Trump says 'everyone wants to work in the White House' after threatening more staff changes
President Donald Trump has said “everybody wants to work in the White House” amid a series of high-profile departures.
“They all want a piece of that Oval Office; they want a piece of the West Wing,” the President said during a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven. “So many people want to come in [to the White House]. I have a choice of anybody. I can take any position in the White House and I’ll have a choice of the 10 top people”.
Hours after Mr Trump’s comments, it was announced that his top economic adviser, Gary Cohn, planned to resign, reportedly following a clash with the President over threatened tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
“Gary has been my chief economic adviser and did a superb job in driving our agenda, helping to deliver historic tax cuts and reforms and unleashing the American economy once again,” Mr Trump said in a statement to the New York Times. “He is a rare talent, and I thank him for his dedicated service to the American people.”
Mr Cohn’s resignation adds to a string of recent announced departures by senior White House officials, including communications director Hope Hicks, who was Mr Trump’s longest-serving aide. Ms Hicks is expected to leave the White House in the coming weeks.
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump dismissed reports of chaos in the White House while hinting that the staff shakeup will continue.
“The new Fake News narrative is that there is CHAOS in the White House. Wrong!” Mr Trump tweeted. “People will always come & go, and I want strong dialogue before making a final decision. I still have some people that I want to change (always seeking perfection). There is no Chaos, only great Energy!”
While every administration suffers from a revolving door of personnel, Mr Trump’s White House has a staff turnover rate of 34 per cent – a level that has not been seen for decades, according to the Brookings Institution think tank.
At the press conference with the Swedish Prime Minister, Mr Trump declined to answer a specific question about whether he would fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whom he has frequently criticised.
The president argued his White House operates with “tremendous energy” and said people in Washington “love this White House” and want to work there.
PBS reported in January that more than half of key positions Trump administration are unfilled.
Of 630 posts that are filled through presidential nomination, about 240 of them have no nominee. Meanwhile, Another 140 of those jobs have nominees but still need to be confirmed by the Senate.
Many jobs at the White House do not need Senate confirmation, such as chief of staff and communications director.
