President Donald Trump’s second-term staffing efforts may look organized from the outside, with the Senate confirming more than 300 civilian nominees since January and even changing its rules to speed up the process. But behind the scenes, the administration is dealing with major internal issues. Trump has withdrawn an unprecedented number of nominations in his first year, facing resistance from Republicans, vetting failures, internal disagreements and at times the president’s own shifting decisions.
According to Senate records, Trump has pulled back 57 nominations, far surpassing the 22 he withdrew during the first year of his first term and the 29 withdrawn by Joe Biden during his first year. It is the highest number of withdrawals in a president’s opening year since at least the Reagan era. Many GOP senators were surprised by the data, though they acknowledged what it suggests: in some cases, the White House is not ensuring its nominees can actually win Senate approval.
“It looks like some people were not properly vetted, and someone said ‘nominate them anyway,’” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters.
One of the clearest examples was the long internal fight over Paul Ingrassia’s nomination to lead the Office of Special Counsel. After reports surfaced that he made racist comments in a group chat, Ingrassia withdrew, saying he did not recall making the remarks and would not confirm the authenticity of the leaks. Senate Republicans had privately warned the White House for months that his nomination was in trouble.
A person close to the White House, speaking anonymously, said Ingrassia’s situation showed just how flawed the vetting process had become. “Some of this vetting was absolutely questionable,” the person said, calling the Ingrassia nomination “a vetting disaster” allowed to move forward because of personal connections.
Trump also encountered Republican opposition over Ed Martin’s nomination to serve as U.S. attorney in Washington. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) effectively ended Martin’s chances by telling the White House he could not support him due to Martin’s previous defense of individuals accused in the Capitol riot. Even before that, Martin had been viewed skeptically by GOP senators.
A Senate aide said that several withdrawals had more to do with internal administration conflicts than Senate objections. A White House official, also speaking anonymously, confirmed that the presidential personnel office recently tightened its background checks for nominees.
The person close to the White House said not all nominations were handled properly under Sergio Gor, who led the personnel office until he was confirmed as ambassador to India. They suggested Gor’s replacement, longtime Trump ally Dan Scavino, would allow fewer problematic nominations to move forward. “Dan is more cautious and less willing to hand out jobs to people who cannot survive a vetting process,” the person said.
The White House responded by noting that some of the 57 withdrawals involved nominees being resubmitted for different positions or updated responsibilities. For example, Frank Bisignano’s nomination for Social Security commissioner was withdrawn and immediately resubmitted in January.
Officials also stressed that Trump is nominating candidates at a record pace and has secured more Senate confirmations at this point than during his first term or than Biden achieved in the same period. Republicans were already approving Trump’s picks quickly, and in September they changed Senate rules to allow large groups of nominees to be confirmed at once. A batch of 108 was approved in September, followed by another 48 in October.
Tillis, surprised by the high number of withdrawals, said Trump’s fast pace of nominations may be creating vetting problems. “When you move quickly and bring in new people, you are going to run into some issues,” he said, though he believes only “outliers” have serious problems.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), also surprised by the withdrawals, said the Senate has a responsibility to advise and consent. He noted that sometimes senators quietly urge the administration to reconsider nominations, and the White House often agrees.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston defended the administration, saying Trump is choosing “the most talented patriots” to advance his America First agenda. She said Trump’s appointees are delivering results on his key promises, from border security to energy policy.
While Martin and Ingrassia were public examples of nominations collapsing, others have failed more quietly. Joel Rayburn, nominated for an assistant secretary of State role, ran into strong opposition from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
Trump has also withdrawn nominees for strategic reasons. He pulled Rep. Elise Stefanik’s nomination for U.N. ambassador earlier this year out of concern that losing her in Congress would narrow the GOP majority. He withdrew Jared Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA due to concerns over “prior associations” but renominated him months later.
Last month, Trump withdrew Donald Korb’s nomination as IRS chief counsel after a campaign led by activist Laura Loomer. She celebrated after the withdrawal, saying Korb had been “Loomered.”
Other nominees were blocked by the Senate’s blue-slip tradition, which allows home state senators to reject district court judges and U.S. attorney nominees. Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim refused to return a blue slip for Alina Habba, nominated for U.S. attorney in New Jersey. Trump withdrew her nomination and attempted to install her as acting U.S. attorney, leading to a legal dispute.
Trump is still defending nominees facing blue-slip issues and is pressuring Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley to eliminate the practice entirely. Republicans removed the requirement for appellate nominees during Trump’s first term, but many GOP senators oppose removing it for all judicial picks.
During a breakfast with GOP senators last month, Trump said he fired one nominee after discovering he was supported by Virginia’s Democratic senators. Trump said he withdrew nominations for Todd Gilbert and Erik Siebert, both nominated for U.S. attorney positions in Virginia, after noticing the glowing endorsements they received.
“When I saw the two senators from Virginia praising him, I said let me look at this,” Trump told senators. “I called him and said, ‘You’re fired, get out.’”