Some of Trump's top advisers leaving the White House ahead of midterms

President Donald Trump is facing a notable exodus of senior aides as he enters the final two years of his second term, with several top advisers announcing departures in the weeks ahead of the November midterm elections. Chief among them are White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said she would step down at the end of August, and James Braid, the White House director of legislative affairs, who announced plans to quit in the coming weeks. The departures follow recent exits of White House deputy national security adviser Andy Baker and White House Counsel David Warrington, who were replaced by existing officials.

“This movement is bigger than any one staff member”

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers framed the turnover as part of a larger personnel shift: “This movement is bigger than any one staff member, and the president’s mission to make America greater than ever before will continue unabated.”

The wave of resignations has deprived the president of several trusted operators and left key offices without clearly announced successors. Braid had been responsible for pressing congressional Republicans on the administration’s legislative agenda, and his departure comes after months in which he reportedly lost much of his staff. Leavitt’s exit removes a staunch defender and frequent public face for the administration’s messaging; officials say the president is not in a rush to replace her and is weighing rotating Cabinet officials through the briefing room as a stopgap, as was done during her recent maternity leave.

• Karoline Leavitt — White House press secretary — announced she would step down at the end of August.
• James Braid — White House director of legislative affairs — plans to quit in the coming weeks.
• Andy Baker — deputy national security adviser — departed after involvement in negotiations with Iran.
• David Warrington — White House counsel — has left and been replaced by administration officials.

Observers warn the administration faces a constrained hiring pool. “If your vetting process the first go-round mandates that you have to claim that the 2020 election was stolen, then the pool of candidates was probably already small and getting smaller now,” said Marc Short, who served in the first Trump administration. Lisa Camooso Miller, a former Republican National Committee communications director, added: “This also is, without question, the hardest time to hire into an administration... The real question is, who’s going to fill these roles? Will they be the right people, and will they be people that the president listens to?”

Leadership changes are already underway to shore up the White House’s political and legal posture ahead of the midterms. Deputy chief of staff James Blair was temporarily assigned to lead the president’s political operation in April, and veteran advisers Jason Miller and Johnny DeStefano were brought back to focus on midterm messaging. Will Scharf, the cabinet secretary and a member of the president’s legal team during his time out of office, was named to replace Warrington as White House counsel — a move seen as preparing for potential congressional investigations should Democrats retake the House.

Outlook

The departures come as the administration grapples with multiple foreign and domestic challenges: a costly war in Iran that has affected global energy markets, rising tensions with allies such as Canada and South Korea, and historically low approval ratings amid economic concerns. With Republicans facing the prospect of losing congressional majorities in November, the White House may confront intensified oversight and subpoenas from a Democratic-controlled Congress. Rebuilding a cohesive senior staff and filling critical communications and legislative roles will be among the administration’s most urgent tasks in the run-up to the midterms.