President Obama won’t fire senior members of his team no matter the result of Tuesday’s midterm elections, the White House insists.
“There have been some presidents who have felt compelled in the aftermath of midterm elections to publicly fire high-profile members of the administration,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said in his daily briefing Monday. “At this point, I don’t anticipate that will happen later this week.”
There has been widespread speculation about a White House shake-up after the midterms, with chief of staff Denis McDonough, senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer and members of the president’s national security team seen as the most likely candidates to leave the administration.
Obama’s predecessors used year six to bring in fresh blood to the White House, trying to fend off lame-duck status. However, history has proven that such a move usually doesn’t work.
Even if there aren’t firings, Obama’s top spokesman suggested Monday that some turnover is natural at this stage of a presidency.
“Traditionally, after a midterm election,” Earnest said, “it is not uncommon for members of the president’s staff … to leave the White House.”
