In a sweeping move on his first full day in office, United States President, Donald Trump, has fired four senior government officials appointed by his predecessor and warned that “over a thousand more” could soon face dismissal.
Trump announced the firings early Tuesday in his first post on Truth Social since taking the oath of office, signalling a rapid shake-up of government personnel.
“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 wrote on the platform.
He specifically named four officials who were immediately dismissed, 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.
“Let this serve as Official Notice of Dismissal for these 4 individuals, with many more coming soon,” Trump declared in his post, which ended with his signature phrase: “YOU’RE FIRED!”—a line he made famous on his reality TV show ‘The Apprentice’.
The decision marked the first step in what is expected to be a dramatic overhaul of government personnel as Trump moved swiftly to remove officials he perceived as obstacles to his agenda.
Many US government institutions prepared for further upheaval, with fears that Trump may follow through on his campaign promises to slash the civil service, restructure key agencies, and even shutter entire departments in the name of efficiency.
Trump’s latest actions mirrored his first term in office when he frequently clashed with career officials and dismissed individuals he believed were working against his administration’s policies.
