Donald Trump has openly announced that he's firing more than one thousand government workers and 'presidential appointees' just hours after he was sworn in as the United States' 47th president.
Trump officially took over from Joe Biden at his inauguration ceremony at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. yesterday (January 20), when he took the presidential oath to 'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States'.
The day was marked with a church service, tea at the White House and even an inauguration ball, but that didn't stop Trump from immediately wielding his new power.
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In a post shared on his Truth Social platform hours after his inauguration, Trump announced that his first day in the White House was 'not over yet'.
He continued: "My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again."
Trump even went as far as to name some of the employees he was letting go, drawing on his old Apprentice catchphrase as he did so.
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The post read: "Let this serve as Official Notice of Dismissal for these 4 individuals, with many more, coming soon.
"Jose Andres from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, Brian Hook from the Wilson Center for Scholars, and Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President's Export Council - YOU'RE FIRED!"
But it seems some workers beat the new president to his firing...
Jose Andres
In spite of Trump's declaration that he was firing Andres, the chef responded to the claim that he'd actually submitted his own resignation last week.
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"My 2 year term was already up," he wrote on Twitter, in response to Trump's announcement. "I was honored to serve as co-chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. My fellow council members - unpaid volunteers like me - were hardworking, talented people who inspired me every day.
"I’m proud of what we accomplished on behalf of the American people…like a historic partnership between the White House and every major sports league to increase access to sports and health programs for kids."
Andres urged Trump to allow the Council to 'continue to advocate for fitness and good health for all Americans.'
Mark Milley
Milley, a retired army general, was the most senior uniformed officer at the Pentagon as chair of the joint chiefs of staff under Joe Biden, and previously under Trump during his first term.
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In recent years, Milley became critical of Trump and declared him a 'total fascist'.
Speaking to veteran Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward, Milley said of Trump: “No one has ever been as dangerous to this country.”
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Similarly to Andres, Bottoms claimed that she submitted her resignation from the President’s Export Council on January 4, writing in a social media post cited by Atlanta First News: "You can’t fire someone who has already resigned. Of all the things happening in the world, not sure why I’m on Donald Trump’s mind at 1:30 am following his inauguration, but I count it as a badge of honor.”
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Prior to her resignation, Bottoms was a senior adviser on former President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, having previously served one term as Atlanta mayor.
Brian Hook
Brian Hook also previously worked for Trump, having served as special envoy for Iran from 2018 to 2020. Prior to his apparent firing, Hook had been appointed to the Washington, D.C.–based think tank, Wilson Center for Scholars.
Topics: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Politics, Social Media
Emily Brown