Season of scandal embroils Trump Cabinet at start of second year
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Less than ten days into President Donald Trump‘s second year in office, his Cabinet is facing a season of scandal threatening to overtake the administration’s messaging strategy on affordability.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under investigation over allegations of an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate, and several employees in the Department of Labor have been placed on leave.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has reportedly rankled senior White House officials for campaigning for his son-in-law, Michael Alfonso, in Wisconsin without approval during last year’s government shutdown.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins faced pointed questioning Tuesday from both Democrats and Republicans over the department’s proposed overhaul of the Veterans Health Administration, as lawmakers raised concerns about staffing cuts, accountability, and whether the reorganization risks disrupting care for veterans already struggling to access services.
HOMAN SAYS FEDERAL ‘DRAWDOWN’ EXPECTED AFTER TALKING WITH MINNESOTA LEADERS
But perhaps the most significant scandal within Trump’s Cabinet is Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s handling of the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota — which has seen at least two American citizens killed.
The president, in public, stands behind his team, as he is loath to bow to public pressure to fire employees. Since returning to office last year, Trump has not fired a Cabinet officer or senior White House official.
At best, Trump shuffled Mike Waltz from his post as national security adviser to U.S. ambassador to the U.N. following Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s inclusion in a Signal chat in which top administration officials discussed strikes on the Houthis. At the time, critics of Trump said the move was a demotion, while allies said it amounted to a promotion because the U.N. job required Senate confirmation.
But the support Trump offered his team this week was tepid, with just a few words of praise.
“I just want to thank everybody for being here. My Cabinet has been amazing,” Trump said on Thursday during the first Cabinet meeting of 2026. “We’re all doing great.”
Notably, Noem, Collins, Duffy, or Chavez-DeRemer did not speak during the televised meeting. At the outset of the huddle, Trump said past Cabinet meeting ran on for too long when every secretary spoke. He also did not take any questions from the reporters gathered for the meeting.
Noem, along with White House …
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Less than ten days into President Donald Trump‘s second year in office, his Cabinet is facing a season of scandal threatening to overtake the administration’s messaging strategy on affordability.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under investigation over allegations of an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate, and several employees in the Department of Labor have been placed on leave.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has reportedly rankled senior White House officials for campaigning for his son-in-law, Michael Alfonso, in Wisconsin without approval during last year’s government shutdown.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins faced pointed questioning Tuesday from both Democrats and Republicans over the department’s proposed overhaul of the Veterans Health Administration, as lawmakers raised concerns about staffing cuts, accountability, and whether the reorganization risks disrupting care for veterans already struggling to access services.
HOMAN SAYS FEDERAL ‘DRAWDOWN’ EXPECTED AFTER TALKING WITH MINNESOTA LEADERS
But perhaps the most significant scandal within Trump’s Cabinet is Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s handling of the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota — which has seen at least two American citizens killed.
The president, in public, stands behind his team, as he is loath to bow to public pressure to fire employees. Since returning to office last year, Trump has not fired a Cabinet officer or senior White House official.
At best, Trump shuffled Mike Waltz from his post as national security adviser to U.S. ambassador to the U.N. following Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s inclusion in a Signal chat in which top administration officials discussed strikes on the Houthis. At the time, critics of Trump said the move was a demotion, while allies said it amounted to a promotion because the U.N. job required Senate confirmation.
But the support Trump offered his team this week was tepid, with just a few words of praise.
“I just want to thank everybody for being here. My Cabinet has been amazing,” Trump said on Thursday during the first Cabinet meeting of 2026. “We’re all doing great.”
Notably, Noem, Collins, Duffy, or Chavez-DeRemer did not speak during the televised meeting. At the outset of the huddle, Trump said past Cabinet meeting ran on for too long when every secretary spoke. He also did not take any questions from the reporters gathered for the meeting.
Noem, along with White House …
Season of scandal embroils Trump Cabinet at start of second year
This feels like a quiet policy shift.
Less than ten days into President Donald Trump‘s second year in office, his Cabinet is facing a season of scandal threatening to overtake the administration’s messaging strategy on affordability.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is under investigation over allegations of an “inappropriate” relationship with a subordinate, and several employees in the Department of Labor have been placed on leave.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has reportedly rankled senior White House officials for campaigning for his son-in-law, Michael Alfonso, in Wisconsin without approval during last year’s government shutdown.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins faced pointed questioning Tuesday from both Democrats and Republicans over the department’s proposed overhaul of the Veterans Health Administration, as lawmakers raised concerns about staffing cuts, accountability, and whether the reorganization risks disrupting care for veterans already struggling to access services.
HOMAN SAYS FEDERAL ‘DRAWDOWN’ EXPECTED AFTER TALKING WITH MINNESOTA LEADERS
But perhaps the most significant scandal within Trump’s Cabinet is Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem‘s handling of the immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota — which has seen at least two American citizens killed.
The president, in public, stands behind his team, as he is loath to bow to public pressure to fire employees. Since returning to office last year, Trump has not fired a Cabinet officer or senior White House official.
At best, Trump shuffled Mike Waltz from his post as national security adviser to U.S. ambassador to the U.N. following Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg’s inclusion in a Signal chat in which top administration officials discussed strikes on the Houthis. At the time, critics of Trump said the move was a demotion, while allies said it amounted to a promotion because the U.N. job required Senate confirmation.
But the support Trump offered his team this week was tepid, with just a few words of praise.
“I just want to thank everybody for being here. My Cabinet has been amazing,” Trump said on Thursday during the first Cabinet meeting of 2026. “We’re all doing great.”
Notably, Noem, Collins, Duffy, or Chavez-DeRemer did not speak during the televised meeting. At the outset of the huddle, Trump said past Cabinet meeting ran on for too long when every secretary spoke. He also did not take any questions from the reporters gathered for the meeting.
Noem, along with White House …
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