# List of dismissals and resignations in the first Trump administration

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Many political appointees of Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, resigned or were dismissed during Trump's first term. Multiple publications have called attention to the record-setting turnover rate in the first year of that term. Several Trump appointees, including National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price have had the shortest service tenures in the history of their respective offices.
Trump articulated the reasons for the break in custom, saying: "We have acting people. The reason they are acting is because I'm seeing how I like them, and I'm liking a lot of them very, very much. There are people who have done a bad job, and I let them go. If you call that turmoil, I don't call that turmoil. I say that is being smart. That's what we do."
For comprehensiveness, the list below includes, in addition to dismissals and resignations, routine job changes such as promotions (e.g., Gina Haspel from CIA Deputy Director to Director), officials moving to a comparable position (e.g., John F. Kelly from Secretary of Homeland Security to Chief of Staff), and acting or temporary officials being replaced by permanent ones. The list does not include many lower-level positions, however, such as that of executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, Matthew Doherty, whom Trump dismissed in November 2019, without a replacement to lead the council that was created in 1987. But some less prominent officials are listed because their departure was newsworthy.
Officials who resigned in the aftermath of the January 6 United States Capitol attack, well into the then-underway presidential transition of Trump's successor Joe Biden, when their term would have ended soon anyway, are also listed on this page.

## Color key

Color key:
Denotes appointees serving in an acting capacity.
Denotes appointees to an office which has since been abolished

## Department of Veterans Affairs

| Office | Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Robert Snyder | January 20, 2017 | February 14, 2017 | |
| Secretary of Veterans Affairs | David Shulkin | February 14, 2017 | March 28, 2018 | On March 28, 2018, Trump announced on Twitter that Shulkin had been fired. Following his dismissal, controversy erupted about efforts by the White House to privatize VA healthcare and Shulkin's allegedly inappropriate taxpayer-funded foreign trips. |
| Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Robert Wilkie | March 28, 2018 | May 29, 2018 | |
| Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Peter O'Rourke | May 29, 2018 | July 30, 2018 | |
| Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Gina Farrisee | January 20, 2017 | February 25, 2017 | |
| Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Scott Blackburn | February 26, 2017 | August 9, 2017 | |
| Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs | Thomas G. Bowman | August 10, 2017 | June 15, 2018 | Retired. |
| Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs | James Byrne | September 16, 2019 | February 3, 2020 | |
| General Counsel of Veterans Affairs | James Byrne | August 8, 2017 | September 16, 2019 | |
| Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Health) | Poonam Alaigh | May 2017 | September 25, 2017 | |
| Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Human Resources and Administration) | Peter Shelby | February 24, 2018 | Summer 2018 | Retired. |
| Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Operations, Security and Preparedness) | Donald P. Loren | February 24, 2018 | Summer 2018 | Retired. |

## Intelligence community

| Office | Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Meroe Park | January 20, 2017 | January 23, 2017 | |
| Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Mike Pompeo | January 23, 2017 | April 26, 2018 | Became Secretary of State. |
| Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency | Gina Haspel | February 2, 2017 | May 21, 2018 | Became Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. |
| Director of National Intelligence | Dan Coats | March 16, 2017 | August 15, 2019 | |
| Director of National Intelligence | Joseph Maguire | August 16, 2019 | February 21, 2020 | |
| Director of the National Counterterrorism Center | Joseph Maguire | December 27, 2018 | August 16, 2019 | |
| Director of the National Counterterrorism Center | Russell Travers | December 24, 2017 | December 27, 2018 | |
| Director of the National Counterterrorism Center | Russell Travers | August 16, 2019 | March 18, 2020 | |
| Deputy Director of the National Counterterrorism Center | Russell Travers | November 13, 2017 | March 18, 2020 | |
| Director of National Intelligence | Richard Grenell | February 20, 2020 | May 26, 2020 | Grenell was also Ambassador to Germany. |
| Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence | Susan M. Gordon | September 5, 2017 | August 15, 2019 | Gordon leaving along with Coats cleared the way for Trump to appoint Maguire as acting DNI. |
| Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence | Andrew P. Hallman | October 30, 2019 | February 21, 2020 | |
| Chief Operating Officer of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence | Deirdre Walsh | February 2018 | May 8, 2020 | |
| General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence | Jason Klitenic | August 6, 2018 | March 2020 | |
| Inspector General of the Intelligence Community | Michael Atkinson | May 17, 2018 | April 2020 | Fired by Trump after raising concerns from a whistleblower that led to Trump's impeachment |

## Independent agencies

| Office | Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission | Jay Clayton | May 4, 2017 | December 31, 2020 | |
| Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission | J. Christopher Giancarlo | August 3, 2017 | April 13, 2019 | |
| Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Richard Cordray | January 4, 2012 | November 24, 2017 | After President Trump was inaugurated, he and Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney worked to undermine Cordray and the CFPB. |
| Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Mick Mulvaney | November 25, 2017 | December 11, 2018 | |
| Deputy Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | David Silberman | January 11, 2016 | November 24, 2017 | |
| Deputy Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau | Leandra English | November 24, 2017 | July 9, 2018 | |
| Chief of External Affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service | Carl Higbie | August 2017 | January 19, 2018 | Resigned in January 2018 after racist, sexist, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT comments, and comments about fellow veterans with PTSD, came to light. |
| Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | Scott Pruitt | February 17, 2017 | July 9, 2018 | Resignation tendered July 5, to be effective Friday, July 6, when the Deputy Administrator became Acting Administrator. |
| Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency | Andrew R. Wheeler | April 20, 2018 | February 28, 2019 | Became EPA Administrator. |
| Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for Air and Radiation | William Wehrum | November 20, 2017 | June 30, 2019 | |
| General Counsel of the Environmental Protection Agency | Matthew Leopold | January 8, 2018 | October 5, 2020 | |
| Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission | Mignon Clyburn | August 3, 2009 | June 2018 | Retired. |
| Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board | Philip A. Miscimarra | January 23, 2017 | April 23, 2017 | |
| Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board | Philip A. Miscimarra | April 24, 2017 | December 16, 2017 | |
| Member of the National Mediation Board | Linda Puchala | November 2, 2017 | July 1, 2018 | |
| Director of the Office of Government Ethics | Walter Shaub | January 9, 2013 | July 19, 2017 | Shaub was outspoken with concerns about the Trump Administration during the transition period and after Trump's inauguration. Shaub resigned six months before the end of his term, saying that ethics rules should be tighter. |
| Director of the Office of Personnel Management | Jeff Tien Han Pon | March 9, 2018 | October 5, 2018 | |
| Director of the Office of Personnel Management | Margaret Weichert | October 5, 2018 | September 16, 2019 | |
| Director of the Office of Personnel Management | Dale Cabaniss | September 16, 2019 | March 17, 2020 | |
| President and CEO of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation | Ray Washburne | September 5, 2017 | March 1, 2019 | |
| Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency | Mel Watt | January 6, 2014 | January 6, 2019 | |
| Administrator of the Small Business Administration | Joseph Loddo | January 20, 2017 | February 14, 2017 | |
| Administrator of the Small Business Administration | Linda McMahon | February 14, 2017 | April 12, 2019 | In March 2019, the former WWE executive announced she was leaving the SBA to work for the America First Action SuperPAC. |
| Administrator of the Small Business Administration | Chris Pilkerton | April 13, 2019 | January 13, 2020 | Pilkerton was also the General Counsel of the SBA from June 2017 to March 2020. |
| Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration | Althea Coetzee | August 3, 2017 | April 15, 2018 | |
| Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission | Ann M. Ravel | October 25, 2013 | March 1, 2017 | |
| Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission | Lee E. Goodman | October 22, 2013 | February 16, 2018 | |
| Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission | Matthew S. Petersen | June 24, 2008 | August 31, 2019 | |
| Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission | Caroline C. Hunter | June 24, 2008 | July 3, 2020 | |
| United States Postmaster General | Megan Brennan | February 1, 2015 | June 15, 2020 | |
| Deputy United States Postmaster General | Ronald Stroman | March 2011 | June 1, 2020 | |
| Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development | Mark Green | August 7, 2017 | April 10, 2020 | |
| Deputy Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development | Bonnie Glick | January 2019 | November 6, 2020 | Terminated without cause by the Trump Administration hours before acting Administrator John Barsa reached the maximum amount of time allowed to serve in that position without Senate confirmation under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998. |
| Deputy White House Liaison of the United States Agency for International Development | Merritt Corrigan | June 2020 | August 3, 2020 | Forced out after a history of anti-LGBTQ comments soon after starting in the role. |
| NASA Associate Administrator (Human Exploration and Operations) | William Gerstenmaier | August 12, 2005 | July 10, 2019 | |
| NASA Associate Administrator (Human Exploration and Operations) | Ken Bowersox | July 10, 2019 | October 16, 2019 | |
| NASA Associate Administrator (Human Exploration and Operations) | Douglas L. Loverro | October 16, 2019 | May 19, 2020 | Bowersox returned as Acting Associate Administrator. |
| Director of the Voice of America | Amanda Bennett | March 2016 | June 15, 2020 | |
| Director of Middle East Broadcasting Networks | Alberto Fernandez | July 2017 | June 17, 2020 | Fired by Michael Pack, the new CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media |
| President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | Jamie Fly | August 1, 2019 | June 17, 2020 | Fired by Michael Pack, the new CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media |
| President of Radio Free Asia | Bay Fang | November 20, 2019 | June 17, 2020 | Fired by Michael Pack, the new CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media |
| Chairman of Tennessee Valley Authority | James "Skip" Thompson | May 2019 | August 3, 2020 | Fired after TVA announced that 200 American workers would be replaced with cheaper foreign workers. That decision was reversed on August 6. |

## Banks

| Office | Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| Governor of the African Development Bank | Geoffrey Okamoto | March 2018 | | |
| Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development | Geoffrey Okamoto | March 2018 | | |

## In the aftermath of the 2021 Capitol attack

Dozens of Trump administration officeholders resigned in reaction to the Capitol storming, even though their terms in office would expire fourteen days later with the inauguration of President Biden. Some senior officials, however, decided against resigning in order to ensure an orderly transition of power to the incoming Biden administration.
| Office | Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
| United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland | Mick Mulvaney | May 1, 2020 | January 6, 2021 | Former White House Chief of Staff under Trump (2019–2020). |
| Chief of Staff to the First Lady | Stephanie Grisham | April 7, 2020 | January 6, 2021 | |
| White House Deputy Press Secretary | Sarah Matthews | June 2020 | January 6, 2021 | |
| White House Social Secretary | Rickie Niceta | February 8, 2017 | January 6, 2021 | |
| United States Secretary of Transportation | Elaine Chao | January 31, 2017 | January 7, 2021 | Became the first cabinet member to announce her resignation, effective on January 11; was criticized by US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for resigning rather than voting to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. |
| Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Mental Health and Substance Use | Elinore F. McCance-Katz | September 11, 2017 | January 7, 2021 | |
| Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers | Tyler Goodspeed | June 23, 2020 | January 7, 2021 | |
| Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Security in the Commerce Department | John Costello | | January 7, 2021 | |
| United States Secretary of Education | Betsy DeVos | February 7, 2017 | January 8, 2021 | Was criticized by US Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) for resigning rather than voting to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division | Eric Dreiband | October 12, 2018 | January 8, 2021 | |
| Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security | Chad Wolf | November 13, 2019 | January 11, 2021 | |
| Senior GOP aide on the House Armed Services Committee | Jason Schmid | | January 12, 2021 | |
| United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | Alex Azar | January 29, 2018 | January 20, 2021 | |
| White House Deputy Chief of Staff | Chris Liddell | March 19, 2018 | January 20, 2021 | |
Three members of the National Security Council resigned prematurely.
| Office | Name | Took office | Left office |
| United States Principal Deputy National Security Advisor | Matthew Pottinger | September 22, 2019 | January 7, 2021 |
| Senior Director on Russian and European Affairs for the National Security Council | Ryan Tully | | January 7, 2021 |
| United States National Security Advisor | Robert C. O'Brien | September 18, 2019 | January 20, 2021 |
Five senior officials at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) resigned in protest.
| Office | Name | Took office | Left office |
| Chief Counsel, Acting Deputy FAA Administrator | Arjun Garg | | January 7, 2021 |
| Assistant Administrator for Communications | Brianna Manzelli | | January 7, 2021 |
| Associate Administrator for Airports | Kirk Shaffer | July 29, 2015 | January 7, 2021 |
| Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs and Environment | Bailey Edwards | | January 7, 2021 |
| Governmental Affairs Adviser, Acting Assistant Administrator for Government and Industry Affairs | Andrew Giacini | | January 7, 2021 |