West Wing Is Crumbling as Trump’s Behavior Triggers Exodus
Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty Donald Trump’s increasingly eccentric behavior has led to a West Wing exodus amid concerns that the White House is veering out of control.
Four staffers have resigned in recent weeks—including Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt—and more departures are expected.
The 80-year-old president hectored staffers over recent setbacks and challenges to his authority, according to insiders, and peppered Leavitt with calls during her maternity leave in New Hampshire.
Trump has also ignored concerns about his health and obstinately refused to stay on message during the crucial run-up to the midterm elections.
The fear in the West Wing is that administration staff will be vulnerable if the wheels come off in the administration with a massive defeat in November and a lame-duck president.
According to sources, Leavitt may have been the biggest name to announce her departure so far, but she will not be the last.
Much of the credit for the more disciplined Trump 2.0 has gone to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, but her influence over the president is said to be waning, especially since she kept up a heavy workload while being treated for early-stage breast cancer, which was diagnosed in March.
Two senior aides announced this week that they are leaving, citing the need to spend more time with their families.
On Friday, Andy Baker, 46, the White House’s deputy national security adviser and close ally to Vice President JD Vance, was reported to be on his way out.
He was involved in some earlier negotiations with Iran, but leaves with the war still raging and no obvious exit route.
He follows Leavitt, 28, who cited the demands of raising a young family with the round-the-clock pressures of working with Trump.
The back-to-back resignations come just weeks after White House Counsel David Warrington, 58, another former Trump personal attorney, quit his post as the president’s top legal adviser.
Warrington played an important part in Trump’s attempts to expand his presidential powers as he sent troops into U.S. cities, deported undocumented immigrants and unveiled his ill-fated tariffs.
He was also part of the legal decision allowing Trump to accept a new Air Force One airliner from Qatar.
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