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Thoughts on the Big Shakeup at the Trump White House
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Thoughts on the Big Shakeup at the Trump White House

A President who can't get the most basic things right.

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Dan Pfeiffer
May 01, 2025
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Thoughts on the Big Shakeup at the Trump White House
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It took 102 days, but the first significant shake-up of the Trump Administration is here. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and his deputy, Alex Wong, have been unceremoniously removed from their positions. Waltz was given a soft landing as Ambassador to the U.N., but this was a public defenestration of a man who gave up his seat in Congress for 102 days of humiliating servitude in the Trump Administration.

This is a big deal.

The National Security Advisor is one of the most critical positions in the government. While less high-profile than the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Advisor has more influence on national security policy. Every decision on every issue passes through a process run by the National Security Advisor. Changes in that position can represent dramatic shifts in direction for a President. We will have to wait to see what, if any, permanent changes result from this shake-up.

However, Waltz’s firing reveals some very concerning realities about the state of affairs in Trump’s White House.

A White House in Chaos

Even amidst all the absurdity coming from Trump’s mouth and the incompetence of his tariff policy, the general narrative has been that Trump 2.0 is much more competent and strategic than the first version. Talk about grading on a curve.

Trump firing his National Security Advisor and his deputy on the 102nd day of his White House tenure amid an ongoing military operation in Yemen and negotiations with Russia, Ukraine, and Iran is evidence of an administration in chaos.

Just look at how this unfolded.

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