How much turnover has there been in President Trump's "A-Team"?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
President Trump’s “A-Team” is composed of senior executive-office positions that do not require Senate confirmation. His current A-Team includes approximately 68 people and include staff members from the Executive Office of the President (EOP), individuals in the White House Office, the Council on Environmental Quality, the National Security Council, and select members of the vice president’s staff, among other entities. According to the data from the visual above, at the end of his first year in office, about what percent of Donald Trump’s “A-Team” have left office?
According to the data from the table above, how does year 1 turnover in Trump’s A-Team compare to that of previous presidents?
Based on recent past presidential administrations will Trump’s A-Team turnover likely go up or down in his final 3 years in office?
Why do you think that the A-Team turnover in Trump’s second term (shown above) and Cabinet turnover (shown below*) is lower than in his first?
Members of the cabinet* must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, lead departments outside of the White House (e.g., Department of State, Treasury, War) and are in the line of presidential succession (can be come president if the president is not able). Members of the President’s A-Team (his top staff) do not need to be confirmed by the Senate, work in the White House for the president, but are not in the line of succession. Explain whether cabinet members or top level White House Staff generally have more power.
Do you think that Trump’s A Team is more likely to influence the policy his administration carries out or simply follow orders from the president?
60 people (N=60) made up President Reagan’s “A-Team” - his most influential staff members. President Clinton had 70 members of his “A-Team”. Biden had 66. Trump has 68. Why do you think the size of presidential A-Teams change?
To provide the President with the support that he or she needs to govern effectively, the Executive Office of the President (EOP) was created in 1939 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The EOP has responsibility for tasks ranging from communicating the President’s message to the American people to promoting our trade interests abroad. There is nothing about setting up or laying out the powers of the Executive Office of the President (EOP) in the U.S. Constitution. Why is it legal or constitutional to have an EOP?
Cabinet members such as the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of State must be approved by the Senate. According to the visual below*, what has the turnover rate been like for the Trump Cabinet in his second term?
In Federalist No. 70, Alexander Freaking Hamilton writes about the executive freaking branch. Hamilton writes that, “A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government. A feeble execution is but another phrase for a bad execution; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government.” Considering Hamilton’s Federalist No. 70, and the low level of turnover in the Trump Executive Office of the President and Cabinet. Make a claim about whether Hamilton would consider President Trump to be a “feeble executive”?
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Contact Dr. Katie Dunn Tenpas, the author of the study of administrative turnover @kdunntenpas.bsky.social and ask her to explain the level of turnover in the Trump administration.
Get Creative
Come up with a better name for A-Team.
