general pertaining to accusations that encompass alcohol consumption during work hours and a liaison with a security employee. The inspector general is additionally scrutinizing whether the secretary's personnel exploited official functions as a facade for her private travel. Chavez-DeRemer refutes any impropriety, and the White House has previously defended her.
Lutnick’s potential termination has consistently been a subject of discussion in Washington. Despite being a longtime acquaintance of Trump, the secretary has limited allies within the administration beyond the president himself, and longstanding rumors have persisted that he might be dismissed. Critics view the commerce secretary as an astute and contentious figure who has garnered a reputation for providing Trump with poorly conceived ideas “that others subsequently must rectify.”
Trump has previously communicated his dissatisfaction with the circumstance that Lutnik's family reaps benefits from connections to the administration.
Lutnik additionally faced calls from various factions to step down earlier in the year when his name surfaced within the Epstein files . Lutnik, however, has not been formally accused of any transgressions linked to the matter of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The prospective new departures, coupled with the dismissals of Noah and Bondi , could represent the most extensive upheaval to date of a Trump administration that has maintained remarkable stability over the past 15 months, particularly considering frequent staffing changes during Trump's initial term in the White House. Furthermore, these actions could be geared towards upholding Republican dominance in Washington.