President Donald Trump began the process of firing more than 1,000 Biden-era appointees on his first full day in office by announcing the first four dismissals, which includes retired general Mark Milley.
“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 on Truth Social early Tuesday morning.
The announcement comes after a jam-packed Inauguration Day that saw the new president attend formal ceremonies and sign a slew of executive orders before finally celebrating at the three inaugural balls late into the night.
Trump fired Milley from his role on the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, which advises the president on how to improve the security of critical infrastructure sectors. Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was one of nearly 30 members on the council.
Before leaving office, former president Joe Biden pardoned Milley for any offenses committed against the U.S. under the law or the Uniform Code of Military Justice from January 1, 2014, to January 20, 2025, to prevent his successor from enacting retribution against the former general.
Once loyal to Trump, Milley refused to back his boss after the January 6 Capitol riot and maintained his criticism of the Republican years later. The month before the 2024 election, Milley called Trump a “total fascist” and said the then-GOP nominee was the “most dangerous person to this country.”
Within two hours of Trump taking office on Monday, the Pentagon removed Milley’s official portrait after it was first hung in the military establishment last week. The White House reportedly ordered its removal.
Milley drew the ire of Republicans during his time as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for supporting President Biden’s progressive social agenda. Testifying before Congress in 2021, he defended the teaching of critical race theory at U.S. military academies.
“I want to understand white rage, and I’m white,” Milley said at the time, noting that the crowd that partook in the January 6 Capitol riot was mostly white.
“What is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America?” he added. “What is wrong with having some situational understanding about the country we are here to defend?”
Responding to Biden’s pardon, Milley said he was grateful now that he no longer has to worry about Trump or his allies taking revenge.
Besides Milley, Trump served an official notice of dismissal to José Andrés, the World Central Kitchen founder who sat on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition; Brian Hook, the former special envoy for Iran during Trump’s first term who served as a trustee of the Wilson Center for Scholars; and Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former Atlanta mayor who sat on the President’s Export Council.
“YOU’RE FIRED!” Trump said, ending the message with his signature phrase from the hit reality television show The Apprentice.
Andrés said he submitted his resignation last week since his two-year term was already over. The celebrity chef wished the president well and hopes he “exercises his presidential authority so the Council can continue to advocate for fitness and good health for all Americans.”
The new administration is expected to launch its Make America Healthy Again movement, with Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the helm.