Trump Purges White House, Entire China Policy Team Removed

"Trump Launches 'Personnel Purge' at White House: Entire China Policy Team Given 30-Minute Ultimatum to Leave"
Multiple sources confirm President Trump has initiated a sweeping staff purge at the White House, targeting advisors involved in China policy formulation. Key figures who crafted strategies toward Beijing are reportedly being forced out en masse, with orders demanding they "walk the plank within 30 minutes."

Simultaneously, the White House National Security Council (NSC) faces massive restructuring. Staff numbers are expected to plummet from 350 to under 150, signaling a dramatic downsizing of U.S. strategic decision-making capacity toward China.

"Over 30 Staff Fired, 160 on 'Temporary Leave' in NSC Purge; China Team Dissolved Amid Chaos"
Current reports indicate over 30 employees have been terminated, while approximately 160 others placed on "temporary leave" pending further instructions. Financial Times sources confirm that Ivan Kanapathy, Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), retains his position, but his entire China-focused team has been disbanded.

A knowledgeable insider revealed that terminated NSC staff were ordered to "pack their belongings and vacate the Eisenhower Executive Office Building within 30 minutes"—the adjacent White House annex where many employees were working. The abrupt move reportedly caused scenes of chaos, with some departing personnel breaking down in tears.

Trump’s sudden targeting of the NSC appears driven by two strategic motives:

1. Downsizing the agency to streamline operations.
2. Ensuring ideological conformity by eliminating perceived disloyal elements.

"Established During Truman's Era: The National Security Council's Role and Trump's Purge Drive"
The National Security Council (NSC), created during Harry S. Truman's presidency, advises presidents on national security and foreign policy, participates in decision-making, and coordinates across government agencies. Under Biden, the NSC employed over 300 staff, but Trump aims to shrink it to first-term levels (roughly pre-2017 staffing).

Who gets cut? Targeting those Trump deems "disloyal"—competence may matter less than fealty. As one White House official told Axios, Trump's NSC restructuring aims to eradicate the "deep state" within the agency, stating: "In Trump's view, the NSC is one of the ultimate 'deep states.' This purge is his direct assault on it."

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, adjacent to the White House, houses the offices of the National Security Council (NSC)

During Trump’s first term, the National Security Council (NSC) allegedly "betrayed" him as early as 2019. That year, two career military officers seconded to the NSC became whistleblowers, exposing Trump’s July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky, in which he pressured Ukraine to investigate Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. The Democratic-controlled House swiftly impeached Trump on charges including abuse of power, though the Senate ultimately acquitted him.

Trump, known for holding grudges, never forgot the NSC’s "disloyalty." Five years later, his return to the White House brings a reckoning. The May 7 purge aims to consolidate power by stripping the NSC of authority and redistributing its functions to loyalist agencies like the State Department (led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio) and the Pentagon (headed by Secretary of Defense H.R. McMaster)—both seen as staunch Trump allies.

"Power Realignment Triggers New Washington Power Struggles: Trump's NSC Restructuring Centralizes Authority"

The reshuffle will inevitably ignite fresh interagency power struggles. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, tasked with executing the personnel purge, aims to transfer greater authority to the State Department—a process expected to face resistance. The cuts will severely curtail the National Security Council’s (NSC) advisory role and decision-making influence, entrenching a top-down governance model where authority consolidates under Trump and his inner circle.

In a statement, Rubio defended the restructuring: “This realignment aligns with the NSC’s original mandate and the President’s vision.” Trump envisions shrinking the NSC from a major policy-formulating body into a lean, efficiency-driven operation focused solely on executing presidential agendas rather than shaping them.