Since Donald Trump became US President two-and-a-half years ago, his administration has been afflicted by a staggering number of departures, from high-profile Cabinet officials to members of the executive office staff.

Many of them simply vanish into private life. Some become television commentators and a few have written books, which are both normal paths when someone leaves the White House.

But now we're seeing something unique to the Trump administration; formerly loyal aides or supporters are publicly turning on him.

It happened twice in recent weeks, first with Anthony Scaramucci, who served as White House communications director for 11 days in July 2017 and then with former congressman and right-wing commentator Joe Walsh.

Mr Walsh, a prominent figure in the Tea Party movement that moved the Republican Party to the right, said he wanted to specifically apologise for the role he played in helping "con man Trump" get elected.

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There is plenty of potential for more such public denouncements.

Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, estimates that 75 per cent of the President's "A Team" — comprised only of his executive staff — have departed their positions while he has been in office.

'He doesn't see people as people'

This past week, Mr Scaramucci scored plenty of attention for turning on his former boss.

Initially, he maintained he had become "neutral" on the President. But that turned out to be too tame for the man nicknamed The Mooch, whose utterings have made him a cable news and late-night television stalwart.

Speaking to Vanity Fair magazine, he said Mr Trump's "full-blown racism" was the reason he decided to break with the President.

"He can say that he's not a racist, and I agree with him, OK? And let me explain to you why he's not a racist, 'cause this is very important," Mr Scaramucci said.

"He's actually worse than a racist. He is so narcissistic, he doesn't see people as people. He sees them as objects in his field of vision."

He predicted Mr Trump would decide not to run again, and went on "I think the guy is losing it, mentally. He has declining mental faculties, he's becoming more petulant, he's becoming more impetuous".

Needless to say, Mr Trump did not take kindly to his former associate's criticism, lashing out at him on Twitter.

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Mr Walsh joined Mr Scaramucci in predicting that Mr Trump could easily lose the 2020 election, simply because he has worn out the American public.

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The criticism has prompted Mr Trump's campaign and his White House staff to make sure the President sees and hears the support that he so prizes, although the efforts have somewhat backfired.

Last week, thousands of workers in bright yellow safety vests stood inside Royal Dutch Shell's petrochemical plant in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, making it look as if Mr Trump had an avid crowd for his appearance.

But the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that workers were told they could attend the rally, or else take an unpaid day off.

Only those who showed up at 7:00am, scanned in their ID cards and waited hours for Mr Trump through their lunch hour would be paid.

"This is just what Shell wanted to do and we went along with it," Ken Broadbent, business manager for Steamfitters Union local 449, told the newspaper.

Mr Trump spoke for more than an hour to Shell workers, who were told they would not be paid unless they went to his rally. ( Reuters: Jonathan Ernst )

The ultimate irony

During his campaign, Mr Trump famously vowed to hire "only the best people". But experienced officials from previous White Houses did not apply, or declined offers to join this one.

That left Mr Trump with a collection of people with little government service, whose main qualification was that they were willing to work for the mercurial President.

Mr Trump is known as a leader who demands utter loyalty from his staff and judges them according to his own definition of the term.

These people who worked on his behalf knew that, and presumably were willing to pledge that loyalty. So why is this happening?

There's a very business-like reason involved. Mr Trump is not turning out to be the meal ticket some anticipated he would be. Associating with him has proved to be costly to their continued relevance.

In recent weeks, he has repeatedly been called out as racist, especially for his attacks on four Democratic congresswomen from non-white backgrounds.

In addition, the American economy is looking a little shaky, a sign that his trade wars and unpredictable global relationships are not shoring up confidence in the US as a place to invest.

And Mr Trump's own business dealings have come under scrutiny, including at his Washington DC hotel, which has benefited from bookings by foreign dignitaries.

Interestingly, little of the reasoning for distancing themselves from Mr Trump has to do with a fear of his impeachment. Many on the right have always said it would be good for the President. They have relished the chance to paint him as a victim.

On Sunday, the President's economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, declared on Fox News Sunday there was no recession on the horizon, something Mr Trump is said to fear, despite fears by stock market investors and economists that the American business climate is fraying.

"What's wrong with a little optimism?" Mr Kudlow said.

Mr Kudlow's sunny remarks contrasted with continued criticism from Mr Walsh, whose shift against Mr Trump prompted some to accuse him of his own opportunism.

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It's the ultimate irony of this whole period in American history: those who were happy to help Mr Trump get into the White House finding out he might not be good for them, or the country, after all.

Micheline Maynard is a journalist and author who writes regularly about American politics.