WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is spending his first full day in the White House meeting with congressional leaders, making an infrastructure announcement and demonstrating one of his favorite expressions of power: firing people.
The modern president announced early Tuesday on his Truth social media network that he would fire more than 1,000 presidential candidates “who do not align with our vision,” including some high-profile names.
Trump fired chef and humanitarian Jose Andres from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, retired Gen. Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, former State Department official Brian Hook from the Wilson Center board and the former mayor of Atlanta, Keisha Lance Bottoms of the President’s Export Council.
“You’re fired!” Trump said in his post – his catchphrase from his reality TV show “The Apprentice.”
Former President Joe Biden also fired many Trump appointees in his first days in office, including former press secretary Sean Spicer from the board of the US Naval Academy.
Trump planned to continue his flurry of Inauguration Day announcements, with the White House promising a “massive announcement” on infrastructure. Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to detail the announcement in advance, but said in an interview on Fox News that it would send a message to the world.
“You won’t want to miss it,” she said.
“Infrastructure Week” became one Punchline during Trump’s first administration As White House officials had repeatedly promised over the years to focus on major public works projects, Trump himself, meanwhile, quickly shifted the focus elsewhere Important infrastructure laws were never implemented.
It was enough of a pattern for Biden to joke that his predecessor had failed to focus on infrastructure for even a week during his time in office The government oversaw the passage of billions of dollars for bridges, tunnels, roads and other projects for the next 10 years.
“He didn’t build anything,” Biden frequently said of Trump, adding that his own administration had delivered an “infrastructure decade.”
Trump wants to ban Chinese companies from owning key U.S. infrastructure in sectors such as energy, technology and agriculture, and he says he will force Chinese owners to sell any holdings “that threaten America’s national security.”
Trump also attended a national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday morning, a customary visit for modern presidents and a conclusion to his four days of inauguration-related events.
One of the speakers at the interfaith service, the right-wing Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, used her sermon to send a message to Trump calling for compassion for LGBTQ+ people and undocumented migrant workers.
“You felt the divine hand of providence. “In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people of our country who are now afraid,” said Budde, who has previously criticized Trump.
Asked by a reporter what he thought of the service, Trump replied: “It wasn’t too exciting.” I thought it was a good service. They could do a lot better.”
Later in the day, the president was scheduled to meet with House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, as well as other Republican lawmakers. It is the first formal meeting of the GOP leadership team, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Senate GOP leader John Barrasso and the modern president, as they set priorities for the employ of Republican power in Washington.
Despite an ambitious 100-day agenda, the Republican-led Congress disagrees on some ideas and policies as it seeks to push through tax cuts for the wealthy, mass deportations and other Trump goals.
Trump used the first hours of his presidency on Monday to sign a series of executive orders and memoranda, quickly showing that his modern influence over the US government would mark a significant change from his predecessor.
He pardoned hundreds of people for their role in the attack on January 6, 2021 The US withdrew from the US Capitol from the Paris Climate Agreement and the World Health Organization, began his crackdown on immigration by declaring a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and seeking to end automatic citizenship for all American-born people, which is expected to face constitutional challenges.
Him too signed an order The company plans to suspend a ban on TikTok for 75 days to give its China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer.
