President Donald Trump has wasted no time getting the White House just the way he’d like it.
Just one day after being sworn in for his second term as president on Monday (January 20), the 78-year-old quickly signed off on new policies, including reviving TikTok, and fired four White House staff members.
The dismissals, announced on Trump’s Truth Social platform, are part of his plan to remove over 1,000 appointees from Joe Biden’s administration, the New York Post reports.
“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 in a Truth Social post.
He specifically named four individuals in his announcement:
- José Andrés 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
- Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President’s Export Council
“YOU’RE FIRED!” Trump declared, signaling that more terminations are imminent.
At the time of this writing, the post has been ‘liked’ more than 83,000 times on the social media platform.
High-Profile Fallout
Trump’s firing of celebrity chef José Andrés has garnered significant attention, given their turbulent history.
In 2015, Andrés backed out of a restaurant deal at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., following Trump’s inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants.
Trump sued Andrés, and the pair eventually settled out of court in 2017. Despite briefly calling each other “friends”, their relationship soured as Andrés became a vocal critic of Trump and a supporter of Joe Biden, even receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from him.
Trump’s dismissal of Andrés came less than 24 hours into his new term. However, Andrés clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that he had already planned to leave his position.
“I submitted my resignation last week… my 2-year term was already up,” Andrés wrote.
He reflected on his time in the role, expressing hope for a healthier America under Trump’s leadership.
“May God give you the wisdom, Mr. President, to put politics and name calling aside… and instead lift up the everyday people working to bring America together. Let’s build longer tables,” Andrés added.
A Controversial Start
Trump’s inauguration day was rife with viral moments, from an awkward kiss attempt with his wife, Melania, to a controversial on-stage gesture by Elon Musk. But it’s clear that Trump’s focus is firmly on reshaping his administration.
READ MORE: All The Changes Donald Trump Signed Off On During His First Day In Office
The removal of Mark Milley’s portrait from the Pentagon further underscores Trump’s intent to erase remnants of the previous administration.
As Trump’s tenure unfolds, his early actions signal a dramatic and uncompromising approach to governance, especially when it comes to “Making America Great Again”.