As the political burden from the prolonged Iran war grows, U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle. With falling approval ratings and economic pressure overlapping, he appears to be trying to change the narrative ahead of the midterm elections in Nov.
On the 4th (local time), major outlets including Reuters reported that President Trump, after dismissing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Minister Kristi Noem, is discussing additional appointments. With oil prices surging and public opinion worsening due to the fallout from the Iran war, he appears to be pulling out a renewal card. In particular, after the national address on the 1st failed to produce any meaningful reversal, voices within the White House have grown that personnel and message strategy need to be revised.
Those seen as likely to be replaced include Director-General Tulsi Gabbard of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and Commerce Minister Howard Lutnick. Director-General Gabbard has clashed with the White House, taking a negative stance on overseas military interventions. President Trump is showing concrete moves, such as asking close aides for opinions on successors. Minister Lutnick is also under pressure to resign after past allegations of involvement with Jeffrey Epstein resurfaced. However, Reuters reported that the White House drew a line, saying it has "complete confidence" in both.
In the United States, as the Iran war enters its fifth week, dissatisfaction with the Trump administration is mounting. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, President Trump's job approval fell to 36%, the lowest since his return. Negative views of U.S. military action against Iran were around 60%, and two-thirds said the war should end early. President Trump is strongly dissatisfied with negative media coverage of the Iran war and the drop in support. White House staff believe visible personnel measures are inevitable to mollify voters weary of rising prices.
Concerns about a global economic shock are also a key factor fueling the current reshuffle discussion. Rachel Ziemba, who advises corporations on geopolitical risk, said in an interview with The Washington Post (WP), "We are in a much worse situation now than what we were worried about a week ago," adding, "The United States will not be able to avoid the fallout from this war in any way."