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Everyone Who Left The Trump Administration (& How Long They Lasted) In One Handy List
Nothing paints a more accurate picture of the Trump administration's high staff turnover than the fact that "one Scaramucci" is now a measurement of time. The swift departures continued Tuesday when President Trump fired his secretary of state via Twitter; an aide who contradicted the White House's official account of the ousting; and a personal assistant. It would almost be a full-time job to keep up with every person who exits the Trump administration, but for good measure, let's take a look at how long each lasted, too.
Trump's White House has set a record for its volume of departures. The current administration's turnover was higher in its first year than the past five presidents', according to a recently published paper by senior Brookings Institution fellow Kathryn Dunn Tenpas. Whether they were fired, resigned, or moved positions, the report found that 34 percent of high-level White House staffers left their roles in the first 12 months. The turnover "is record-setting, more than triple that of Obama and double that of Reagan," according to Tenpas.
Some of the most recent people to leave the administration lasted a full year in their posts, while others left before even a full month had passed.
Rex Tillerson: 406 Days
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired in a tweet announcing his successor on Tuesday, and he didn't receive a phone call from the president informing him of his own ousting until hours later.
Steve Goldstein: 100 Days
One of Tillerson's top aides, the undersecretary of public diplomacy for the State Department, was let go the same day as Tillerson after telling reporters the secretary of state had been "unaware of the reason" for his firing. He was sworn in December 4.
John McEntee: 417 Days
One of three people let go this week was John McEntee, President Trump's personal assistant. He was reportedly escorted out of the White House Monday due to "an unspecified security issue."
Gary Cohn: 411 Days
Gary Cohn, Trump's economic adviser, resigned in early March after clashing with Trump on steel and aluminum tariffs. Reporting last year indicated that Cohn, who is Jewish, considered leaving the Trump administration after the president said there were "very fine people" on both sides of the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. This camel stuck around, though, until the tariff straw broke his back.
Hope Hicks: 170 Days
Longtime Trump staffer Hope Hicks resigned as White House communications director on February 28. She took up the role last September.
Rob Porter: 383 Days
A top Trump aide, Rob Porter, stepped down in February after being accused of abusing two of his ex-wives. He had worked for the administration since Inauguration Day.
Andrew McCabe: 363 Days
The FBI deputy director was reportedly asked to resign by agency director Christopher Wray.
Omarosa Manigault: 365 Days
The Apprentice's Omarosa Manigault officially left her White House role as director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison in January.
Dina Powell: 335 Days
The deputy national security advisor for strategy announced in December that she would step down from her position effective in January.
Tom Price: 231 Days
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price offered his resignation in September following criticisms that he used taxpayer money to charter expensive flights.
Steve Bannon: 209 Days
Steve Bannon left his role as White House chief strategist in August, though it was unclear whether he quit or was ousted.
Sebastian Gorka: 217 Days
Former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka was ousted in August after his close ally, Bannon, left.
Anthony Scaramucci: 10 Days
Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci lasted a record low of just 10 days at the White House.
Reince Priebus: 191 Days
Trump announced that his former chief of staff would be leaving in a tweet, much like the way he announced Tillerson's departure.
Sean Spicer: 181 Days
Sean Spicer resigned as White House press secretary in July, reportedly because he disagreed with Trump's choice of Scaramucci for communications director. In hindsight, it seems he could have waited that one out.
Walter Shaub: 166 Days
The former head of the Office of Government Ethics stepped down over the summer after repeatedly criticizing the administration.
Mike Dubke: 89 Days
Mike Dubke was the first of Trump's first White House communications directors to resign.
James Comey: 108 Days
Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in May, prompting the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian interference in the U.S. election — and Comey's firing itself.
John Thompson: 108 Days
The former U.S. Census Bureau director, John Thompson, resigned the same day Comey was let go amid reports that his bureau was being underfunded.
K.T. McFarland: 119 Days
The deputy national security adviser was asked to resign in April 2017. She then was nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Singapore, but later withdrew her nomination.
Katie Walsh: 69 Days
In March 2017, Trump sent former White House deputy chief of staff Katie Walsh to bolster the pro-Trump political group America First Policies.
Michael Flynn: 24 Days
Trump's first national security advisor left after 24 days. He resigned following a Washington Post report that he discussed lifting sanctions with the Russian ambassador and lied about it.
Sally Yates: 11 Days
Trump fired the acting attorney general for refusing to enforce or defend his travel ban less than two weeks into his tenure.
Because so many people are fired or willingly leave their positions, the Trump administration has had a hard time keeping jobs filled. It takes a lot of manpower to run the government; continued turnover makes it even harder to get things done.
