This page is an archived version of the Cabinet-level section of Brookings's White House Turnover Tracker, which was revamped with a new methodology on May 21, 2019. This page is a snapshot of how it appeared before the update. It has been preserved here for reference, and is no longer being updated.
The chart and table below are dedicated to tracking turnover in the Cabinet. They will also be updated as additional turnover occurs. Unlike the trackers above dedicated to the president’s “A Team,” these resources look at every departure from the president’s Cabinet, even if multiple people have occupied that position.
Summary and analysis of Cabinet departures in the Trump administration
Set out below is a list of departures from the president’s Cabinet since the beginning of the Trump administration.
| Year | Position | Name | Prior Job | Nature of Departure | Date of Departure Announcement | Where to? | Successor |
| 1 | Secretary of Homeland Security | John F. Kelly | U.S. Marine Corps | Promoted | 7/28/2017 | White House Chief of Staff | Kirstjen Nielsen |
| 1 | Chief of Staff | Reince Priebus | RNC | Resigned Under Pressure (RUP) | 7/28/2017 | Michael Best and Friedrich LLP (Lobbying) | John F. Kelly |
| 1 | Secretary of Health and Human Services | Tom Price | Member of the House | RUP | 9/29/2017 | Jackson Healthcare | Alex Azar |
| 2 | CIA Director | Mike Pompeo | Member of the House | Promoted | 3/13/2018 | Secretary of State | Gina Haspel |
| 2 | Secretary of State | Rex Tillerson | Exxon | RUP | 3/13/2018 | Unknown | Mike Pompeo |
| 2 | Secretary of Veterans Affairs | David Shulkin | U.S. Government (VA) | RUP | 3/28/2018 | Unknown | Robert Wilkie |
| 2 | Environmental Protection Agency Administrator | Scott Pruitt | Oklahoma Attorney General | RUP | 7/5/2018 | Unknown | Andrew Wheeler |
| 2 | U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations | Nikki Haley | South Carolina Governor | Resigned | 10/9/2018 (effective end of 2018) | Unknown | Unknown |
| 2 | Attorney General | Jeff Sessions | U.S. Senator | RUP | 11/7/2018 | Unknown | William Barr |
| 2 | Chief of Staff | John F. Kelly | Secretary of Homeland Security | RUP | 12/08/2018 | Unknown | Mick Mulvaney (acting) |
| 2 | OMB Director | Mick Mulvaney | Member of the House | Promoted | 12/14/2018 | Acting Chief of Staff | Russell Vought (acting) |
| 2 | Secretary of Interior | Ryan Zinke | Member of the House | RUP | 12/15/2018 (effective end of 2018) | Artillery One | David Bernhardt |
| 2 | Secretary of Defense | Jim Mattis | Retired | Protest Resignation (PR) | 12/20/2018 | Unknown | Patrick Shanahan (acting) |
| 3 | Small Business Administrator | Linda McMahon | Political candidate | Resigned | 3/29/2019 | America First Action | Jovita Carranza (acting) |
| 3 | Secretary of Homeland Security | Kirstjen Nielsen | Deputy Chief of Staff | RUP | 4/7/2019 | Unclear | Kevin McAleenan (acting) |
| Sources: Government websites and various news sources. Note: Many thanks to Elaine Kamarck and Nicholas Zeppos, who contributed to the initial data collection for this section. | |||||||
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Viewed as a leading, independent voice in the domestic policymaking sphere, the Governance Studies program at Brookings is dedicated to analyzing policy issues, political institutions and processes, and contemporary governance challenges. Our scholarship identifies areas in need of reform and proposes specific solutions to improve governance worldwide, but with a particular emphasis on the United States.
