Slowly but surely, Donald Trump is beginning to deconstruct his administration, with the removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi so close on the heels of the ousting of Homeland Security Chief Kristi Noem, signals a long-awaited house-cleaning. The MAGA Mar-a-Lago patronage network is finally being not only re-examined but dismantled. Not since the 1920’s and during Watergate has a government seen such a reshuffling of the deck.

Trump clearly was sold on a strategy of constantly irritating his opponents with repeated machine gun-like bursts. In the case of Noem, he used her as an in-your-face critic of those who resisted his immigration program. “Owning the libs,” as the MAGA elite might say, proved too much for the way too flashy Noem. With the Minneapolis fiasco, Trump’s plans were disrupted. Add Corey Lewandowski to the mix, and it deteriorated into a comedy. Bondi, whose attempts to teach the President’s critics a lesson turned into a shouting match unworthy of a Cabinet member.

It also begs speculation as to who may be next–Robert F. Kennedy, the Health and Human Services Secretary, comes to mind. Although he has made some responsible decisions, particularly regarding nutrition, it is clear that RFK Jr. is awkward when expected to be partisan. Even Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be judged on how the Iran War is wound down. And he has clearly been the star of the show in the Cabinet.

Trump will not come out unscathed, because these changes represent a radical shift in course. MAGA may have helped fuel his comeback, but the removal of some of their favorites could rebound against the President. Trump is more comfortable with traditional Republicans on policy. He never seemed happy with supporters who wanted to imitate his style. Huey Long never liked supporters such as Gerald L.K. Smith, who tried to be a little “Kingfish,” so it is with Trump.

You can forgive someone’s loyalty to an awkward subordinate. In this respect, Trump can be overly indulgent. He tries to be loyal, but damages his reputation by being overly nice. He clearly is fond of Bondi and thus waited too long. Being a cabinet member is difficult, and Bondi was clearly out of her depth navigating the rough-and-tumble shoals of politics.

Though these problems were not simply the fault of Bondi or Noem, it takes teamwork. The President promised to open the Jeffrey Epstein files, but later had second thoughts. Allegedly, he thought that Bondi handled the case badly. But given his stonewalling tactics, how could she protect him, given his own insistence on not wanting to investigate the affairs? Noem followed orders, albeit with a flamboyant twist.

Trump, as with Nixon, believes he protects himself by getting rid of his Attorney General. But dumping John Mitchell opened a can of worms, and Bondi could turn into John Dean, who was Nixon’s personal counsel. Bondi shares more in common with Dean than with Mitchell, in that she was ordered to serve as personal counsel rather than the chief law enforcement officer of the United States.

Stay tuned.