Jennifer Jacobs says Trump’s inner circle 'going to stay intact' amid cabinet shakeup speculation
WASHINGTON, DC: As President Trump approaches his one-year mark in office in January 2026, attention has grown on potential departures from his cabinet and senior West Wing advisors.
CBS correspondents Jennifer Jacobs and Robert Costa discussed the topic on Sunday, December 28, broadcast of 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan'.
The conversation focused on whether cabinet members and key White House advisors might leave before the upcoming midterm elections.
Robert Costa on Donald Trump's cabinet departures
Brennan, asked Costa, “Do you see departures from the cabinet happening?”
Costa replied noting that while departures from Trump’s cabinet are possible, the president does not usually act immediately in response to negative news.
Costa explained, "President Trump is not one to just make a move immediately because there’s a flurry of news, negative news, about one of his cabinet members."
He prefers careful consideration over quick reactions, "We see he often takes his time to make some of these decisions and he doesn't like to be pressured to get rid of anybody."
Costa also highlighted the pressure from individuals within the conservative universe who are eager to fill cabinet positions, stating, “But there are so many people in the so-called MAGA universe who want these slots and they are able to get access to this president.”
He added that many cabinet officials he spoke to privately, along with their top aides, indicated that they plan to stay until after the midterm elections and then leave.
However, Costa cautioned, "If the president is feeling pressure to make some kind of significant change ahead of the midterms, I wouldn't rule anything out based on my reporting."
Jennifer Jacobs on West Wing advisors
Jacobs responded to Costa’s remarks by shifting the focus to the West Wing rather than the cabinet. She noted that the core group of inner circle advisors is expected to remain intact.
“That main pack of inner circle advisors is going to stay intact. And that includes Susie Wiles and Stephen Miller, and Karoline Leavitt on the way down that core group of people. They're not going anywhere,” Jacobs stated.
However, she acknowledged that some senior advisors may leave for personal reasons, particularly those with young children. “I think we will see some senior advisors in the West Wing leave. Just keep in mind that there are some advisors that have young children, so they might be leaving for family reasons,” she explained.
Previous reports have hinted at Trump’s dissatisfaction with some cabinet members.
Speculation grew around White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’ departure after the White House chief of staff gave Vanity Fair a series of unusually candid interviews criticizing the vice president, the attorney general, and other senior officials, while questioning some first-year decisions.
Kristi Noem addresses the Conservative Political Action Conference held in the Hyatt Regency on February 27, 2021 in Orlando, Florida (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Trump laughed off suggestions that he would fire Wiles, but told her she should not have spent so much time speaking to Vanity Fair, which he said is 'never good to us.'
Meanwhile, attention has turned to possible changes at the Department of Homeland Security led by Kristi Noem, the FBI with Kash Patel, and the Treasury Department under Scott Bessent.
