Democrats just shifted America to a brighter shade of blue and thumped Republicans so hard in the midterm elections they’ll be staggering roadside for years to come. That means the mendacious minions serving President Donald Trump – he of great failure, despot of nothing – have commenced Operation Run For the Hills.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is reportedly weighing a departure, hilariously thinking he can escape the stink of Trump and aim for a 2028 presidential run.
Susie Wiles, Trump's chief of staff, was mercifully replaced Nov. 6, hopefully never to be heard from again. Harmeet Dhillon, who ran the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, resigned Nov. 5.
She was followed quickly on Nov. 6 by John Eisenberg, an assistant attorney
general who headed up the Justice Department’s national security division. That same day, U.S. attorney Jason Reding Quiñones bolted from the Southern District of Florida. He was running a kooky investigation into Trump’s political enemies, anchored in the conspiratorial belief in some nefarious “Deep State.”
As Trump officials start fleeing the administration, remember what they did
More will come quickly. You can bank on that. With Democrats in full control of Congress, investigations into Trumpian corruption will be launched, the president’s agenda will be fully halted for his two remaining years, and anyone attached to the administration will be operating under a cloud of historic electoral failure.
What I find amusing – deliciously so – is that the assorted mopes and opportunists who sold their souls to a vulgar con artist believe there’s a tomorrow for them that erases their Trump-aligned yesterdays.
Rubio has walked in lockstep with Trump as the president weaponized tariffs against our allies, cozied up to our enemies and launched a devastating and wholly unnecessary war with Iran. The secretary of State, who Trump once mocked as Little Marco, is complicit in all the things American voters just denounced at the ballot box. You don’t carry a tyrant’s water for this long and then do a heel turn and proclaim yourself an unassociated bystander.
Trump leaves a stink that won't wash out
The lawyers sprinting out of the Justice Department don’t pass through a machine that erases the anti-democratic legal maneuvering they indulged in at Trump’s beck and call. It’s one thing to serve a normal president and do normal, reasonable things. People can walk away from that tagged simply as someone who worked in a Republican or Democratic administration. That’s generally going to look solid on a résumé.
But serving in THIS administration under THIS president? Please.
Having 'second Trump administration' on a résumé will be a curse
How’s that interview going to go?
“Oh, I see here you served in the second Trump administration. How did you handle the legal issue during the national wave of ICE raids?”
“Well, I argued that immigrant children were not entitled to normal-sized cells because they’re smaller and can be packed into spaces more tightly. And I shared several dehumanizing posts about Somalian immigrants living in Minnesota.”
What’s Rubio’s presidential campaign slogan going to be? “Oops”? Or maybe just, “He Stood There”?
American voters resoundingly rejected Trumpism in the midterms
The midterm blue wave was not just about the economy. It was about what the public correctly saw as widespread political corruption and cruelty under a deeply unpopular president. It is now 100% accurate to say a heavy majority of the country full-throatedly rejects all that Trump and his lackeys have done.
That’s not a smell that comes out in a wash or two. Forgiveness will not come quickly or easily, or hopefully at all, for those who catered to a man who divided our nation with every breath, eroded trust in government, science and elections, and shattered our standing on the world stage.
Here's a résumé change Trump administration officials should consider
If you served in the second Trump administration and are now gearing up to flee, allow me to offer the only résumé tweak that might save you:
Jan. 20, 2025 – Nov. 3, 2026: Took a sabbatical and traveled throughout Europe on a journey of self-discovery, returning home with a broader appreciation for the diverse world we’re part of and a drive to make life better for others.
That should be easy, because if you served with Trump, you’re already used to lying. And if you put what you actually did on your résumé, your work prospects are about as good as your soul’s chance at redemption.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wiles is out. Rubio eyes the door. Is Trump's Cabinet sunk? | Opinion
