Trump cabinet: women fired or resigned as female officials replaced by men
Half of Trump's eight high-level female officials have resigned or been fired within months of his second term, and all were replaced by men. The departures include press secretary Katie Zacharia, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, attorney general Pam Bondi and national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard.
Empty flag-lined chairs in a quiet White House briefing room after a press briefing has ended, seen from the back of the room.
Four of the eight women in Trump's most senior ranks are gone, each one succeeded by a man. The tally of female officials fired or pushed out of the Trump cabinet runs from the White House briefing room to the Justice Department, and on Friday the president moved to shut down talk that one more name, chief of staff Susie Wiles, would be added to the list.
Zacharia out after five days, Wiles survives for now
White House press secretary Katie Zacharia was fired on Friday, just five days into the role, after a widely criticized first briefing and questions over her admission that she had not passed the bar exam. She had replaced Karoline Leavitt, who said in August that she resigned after 20 months so she could spend more time with her young family.
Wiles, the first woman to serve as White House chief of staff, was the subject of reports that Trump was considering replacing her. On Friday he denied them, saying: "She's gonna be here for a long time."
Noem and Bondi: deportation face and the Epstein files
Kristi Noem, the former homeland security secretary, was sacked on 5 March. She had been the face of Trump's mass deportation campaign, and her adviser Corey Lewandowski also left.
- Her tenure coincided with immigration enforcement operations that killed two US citizens in Minneapolis, one of whom Noem called a "domestic terrorist" with no evidence.
- She told a March congressional hearing that Trump knew of her approval of a $220m ad campaign urging immigrants to "self-deport"; the report says this left Trump "pissed".
- She went on to become special envoy to the "Shield of the Americas" coalition, which expired last month, and now holds a vaguely defined advisory role. Markwayne Mullin succeeded her as DHS secretary.
Attorney general Pam Bondi was pushed out in April after a turbulent 14 months. Trump was frustrated by her handling of the release of the Epstein files and by his view that she failed to prosecute his political enemies. A month after her ouster she revealed she had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer; her deputy Todd Blanche took the role in August.
Gabbard, Guilfoyle and Chavez-DeRemer departures
Tulsi Gabbard resigned as national intelligence director in May, citing her husband's rare cancer diagnosis, but the report says she was reportedly forced out after being sidelined as Trump launched attacks on Venezuela and Iran. She had testified to Congress that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon; Gabbard was replaced on an acting basis by Bill Pulte, then Jay Clayton took over.
- Labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer stepped down in April after an inspector general investigation produced misconduct allegations, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job. Keith Sonderling replaced her.
- Earlier this week the administration asked longtime Trump ally Kimberly Guilfoyle to step down as US ambassador to Greece, after weeks of reports she sought payment from a Trump donor in exchange for access.
The male contrast
Mike Waltz stands out as the one senior man punished. He was fired as national security adviser in May last year after adding a journalist to a Signal chat in which Pete Hegseth disclosed secret war plans, then nominated as US ambassador to the United Nations.
Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick faced scrutiny over past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, but the White House supported him after Democrats called for his resignation. FBI director Kash Patel has faced similar allegations of being intoxicated or absent, has denied them and remains in post.
Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in April: "If you're a man in the Trump administration, it seems that they reward misconduct."
The latest status: Guilfoyle was asked to step down this week, while Wiles remains chief of staff following Trump's Friday denial that she is being replaced.
