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After the Exit
The First-Term Cabinet and White House, After They Left
Twelve officials and insiders, what they said once they were out, and how Trump answered.
By Daniel Rosenthal · Published · AI-written, human-reviewed
What did first-term officials say about Trump after leaving?
The table below lists what senior first-term officials and close aides said publicly after their departures. Each entry links to the original reporting. These are their characterizations, not legal or official findings.
| Who | Role | How they left | What they said after | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rex Tillerson | Secretary of State | Fired, March 2018 | December 2018, at a Houston event with Bob Schieffer: said Trump was undisciplined, disliked reading, and that he sometimes had to tell him a plan was illegal: "It violates the law. It violates a treaty." He did not name the specific plans. | Global News |
| James Mattis | Defense Secretary | Resigned, December 2018 | June 2020 statement after Lafayette Square: Trump is the first president in his lifetime who "does not try to unite the American people." | AP via KSAT |
| John Kelly | White House Chief of Staff | Left, January 2019 | October 2023 statement to CNN: Trump has "nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions, our Constitution, and the rule of law." October 2024: told The New York Times Trump meets the general definition of a fascist. | NBC News · CBC |
| John Bolton | National Security Adviser | Pushed out, September 2019 | June 2020 memoir The Room Where It Happened and ABC interview: said Trump is not fit for office. | ABC News |
| Mark Esper | Defense Secretary | Fired, November 2020 | May 2022 memoir A Sacred Oath: wrote that Trump asked whether protesters near the White House could be shot "in the legs or something." | Stars and Stripes |
| Bill Barr | Attorney General | Resigned, December 2020 | Publicly rejected the stolen-election claims, yet said in 2022 he would still vote for Trump over a Democrat. | NBC TODAY |
| Mike Pence | Vice President | Term ended, January 2021 | March 2024: said he could not "in good conscience" endorse Trump, citing differences with Trump on the conservative agenda. | AP via KSAT |
| Gen. Mark Milley | Chairman, Joint Chiefs | Retired, September 2023 | Quoted in Bob Woodward's War (October 2024) calling Trump "fascist to the core." | AP via Anchorage Daily News |
| Anthony Scaramucci | White House Communications Director | Fired after 11 days, July 2017 | August 2019: turned on Trump publicly, warning that Trump eventually "turns on everyone." Trump called him highly unstable. | Axios · AOL / AP |
| Michael Cohen | Personal attorney (not a government post) | Split, 2018 | February 2019 House testimony: "He is a racist. He is a con man. He is a cheat." Cohen had pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, which Republicans cited against his credibility. | ABC News |
| Stephanie Grisham | Press Secretary, later First Lady's chief of staff | Resigned, January 6, 2021 | October 2021 memoir I'll Take Your Questions Now: described Trump's temper as terrifying. | AP via Boston.com |
| Cassidy Hutchinson | Aide to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows | Left, January 2021 | June 2022 January 6 committee testimony: said Trump knew rallygoers had weapons and wanted the metal detectors removed. Trump denied her account. | PBS NewsHour |
What themes repeat across these accounts?
Four themes recur. Legal limits: Tillerson said he had to tell Trump some plans broke the law; Esper and Hutchinson described proposals involving force against crowds. Fitness: Bolton and Esper said Trump was unfit for office. Institutions: Kelly said Trump held democratic institutions in contempt; Mattis said he did not try to unite the country. Authoritarianism: Kelly and Milley both used the word fascist in 2024.
Most of these statements came in memoirs, interviews, or testimony, months or years after the person left. Few came while they were still serving.
How did Trump respond?
Trump typically answered by attacking the critic's competence or stability. After Tillerson's December 2018 remarks, Trump called him "dumb as a rock" and lazy. He said Scaramucci was highly unstable.
Who did not follow this pattern?
Several first-term officials did not break publicly, and some returned to Trump's side. Barr criticized the 2020 election claims under oath but said he would still vote for Trump. Many Cabinet members stayed supportive or silent. Part 5 looks at what the silent majority means for this pattern.
Related: First-term firings and turnover · First-term DOJ pressure
The series
- Part 1: Thom Tillis and the book he waited to write
- Part 2: The first-term Cabinet and White House, after they left (you are here)
- Part 3: Republicans in Congress who spoke on the way out
- Part 4: Second-term exits, and why most stay quiet
- Part 5: The pattern, and the case against reading too much into it