In a gesture of goodwill, former President Joe Biden welcomed President Donald Trump to the White House ahead of Monday’s inauguration, addressing him and First Lady Melania Trump with the words: “Welcome home.”
Trump marked his first day back in that residence by sharing a mockingly triumphant post, claiming that his team was actively seeking out hundreds of Biden’s appointees for dismissal.
“Our initial day in the White House isn’t finished yet!” Trump stated in a Truth Social update shortly after midnight. “My Presidential Personnel Office is currently engaged in the task of identifying and ousting more than a thousand Presidential Appointees from the prior Administration, who don’t share our vision of Making America Great Again.”
He especially targeted four specific appointees, calling them out by name: José Andrés, the esteemed Spanish-American chef who established the World Central Kitchen and was appointed by Biden to the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition; Mark Milley, the ex-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who participated in the National Infrastructure Advisory Council; Brian Hook, a diplomat and academic who was a trustee at the Wilson Center for Scholars; and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta who was part of the President’s export council.
“YOU’RE FIRED!” Trump declared, utilizing his iconic catchphrase from The Apprentice.
He commented that his social media post served as an “Official Notice of Dismissal.”
Notably, Trump neglected to mention that Hook, a significant foreign policy figure during his initial term, was not actually appointed by Biden.
Trump had appointed him to the Wilson Center position after Hook’s term as the president’s U.S. special representative for Iran in his first term.
Hook also collaborated with Trump’s former Secretaries of State Mike Pompeo and Rex Tillerson at the State Department.
It appeared that he had maintained good relations with Trump’s team as CNN and Politico reported post-election that he was assisting with transition activities.
Then there’s the topic of Milley, the retired general who led the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the last year of Trump’s initial term.
His discord with the president is widely known: Trump suggested that Milley should face execution for making a phone call—approved by Trump’s administration officials—to Chinese military leaders to reassure them of the stability of the United States following the January 6 riots.
Biden preemptively pardoned Milley just before leaving office, likely to protect him against possible retaliation.
During a luncheon with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Monday, Trump expressed outrage over the pardon, asserting that Milley is “very, very guilty of severe crimes.”
“Why are we attempting to assist a person like Milley?” he inquired.
Later that day, Trump instructively had Milley’s portrait removed from the Pentagon.
