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Just one day into his presidency, Donald Trump announced that his personnel office is “actively in the process of identifying and removing” former appointees in Joe Biden’s administration.
They include celebrity chef José Andrés and the commandant of the US Coast Guard Adm Linda Fagan, as well as retired US army general Mark Milley who had served on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council.
In a post on his social media, the newly-elected President Trump said he was removing appointees who are “not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again”.
He added that over 1,000 positions would be replaced, with “many more” announcements to be made in the coming days and weeks.
Through his Truth Social account, he said: “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.
“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!” Trump wrote.
Earlier on Monday, General Milley had been one of the people offered a pre-emptive pardom from Mr Biden, hours before he left office for the final time.
Milley served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during Trump’s first term and has warned Trump is a fascist. In a statement, Mr Biden noted that the pardons did not denote guilt.
“The issuance of these pardons should not be mistaken as an acknowledgment that any individual engaged in any wrongdoing, nor should acceptance be misconstrued as an admission of guilt for any offense. Our nation owes these public servants a debt of gratitude for their tireless commitment to our country,” he wrote.
In a statement, Gen. Milley said he and his family were “deeply grateful” for Biden’s action.
“After forty-three years of faithful service in uniform to our nation, protecting and defending the Constitution, I do not wish to spend whatever remaining time the Lord grants me fighting those who unjustly might seek retribution for perceived slights,” he said. “I do not want to put my family, my friends, and those with whom I served through the resulting distraction, expense, and anxiety.”
Meanwhile, a senior official told Fox News that Admiral Fagan’s role had been terminated due to an “erosion of trust” over her failure to address border security threats, operational failures and the mishandling and cover-up of an internal investigation into sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
Andrés, a famous restaurenteur who founded the World Central Kitchen, which provides meals in the wake of natural disasters, has remained an outspoken critic of Trump.
In March 2022, he was named by Mr Biden as co-chair of the US President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, but has now been dismissed.
