Less than 10 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 Labor Department 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 resulted in 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 United Nations 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 meetings ran on 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 deputy chief of staff of policy Stephen Miller, has been under fire for claiming that 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was brandishing a gun and was an “assassin” before being fatally shot by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis after attempting to intervene in an immigration enforcement matter.
The president has attempted to de-escalate tensions after Pretti’s death, which comes weeks after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good. Trump demoted Gregory Bovino from the Border Patrol’s commander of at-large operations overseeing ICE embeds. Bovino returned to his job overseeing Border Patrol operations in El Centro, California.
Border czar Tom Homan was deputized to travel to Minnesota this week, where he not only met with Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) but also held a press conference on Thursday morning.
Homan claimed federal agencies are now working on a “drawdown” plan, as Noem was in Washington. Trump has not indicated that Noem will lose her position as homeland security secretary even as Democrats clamor for her firing.
The Minnesota operation has quickly become one of the most politically perilous episodes for the administration, dominating headlines and prompting calls for investigations and impeachment on Capitol Hill. It has also overshadowed the White House’s attempt to focus public attention on its efforts to lower the cost of living.
The controversy also fits a broader pattern: Trump has repeatedly chosen to defend embattled Cabinet members rather than remove them, even when their troubles threaten to overshadow his policy agenda.
“I think she’s done a very good job,” Trump said earlier this week when asked about Noem. “I think she’s doing a very good job. The border is totally secure.”
Other officials have weathered similar storms. War Secretary Pete Hegseth faced scrutiny over boat strikes in the Caribbean Sea, while Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has survived allegations he engaged in a relationship with a former Vanity Fair journalist.
But as the second year of his administration is just getting started, no secretary has been on the receiving end of Trump’s infamous catchphrase “You’re fired!” — for now.
Samantha-Jo Roth contributed to this report.
