Some departures are expected to come from senior ranks, but more are likely among the lesser-known officials who help to keep the White House and Cabinet agencies running.

Entering a grueling year that is sure to bring fresh challenges at home and abroad, Trump faces an exodus of staff across a wide swath of government functions, threatening to hamstring efforts to enact legislation or conduct even basic operations.

WASHINGTON — Already setting turnover records, President Trump’s White House is bracing for even more staff departures and an increasing struggle to fill vacancies, shadowed by the Russia inquiry, political squabbling, and Trump’s low poll numbers.


In Trump’s first year, his administration’s upper-level officials have had a turnover rate of 34 percent, much higher than any other in the past 40 years, according to an analysis by Kathryn Dunn-Tenpas, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

The study found that 22 of the 64 senior officials she tracked have resigned, been fired, or reassigned.

Anecdotal evidence among more junior officials — the White House wouldn’t release data — suggests similar departure rates, and White House aides acknowledge difficulty filling roles in the administration.

The presidency with the next-highest first-year turnover rate was Ronald Reagan’s, with 17 percent of senior aides leaving in 1981. And Trump’s first-year rate is three times Bill Clinton’s 11 percent and Barack Obama’s 9 percent.

‘‘It’s significant because the prior administration that had the greatest turnover was Reagan and Trump doubled it,’’ said Dunn-Tenpas, who will update her preliminary data on the anniversary of Trump’s inauguration. ‘‘Moreover, there are more senior-level departures, including the chief of staff, the press secretary, and the national security adviser.’’

Those were Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer, and Michael Flynn, all long gone.

New power players in the West Wing may not yet be household names, but they will probably help shape the fortunes of Trump’s 2018.


Johnny DeStefano, a White House aide who once worked for former House Speaker John Boehner, has now taken on oversight of the White House political operation in addition to his other duties, according to an administration official not authorized to speak publicly about personnel matters.

DeStefano gained Trump’s trust in weekly meetings discussing hiring across the administration, an official said, and is expected to take on a broader role in guiding political affairs in the midterm election year.

DeStefano is working alongside political director Bill Stepien, who came under fire after a series of White House missteps in the recent Alabama Senate race, which gave the Democrats their first Senate seat there in a generation.

Some Trump allies believe the White House political shop is failing the president. If the Democrats were to seize control of the House this November, they could begin impeachment proceedings against Trump, the allies warn.

‘‘Donald Trump is all about results, and if he thinks things are going positive and well, I think that redounds to the team,’’ said Trump friend Chris Ruddy, head of the conservative news site NewsMax, who spent time with the president in Florida over the holidays. ‘‘But if the approval numbers don’t improve, I think he’ll make changes to improve things. That’s his way.’’

Much of the staff turnover in recent months was driven by John Kelly, who began his tenure as chief of staff by cracking down on internal rivalries and dismissing attention-seeking aides like Omarosa Manigault-Newman.


Kelly has already quietly tapped Jim Carroll as deputy chief of staff, replacing Kirstjen Nielsen, the new Homeland Security secretary. Marc Short, head of legislative affairs, has also expanded his portfolio. Deputy chief of staff Rick Dearborn is expected to leave the West Wing in coming months.

Other aides who are leaving — including deputy national security adviser Dina Powell — have not been forced out, but rather are departing around the one-year mark, a relatively common practice in other White Houses.

Powell is to be replaced by Nadia Schadlow, a confidante of National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster who oversaw the president’s first National Security Strategy document.

But more high-profile changes may be on the horizon.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, whose relationship with Trump has proved fraught, has long been rumored to be on the way out, with CIA Director Mike Pompeo discussed as a likely replacement. Both Trump and Tillerson have publicly denied he is leaving.

Gary Cohn, the director of the National Economic Council, may depart after helping steer the tax bill to victory

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders plays down talk of turnovers.

‘‘I have no reason to know of any personnel change whatsoever,’’ Sanders said Thursday. ‘‘And we’re moving full force ahead into 2018 to make sure we get a lot accomplished.’’