President Donald Trump announced on Monday night his decision to remove thousands of federal appointees made by former President Joe Biden from his administration. Trump said that he would eliminate anyone who did not support his “Make America Great Again Agenda.” In a statement on Truth Social, he said four individuals, including former chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, had already been removed, and more announcements were coming.
“Our first day in the White House is not over yet! 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 said.
“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!” he added. Previously, Hook served Trump as special envoy to Iran during his first term.
At the end of the first Trump administration, General Milley reportedly made secret calls to China, during which he promised to inform General Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army if Trump were to order a preemptive strike against China. Milley was also a vocal critic of Trump following the January 6 riot and received a preemptive pardon from Biden on Monday. Some compared that act to one of treason.
Along with dismissing political appointees, Trump signed an executive order on Monday aimed at simplifying the process for terminating federal employees in policy-making positions. He stated that the move was necessary due to “numerous and well-documented cases of career federal employees resisting and undermining the policies and directives of their executive leadership.”
“Accountability is essential for all Federal employees, but it is especially important for those who are in policy-influencing positions,” Trump wrote in an executive order. “Principles of good administration, therefore, necessitate action to restore accountability to the career civil service, beginning with positions of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character.” Trump also issued an executive order that overturned more than 80 Biden-era policies.
