President Donald Trump said his team is "actively in the process of identifying and removing" more than 1,000 presidential appointees from the Biden administration, most notably retired U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley and celebrity chef José Andrés.
More than 12 hours after he took the oath of office in the Capitol Rotunda, Trump was still working to undo many of former President Joe Biden’s actions and appointments.
"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," Trump posted on Truth Social shortly after midnight.
"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!"
Milley, who served as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2019 to 2023, was among the people issued with a preemptive pardon before Biden left office on Monday. The retired general has criticized Trump, and the president has suggested Milley should be court-martialed.
A Milley portrait, in the Joint Chiefs hallway at the Pentagon, was taken down Monday less than two weeks after it was put up.
Hook served under former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Trump's administration.
Former Atlanta Mayor Lance Bottoms was a senior adviser on Biden's reelection campaign.
Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, has questioned whether Trump can carry out his mass deportation plan for illegal migrants.
Trump also ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a week and weakened job protections for civil servants on Monday, the first salvoes in his campaign to gut the federal bureaucracy.
Reuters contributed to this story.