A one-time biographer for President Donald Trump has predicted a shock Cabinet firing in the near future, and all for a surprising reason, which he said was "absolutely fatal": actually being competent at his job.
Michael Wolff is a reporter and author known for his extensive coverage of Trump over the years, including several books about the chaos of his first administration, based on his contacts within the administration. He maintains these connections now, for the second administration, and in the latest episode of his Daily Beast podcast, "Inside Trump's Head," he argued that his long-term exposure to the president has given him a good sense of how things will proceed in the near future.
This included a prediction about the next firing to come from the Trump administration, a top official Wolff said is making the president look bad by comparison.
"I have watched Trump operate now for way, way too long—10 years in which... Donald Trump has dominated my life, and... because he does the same thing over and over and over again, [I have become] pretty good at being able to chart the Donald Trump course," Wolff explained.
He continued: "I think he’s going to fire Marco Rubio. I mean, Rubio has now become the standout figure in this administration."
Rubio, the Secretary of State, has cleared the low bar among Trump officials for competency, and according to Wolff, is "the only guy who seems to show up for work every day and to sit down at a desk and to be capable of addressing what’s on his desk at any given time." The competency and prominence within the administration have led to increasingly loud chatter about Rubio potentially securing the 2028 GOP presidential nomination, over Vice President JD Vance, making him the de facto successor at the head of the MAGA movement.
While Wolff did not write off the possibility of Rubio running in 2028, potentially with Trump's support, he still argued that the secretary will not be in his role much longer, because of the president's fear that somebody else looks like they are in charge behind the scenes.
"In Trumpworld, this is absolutely fatal. When you become the contrast gainer against Donald Trump, you’re finished," Wolff said. "When it begins to look like you are the person who is really in charge, you’re done."
Wolff likened the situation to the one in 20217, when former adviser Steve Bannon got the axe shortly after a Time Magazine cover proclaimed him to be the "Great Manipulator" in Trump's White House.
“You cannot do this around Donald Trump,” Wolff continued. “He just won’t let you. He’ll kill you — just chop off your head.”
He further predicted that Rubio's ouster will come prior to the midterms, as part of an effort from Trump to "change the subject."

