Everyone who has left or been fired from Donald Trump's administration during his second term
Katie Zacharia's tenure as White House press secretary ended on Oct. 16, just one week after she was named to the job.
Zacharia replaced Karoline Leavitt on Oct. 9 and began making headlines within days.
She confused her husband for President Donald Trump during her first press briefing and drew criticism for describing herself as a lawyer.
It was later discovered that she has a law degree but did not pass the bar exam.
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With the position vacant once again, attention has already turned to who could replace Zacharia.
Several familiar faces from Donald Trump’s circle are reportedly in the frame, including White House communications director Stephen Cheung and principal deputy press secretary Anna Kelly.
Other names being floated include former Doge communications director Katie Miller, former White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich, CNN political commentator Scott Jennings and Trump’s former personal lawyer Alina Habba.
She is the latest name on a growing list. Since the start of 2026, three Cabinet secretaries have been replaced, with the exits coming as the administration wages a war in Iran and pushes ahead with mass deportations.
Which Cabinet members have left Trump's administration?
The exits have reached some of the administration's most senior roles.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced her resignation in late May, writing to Trump that she 'must step away from public service' after her husband was diagnosed with 'an extremely rare form of bone cancer'.
Her exit took effect on June 30, 2026.
In April 2026, Trump fired Attorney General Pam Bondi after months of bipartisan backlash over the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files, with Todd Blanche taking over on an acting basis.
Trump wrote on Truth Social that she would be 'transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector'.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer left the same month, with the White House announcing she was heading to the private sector, amid allegations of misconduct involving herself, her husband, her father and senior aides.
She and the department have not commented on the allegations.
Kristi Noem was replaced as Homeland Security Secretary by Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin in March 2026 and named special envoy for the 'Shield of the Americas', a new security initiative focused on the Western hemisphere.
Beyond the Cabinet, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll resigned in August 2026 after reportedly confronting Trump over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's firings of top generals, while Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino retired in March after two U.S. citizens were killed in Minneapolis during operations he led.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned in May 2026, reportedly over Trump's push to authorize fruit-flavored vapes for adults.
Why did Karoline Leavitt leave the White House?
Leavitt became the youngest press secretary in U.S. history when she started the job aged 27, and was the first to openly navigate a pregnancy in the role.
She gave birth to her daughter, Viviana, in May 2026, her second child with husband Nicholas Riccio.
Trump announced her exit in early August, writing on Truth Social that she would leave at the end of the month to 'spend more time with her beautiful young children and family'.
She said she would return to his super PAC, MAGA Inc., in September 2026, while the president said she would remain 'one of my top outside advisors'.
UNILAD has contacted the White House for comment.
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News
Thomas Bamford