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Trump's Troubled Cabinet

In this March 8, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington. Despite grappling with unparalleled staff departures, President Donald Trump painted a rosy picture of a smoothly functioning administration getting things done, pushing along gun restrictions and bringing jobs to the United States. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
In this March 8, 2018, photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington. Despite grappling with unparalleled staff departures, President Donald Trump painted a rosy picture of a smoothly functioning administration getting things done, pushing along gun restrictions and bringing jobs to the United States. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

With Kimberly Atkins

From accusations of lavish spending to job insecurity, we got the latest twists and turns from President Donald Trump’s cabinet. Housing secretary Ben Carson’s taste in dining room furniture; a pricey soundproof booth installed by EPA chief Scott Pruitt; Rex Tillerson’s out and H.R. McMaster may be next.

Guests:

Eliana Johnson, White House reporter, Politico. (@elianayjohnson)

Juliet Eilperin, senior national affairs correspondent, The Washington Post. (@eilperin)

Michael Warren, senior writer, The Weekly Standard. (@MichaelRWarren)

From The Reading List:

Politico: Trump Gives McMaster The Tillerson Treatment — “President Donald Trump’s national security adviser H.R. McMaster isn’t getting fired, he’s getting Tillersoned – kept in a state of perpetual limbo about his future in the administration, aware that his unpredictable boss could keep him around indefinitely or terminate him at a moment’s notice.”

Washington Post: Trump Cabinet Members Accused Of Living Large At Taxpayer Expense — “At least a half-dozen current or former Trump Cabinet officials have been mired in federal investigations over everything from high-end travel and spending on items such as a soundproof phone booth to the role of family members weighing in on official business.”

Weekly Standard: Is McMaster On His Way Out, Too? — “President Trump is moving closer toward shaking up his administration in a big way, according to sources familiar with his thinking.”

Washington Post: Trump Had Senior Staff Sign Nondisclosure Agreements — “Back in April 2016, when the notion of Donald Trump in the White House still seemed fanciful, The Post’s Robert Costa and Bob Woodward sat down with Trump, and Costa, at one point, raised the subject of the nondisclosure agreements for employees of which the candidate was so fond.”

Who might President Trump say “You’re fired!” to today? The president promised that “there will always be change” when it comes to his White House and cabinet – and so far he’s delivered. Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was chopped. Trump is also reportedly eyeing replacements for National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster and at the VA, And who knows what he’ll do with Chief of Staff John Kelly?

This hour, On Point: the chaos cabinet and what comes next.

Kimberly Atkins

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.