An Incomplete List Of Everyone Donald Trump Has Fired As President

Another top official has moved on from the Trump administration as Health Secretary Tom Price announced his resignation on Sept. 29 following a travel scandal that involved over $1 million in taxpayer-funded military and non-commercial flights.

The news comes after President Donald Trump fired his longtime aide and former White House Director of Advance George Gigicos in retaliation for poor turnout to his late-August rally in Phoenix. Gigicos’ dismissal followed the news that Trump had also forced out former Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka, one of the most controversial figures in Trump’s cohort.

Steve Bannon was ousted in August from his role in Trump’s administration, for which he served as the White House chief strategist. First daughter and Presidential Advisor Ivanka Trump and Senior Advisor to the President Jared Kushner reportedly had a role in Bannon’s removal.

Bannon’s departure from the White House joined a host of other Trump associates who were fired from the president’s administration around the same time, perhaps most infamous among them being Anthony Scaramucci. Trump’s short-lived replacement for Sean Spicer — who left his position as White House press secretary and interim White House communications director over Scaramucci’s hiring — was fired by John Kelly, the president’s newly minted chief of staff. Scaramucci’s firing followed a profane tirade in which he made several lewd and damning claims about fellow White House staffers.

Kelly replaced Reince Priebus, Trump’s former chief of staff, as a hire intended to bring order to a presently chaotic administration. Trump announced the transition on Twitter after Priebus gave his resignation in July. Priebus’ decision to leave the White House was reportedly made the same day as Scaramucci’s infamous tirade, in which the beleaguered Trump spokesman vowed to push Priebus out of his role.

On the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Trump dismissed former FBI Director James Comey in May. The firing came while Comey, who was the head of the FBI since 2013, was overseeing a counterintelligence investigation into whether members of the Trump administration coordinated with Russia to meddle with the 2016 presidential election.

Even before the reverberations of that firing abated, rumors begin to circulate that the president might push out Robert Mueller — the new special counsel who is continuing the Russia investigation — or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Trump’s dismissal of Comey, while virtually unprecedented in previous administrations, was par for the course in a White House that’s seen a number of firings of officials who defied Trump, refused to carry out his policies or presented his administration with public relations headaches.

During Trump’s first week in office, more than 20 members of White House staff resigned or were fired. Those included ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, 10 members of the White House Advisory Commission who resigned in protest, Ben Carson's top advisor Shermichael Singleton and White House National Security Council Director Craig Deare — the last of whom were reportedly fired for criticizing Trump.

He also fired all foreign ambassadors while at the same time failing to replace them. It's common for ambassadors to resign at the start of a new administration, though less so when there are no replacements lined up.

Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was dismissed in March for refusing to resign in a public standoff with Trump. It was, at the time, one of Trump’s more high-profile firings.

Trump also fired acting Attorney General Sally Yates in January after she would not defend his controversial travel ban targeting seven Muslim-majority countries. As the Washington Post reported in May, Yates was also at the time of her dismissal a key figure in the investigation of Flynn — who was fired in May — over his ties to Russia.

To date, Comey’s firing — a controversial move that took a significant toll on the president’s approval rating and spiked the betting odds of his eventual impeachment — remains the most visible of Trump’s axed political figures.

According to the New York Times, officials at the FBI “said they were not immediately aware of Mr. Comey's dismissal.” A statement from White House press secretary Sean Spicer soon followed and said that “President Trump acted based on the clear recommendations of both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.”

Comey’s firing arrived on the heels of his May 3 testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee during which Comey testified about reopening an investigation into Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s emails days before the election, as well as Trump officials’ alleged ties to Russia. During a later June 8 hearing — a televised event with a viewership on par with Game 3 of this year’s NBA Finals — Comey made several damning allegations. He alleged was asked to pledge loyalty to the president as well as asked to “let go” of the FBI’s investigation into Flynn.

“While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau,” Trump wrote in a letter released to the press at the time. “It is essential that we find new leadership for the F.B.I. that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.”

As the Washington Post noted in May, the dismissal of Yates, Bharara and Comey all followed a similar pattern. In all three cases, the individual fired was investigating either Trump, his administration or his associates during the 2016 presidential election.

Amid ongoing investigations, revealing Senate Intelligence Committee hearings and poor Trump approval ratings, tensions between the president, special counsel Mueller and Deputy AG Rosenstein continued to build. Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu said in June that Congress would “begin impeachment proceedings” if the president decided to give them the axe.

This report is ongoing and has been updated throughout.