The White House has said Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer “continue to have the president’s full confidence” amid reports that they may be next in line to be fired.
Speculation was prompted by U.S. President Donald Trump ousting Attorney General Pam Bondi on Thursday, marking the second Cabinet departure, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem being fired last month.
But White House spokesperson Davis Ingle has pushed back on these rumors, calling Gabbard, Lutnick and Chavez-DeRemer “patriots” who “continue to have the president’s full confidence.”
White House Director of Communications Steven Cheung has also backed Gabbard in a post on X, saying the president has “total confidence” in her and “any insinuation otherwise is totally fake news.”
Newsweek has contacted the White House and the offices of Gabbard, Lutnick and Chavez-DeRemer, via email, outside of normal working hours, for comment.
Why It Matters
Speculation over further cabinet changes has intensified following the firing of Bondi, a move that signaled potential volatility at the highest levels of the administration.
What To Know
The New York Times (NYT) and The Washington Post both reported that there have been discussions about removing Gabbard, Lutnick and Chavez-DeRemer, citing anonymous White House sources.
But Ingle told both newspapers in a statement: “Patriots like DNI Gabbard, Secretary Lutnick, and Secretary Chavez-DeRemer are tirelessly implementing the President’s agenda and achieving tremendous results for the American people. They continue to have the president’s full confidence.”
Cheung said, via the White House’s rapid response account on X that Trump “has total confidence in Gabbard.”
“Any insinuation otherwise is totally fake news,” he said. “The President has assembled the most talented and impactful Cabinet ever, and they have collectively delivered historic victories on behalf of the American people.”
Gabbard has long been critical of U.S. involvement in Middle East conflicts, especially the idea of war with Iran—a topic currently dividing conservatives between those who believe Iran poses an imminent threat to the U.S. and the MAGA-supporters who argue it goes against Trump’s “America First” campaign promises.
Trump told reporters last Sunday when asked about Gabbard: “She’s a little bit different in her thought process than me, but that doesn’t make somebody not available to serve.”
The White House official cited by The Post said Gabbard is “safe” in her role but cast doubts about Lutnick and Chavez-DeRemer.
Lutnick’s brazen approach to his work has caused some frustration among White House aides, according to The Post and The NYT. Lutnick told The NYT this was “fake news.”
Chavez-DeRemer is currently facing misconduct allegations along with other top figures in the Labor department, The New York Post reported in January. White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers called the allegations “baseless” at the time.
The Department of Labor told The New York Post: “It is the policy of the DOL OIG to neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of any OIG investigation or complaint beyond what is published on our website.”
What Happens Next
Attention will remain on whether more senior officials depart in the coming weeks, and how any changes—or continued denials—shape confidence inside the administration.
