If Donald Trump serves two terms as president, he's likely to blow away Harry Truman and George W. Bush for the most Cabinet members.
Truman and Bush each had 35. Truman, for instance, had four secretaries of state, four secretaries of defense and four attorneys general. Bush had four directors of the office of management and budget, three secretaries of the treasury and three attorneys general.
Trump, only in office for 14 months, moved up the list Tuesday when he replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.
In addition, he's already on his second secretary of health and human services, secretary of homeland security, secretary of labor (the first one withdrew his nomination) and now director of the CIA (where Gina Haspel is his new nominee).
Trump indicated he and Pompeo would see more eye to eye than he did with Tillerson on things. Clearly, that's important for the individual who represents the president around the world.
Most presidents come into office with a knowledge of the type of person they believe might fit that bill. This president, a businessman, most likely did not.
Tillerson was a businessman too, but he learned fairly quickly that Trump might say one thing before the secretary of state left on a trip and voice a completely different opinion while he's on the trip.
That's a difficult situation for any coworker, friend or spouse.
Or he might let his son-in-law conduct a foreign policy matter or two without consultation from the State Department.
Trump said he and Tillerson "disagreed on some things," including the Iran nuclear deal. The Paris climate accords, the Jerusalem embassy move and his approach to North Korea are said to be others.
In our opinion, a president should have advisers and Cabinet members who will voice various opinions - even those contrary to the president's - but be a loyal soldier once a decision is made.
But the volatile Trump is hard to predict. He thinks what he thinks when he thinks it. We hope Pompeo is up to the job.
He's got lots going for him: first in his class at West Point, Army cavalry officer, Harvard law degree, business executive, congressman, CIA director.
Pompeo's tenure - he still must be confirmed by the Senate - comes at a tenuous time for his boss, who just last week said he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for a summit meeting regarding the Asian country's nuclear arsenal.
A good showing there for Trump could re-establish the U.S. as a major player in brokering peace. A bad one would give mid-term voters another reason to oppose him and his party.
"I have gotten to know Mike very well over the past 14 months, and I am confident he is the right person for the job at this critical juncture," Trump said in a statement. "He will continue our program of restoring America's standing in the world, strengthening our alliances, confronting our adversaries, and seeking the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
The most important question, though, is whether or not he can speak Trump. If he can, the president is less likely to join Truman and George W. Bush. If he can't, he might help Trump reach the former presidents' mark in one term.