From Peter Mandelson in the UK to former culture minister Jack Lang in France, the Epstein affair is shaking the world and pushing many public figureheads to resign.
In the United States, two members of the Trump administration are under fire. First, Howard Lutnick, after the latest documents released by the Justice Department highlighted the Commerce Secretary's ties to the disgraced financier.
Then Pam Bondi, the attorney general, under pressure for months over her handling of the Epstein case. On Wednesday, she was questioned by the House Judiciary Committee. Lawmakers once again denounced the heavy redactions in the documents, while the Justice Department has taken refuge behind the need to protect victims.
For a little over a year, several members of Donald Trump's Cabinet have appeared to be on the hot seat. But almost all have ultimately weathered a series of media storms.
Recently, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem came under pressure as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations sparked public alarm across the country. In January, two people were killed in Minneapolis by ICE agents. Tom Homan, dubbed the "border czar,” was dispatched to the scene to take control of the situation, and Kristi Noem largely disappeared from view. But she nevertheless remains in her post.
At the start of last year, it was the position of the Secretary of Defense (Secretary of War, as people now say), Pete Hegseth, that seemed untenable. The arrival at the Pentagon of this former Fox News star was marked by several scandals and a degree of internal chaos in the first few weeks.
The only one pushed aside so far is Mike Waltz, who held the role of national security adviser. He was the one who added The Atlantic editor in chief Jeffrey Goldberg to a Signal thread bringing together senior Trump administration officials to discuss military strikes in Yemen.
A major blunder for a national security adviser. But Waltz did not fall out of grace, since he was appointed in September as US ambassador to the United Nations. Since then, no one has been named to replace him. Marco Rubio is wearing the dual hat of Secretary of State and national security adviser.
In any case, it is a real change from the first Trump administration, when resignations and dramatic firings by the president were commonplace and made headlines for four years. Donald Trump did not expect to win against Hillary Clinton in 2016 and was therefore far less prepared to exercise power.
He then surrounded himself with more traditional Republicans, people who could disagree and who did not hesitate to resign or to oppose him.
This time, Donald Trump had four years to prepare his return to power. And it is well known that he has surrounded himself with loyalists. His Cabinet is made up of people loyal to the leader, more than they are qualified for the jobs they hold. So there is no reason to expect resignations from them.
Donald Trump does not like acting under constraint or giving the impression of yielding. When a member of his Cabinet is under pressure, there is therefore little chance he will bend to Democrats' calls and fire them. For him, holding firm is also a way of asserting his authority.
In late November, a CNN report said that a reshuffle was possible at the start of 2026. But the issue no longer seems to be high on the agenda.
