Trump administration officials are bracing for a White House purge should Donald Trump take a beating in the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
With just 13 days to go, officials told CNN that the Republicans are preparing for a potentially disastrous result that sees them lose control of both the House and Senate. Some are convinced that the president would then fire key aides in a massive shakeup of his Cabinet as he looks to shift the blame.
Officials described an atmosphere of mistrust and MAGA infighting within a White House that once took pride in its unity, as Trump, 80, scrambles to shore up support in the critical final days.
“It’s more brutal than any other situation in modern times in the White House,” one Trump ally told CNN. “You can’t trust anybody here.”
Some are preparing for widespread dismissals within the administration after Election Day.
“If we lose both the House and the Senate, there’s really no telling what happens,” one Trump adviser told CNN. “Everyone is fair game.”
People who spoke with the president told the network that Trump hasn’t yet signaled that he will make personnel changes after the midterms.
But allies of Jay Bhattacharya, the head of the National Institutes of Health, fear he could be on the chopping block after his clash with White House Budget Director Russell Vought in the Oval Office last month over political control of the NIH’s multibillion-dollar grant process.
A White House official told the Daily Beast in a statement: “On your claims about distancing from POTUS, that could not be further from the truth – President Trump is still the unequivocal leader of the Republican Party. All year, President Trump has traveled around the country sharing the achievements of his administration with Republicans.”
The administration had already seen an exodus of key staff, even before Trump fired his new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, after just five days in the role, and his ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, over a financial scandal.
Others have resigned, contributing to a steady stream of departures from the president’s inner circle in recent months as his administration braces for a difficult midterm election.
Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson announced her departure in late July. The following month, Trump’s trusted press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, announced her exit; days later came the resignation of Andy Baker, the White House’s deputy national security adviser.
In April, White House Director of Cabinet Affairs Lea Bardon left the administration for a job at D.C.-based public affairs firm. Bardon played a key role in shaping Trump’s public messaging, overseeing communications, Cabinet affairs, and speechwriting.
Weeks later, Sonny Joy Nelson, Trump’s special assistant and director of media affairs, announced her resignation to launch her own media booking and communications consultancy, Cornerstone Strategics. Nelson had worked with Trump since his 2024 presidential campaign and had held communications roles within his political orbit since 2020.
Alex Pfeiffer, one of Trump’s senior communications staffers, also departed the administration in September last year after serving just nine months in the role.
Many of Trump’s aides and advisers told CNN they are bracing for defeat. They fear Republicans are likely to lose their House majority, and efforts are now focused on damage control.
