Political repositioning underway as Trump eyes more cabinet changes

More senior officials in US President Donald Trump's administration are at risk of stepping down following the ouster of Attorney General Pam Bondi, a move an expert says reflects political repositioning under growing domestic and international pressure.

Trump said Thursday on social media that Bondi will step down from her position and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche will serve as acting attorney general. Bondi, in her own social media post, said she will spend the next month transitioning the role to Blanche.

Bondi's exit marks the second cabinet-level firing since the start of Trump's second term. In March, Trump removed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid growing bipartisan criticism of her leadership.

"The removal of Bondi appears to be the result of both immediate triggers and deeper political calculations," said Sun Taiyi, associate professor of political science at Christopher Newport University in the United States. He noted that Bondi faced bipartisan criticism for her handling of the Epstein files, particularly for failing to fully comply with congressional disclosure requests and for inconsistencies in released materials.

"These are the kinds of errors that are politically costly in an already sensitive case," Sun added.

Sun went on saying that the Epstein issue, which could have been used to target political opponents or shift the narrative, instead became a liability for Trump as it reinforced public scrutiny of Trump's own past connections, rather than redirecting attention elsewhere.

"In that sense, what was meant to be a political asset turned into a political burden."

Bondi is not alone. Trump has reportedly been considering further cabinet changes. Sources cited by The Atlantic say discussions are ongoing about other potential departures, including FBI Director Kash Patel, Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. The timing of these changes remains uncertain, and no final decisions have been made. Meanwhile, Politico reported that Trump has expressed frustration with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and The Guardian noted that he has privately asked cabinet members whether he should replace Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, venting over her shielding a former deputy who undermined his rationale for war with Iran.

Sun emphasized that these personnel shifts must be viewed within a broader political context.

"Compared to his first term, Trump has generally shown a greater preference in his second term for maintaining team stability and avoiding constant turnover. However, as the midterm elections approach, the administration is facing mounting pressure across multiple fronts – foreign policy challenges such as the Iran conflict, economic concerns including inflation, and domestic legal battles such as birthright citizenship. From Trump's perspective, these developments may signal underperformance across key areas."

This, Sun suggested, is driving a possible recalibration through personnel changes. The discussions about potentially replacing figures like Tulsi Gabbard suggest that the Trump administration may be looking for accountability within the intelligence and justice apparatus, especially if there is a perception that something went wrong institutionally, he added.

Noting the unusual decision by Secretary of Defense Hegseth to push for the early retirement of Army Chief of Staff General Randy George while the US is still engaged in an active conflict, Sun said this further reinforces the sense of internal reshuffling.

"Taken together, these moves suggest that Trump may be using personnel changes as a way to reset his administration and reassert control ahead of the midterms," Sun said.