President Trump announced the firing of four prominent Biden appointees shortly after midnight on Tuesday, including Brian Hook, a senior ambassador to Iran during his first term, and retired General Mark Milley, whom Trump appointed as Chair of the Joint Chiefs in 2018.
Trump announced on Truth Social the dismissal of Hook from the Wilson Center; Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council; celebrity chef and humanitarian José Andrés from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition; and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta, from the President’s Export Council.
Milley, the former chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received a preemptive pardon from former President Biden during the final hours of his presidency.
Milley has occasionally vehemently condemned Trump, while Trump has implied that Milley should face court-martial and execution.
The portrait of the retired general in the Pentagon, located in the Joint Chiefs hallway, was removed on Monday, less than two weeks after its installation.
Hook, who worked under former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Trump’s initial term, was an advocate for aggressive policies towards Iran and endorsed the sanctions implemented by the Trump administration against the country.
Bottoms served as a senior adviser for Biden’s reelection campaign after opting not to pursue a second term as mayor of Atlanta.
Andrés, the founder of World Central Kitchen, has expressed skepticism on Trump’s ability to implement his extensive deportation strategies and appears to be contemplating a political career himself.
The celebrity chef stated that he filed his resignation from the position last week and that his term had already concluded. He stated that he was “honored” to serve as the co-chair and requested Trump to permit the group to persist in its endeavors.
In a series of executive orders signed on Monday, Trump also mandated that government employees return to the office five days a week.
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