President Donald Trump has now fired or accepted the resignations of four cabinet members in the past two and a half months. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard became the fourth member to leave the Trump cabinet, citing her husband’s battle with bone cancer as the reason for her departure. While nearly all members of the Trump cabinet have faced some form of scandal or controversy, all four officials who have exited in recent months have been women.
Kristi Noem was the first of the quartet to go. Plagued by a series of controversies and a tense congressional hearing where she faced scrutiny over departmental spending and personal conduct, Noem resigned on March 5 and was replaced by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.
Then came the resignation of Attorney General Pam Bondi, who faced intense scrutiny, including from within the MAGA coalition, over her handling of the release of the Epstein Files. Trump announced her exit on April 2 in a Truth Social post.
Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer followed on April 20 after multiple internal investigations and misconduct allegations involving both her and her husband.
With Gabbard now out as DNI, the Trump cabinet, which originally included seven women, is now left with just three: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, Education Secretary Linda McMahon, and Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
The wave of resignations has sparked accusations of sexism within the Trump administration. Critics argue that while all four women became embroiled in controversy, several male cabinet officials facing major scandals have remained in their posts.
Among them is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has faced repeated controversy over SignalGate, clashes with senior military officials, and the surprise firing of high-ranking generals, with even some Republicans reportedly calling for his resignation.
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel has faced allegations involving alcohol abuse, unexplained absences, misuse of government aircraft and elite security details, as well as scrutiny over sensitive case files and past arrests for public intoxication.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has also faced criticism over his past ties to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, leading to calls for his resignation.