Kathrine Frich
The timing is awkward.
Big political losses rarely end on election night.
Once the dust settles and the finger-pointing starts, the real fallout usually happens behind closed doors as bosses start clearing out desks.
Another West Wing exit
That shake-up is now hitting the White House after Democrats flipped Republican strongholds like Texas, Kansas, and South Carolina to take both the House and Senate.
According to the Irish Star and MS NOW, White House Cabinet Secretary Meghan Bauer, who manages President Donald Trump’s 24-member Cabinet, will step down from her post by the end of the year.
Two current officials and one former official told MS NOW on Tuesday that Bauer will stay on for a few months during the handover. Meanwhile, White House spokesperson Allison Schuster confirmed the move in an email to The Daily Beast, writing: “Meghan Bauer is a valuable part of the team and will continue to work in the White House in a new role.”
Nobody has said what that new job actually is. Behind the scenes, two insiders told the Irish Star that the 80-year-old president had grown frustrated with Bauer in recent months, and her duties could now be folded under new Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and other aides.
The timing is awkward. Just weeks ago, Bauer told Independent Women’s Features that returning to Washington was the “best thing” she ever did, explaining that her job “is to ensure all the Cabinet agencies are coordinated and driving the president’s agenda every day.”
A growing list
Still, the president had already signaled that heads would roll after the midterm rout. Speaking with Ross Douthat on 60 Minutes, Trump said, as quoted by the Irish Star: “I love my Cabinet. I think they’re good. But I’ll do, be doing maybe a few changes. I don’t want to mention who.”
Bauer is the latest in a string of high-profile women to exit since Trump returned to power.
According to the Irish Star, that group already includes former Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, former press secretary Karoline Leavitt, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, and former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
For Bauer, a mother of two, the move marks another twist in a long history with Trump. As the Irish Star noted, she worked on his 2016 campaign, held scheduling and Federal Housing Finance Agency roles during his first term, and went back to real estate finance after his 2020 loss before Wiles brought her back to the West Wing.
