President Donald Trump has been quick to remove some of his own picks for top government positions showing little patience if they do not properly adhere to his agenda, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
Trump removed former U.S. Rep. Billy Long as IRS commissioner less than two months after his confirmation, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent serving as acting commissioner. This week, the president replaced short-lived CDC Director Susan Monarez with Jim O’Neill, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s current deputy director. Monarez was in the role for less than a month.
Critics say the turnover is indicative of the chaotic nature of the president while others are quick to point out it has still been far smoother than his first administration. Max Stier, who leads the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit that tracks hiring and firing told the outlet, “No administration has seen more chaos in its leadership ranks than the Trump administration other than Trump one. He begins by being right, and if anyone challenges his worldview, they need to go away.”
An associate of Monarez claimed the former director was fired because she would not terminate certain senior leaders at the CDC over grounds that the firings would be unlawful. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed any notion of legality saying, “The president has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with this mission.”
The president’s pick for Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender was confirmed in March and also packed his bags this month after Trump decided he was not fully on board with the agenda. Cameron Hamilton, the former acting head of FEMA, was also let go after the administration sensed he was not aligned with Trump’s vision of the agency.
Yet Republican strategist Brad Todd says the rapid hiring and firing is just part of the style in the Trump White House. “The voters pick one person to lead the executive branch and that means that person gets to choose every other person,” he said.
When asked by the outlet to clarify some of the recent firings, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said the president has “assembled the best and brightest administration in history to deliver on his promise to ‘Make America Great Again’ from securing the border to delivering the largest middle class tax cuts in history to restoring law and order on our streets.”
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