Multiple sources inside and outside the White House cited a variety of reasons for the exodus already underway, ranging from the urgent need for employment to a palpable disgust with Trump’s ill-fated election challenges.

One source familiar with the situation said Trump’s refusal to accept defeat has unnerved some staffers who worry the President is tarnishing his own legacy and, more critically, eroding voters’ faith in US elections. Others have said they understood the odds were high that they’d need to find new jobs soon, and they prepared to make career moves regardless of how the President reacted to defeat…

“I think people are moving on because they have families or livelihoods to support,” the official said.

“That, and the place is becoming more toxic by the day … people turning on each other, trying to settle scores while they can,” the official added.