WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Trump seemed on the verge of making more personnel changes Sunday, following a whirlwind three weeks in which he has parted ways with his chief economic adviser, his chief national security adviser, his secretary of state, his communications director, his personal aide and two of his lawyers – one who lasted six days.

At his coastal resort, Trump told associates he wants to oust Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin. Christopher Ruddy, the chief executive of Newsmax, talked to the president Saturday and then said on TV on Sunday that Shulkin is “likely to depart the Cabinet very soon.”

Ruddy, who speaks to Trump frequently, said on ABC News’s “This Week” that the president thinks the White House is operating “like a smooth machine” and that he has been “perplexed” by news reports of chaos.

“He did say that he’s expecting to make one or two major changes to his government very soon,” Ruddy said.

Trump also said he wants to keep two other senior administration officials who have been in his cross-hairs in recent weeks: his chief of staff, John Kelly, and his housing secretary, Ben Carson. Ruddy offered the same assessment of Kelly and Carson on ABC.

Shulkin, 58, a physician and former hospital executive who won unanimous confirmation by the Senate last year, had been a favorite of Trump’s, racking up legislative victories and fast changes at an agency the president railed against on the campaign trail.

But months of turmoil in the department’s senior ranks have roiled the second-largest federal bureaucracy, which employs 360,000 people. Shulkin has said publicly that high-level political appointees installed by the White House are scheming to oust him over personality and policy differences.

Shulkin has been on the verge of leaving for several weeks, but White House officials have been unable to find a replacement. And Trump – who detests firing people even though he became famous for a “you’re fired” catchphrase – has griped but done nothing to oust Shulkin.

Ruddy’s comments came just before Joseph diGenova backed away from representing the president.

While in Florida, Trump also continued to attack Rex Tillerson, saying in conversations with associates that the recently fired secretary of state did not have the “brains or energy” for the job. Trump seems to still be infuriated by Tillerson, said a person who spoke with the president.

Senior administration officials say Trump has gleefully bashed Tillerson since firing him on Twitter. Among other things, the president remains upset about reports that Tillerson had called him a “moron.”

Trump also told one friend that he was glad H.R. McMaster, his recently ousted national security adviser, was no longer in the administration, and that he now has a team he thinks will implement his agenda.

Trump, associates said, also complained about the media attention that porn star Stormy Daniels is receiving, calling the entire episode a “hoax” that opponents are using to attack him. He asked one friend how Daniels was going to affect his poll numbers.

He closely watched news coverage of a spending bill that many conservatives disliked, including a scathing segment on “Judge Jeanine,” a Fox News Channel program he likes. Jeanine Pirro, the fiery host, is an occasional White House visitor.

Even after signing the $1.3 trillion spending bill, Trump complained that Republicans had trapped him into a bad situation while saying he believed the backlash would be short-lived. Several aides said the criticism of the legislation made the president more determined to secure money for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

By 4 p.m. Sunday, the president was heading back to Washington. First lady Melania Trump is staying in Florida to spend spring break with their son, Barron.

Several people close to the president said they expected him to make a dramatic move to draw attention away from the Daniels interview.