WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump spends his first full day in the White House meeting with congressional leaders, announcing an investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure and demonstrating one of his favorite expressions of power: firing people.
The fresh 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.
Looking to expand on his flurry of Inauguration Day announcements on Tuesday, Trump plans to announce a fresh partnership to invest in artificial intelligence.
Three major business leaders – Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank Group, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Larry Ellison, Chairman of Oracle Corp. – were to join Trump in the afternoon to announce the creation of a fresh company called Stargate that would invest up to $500 billion over the next four years in AI infrastructure, according to the White House.
Stargate intends to begin construction of the project in Texas.
Trump also attended a national prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral on Tuesday morning, a customary visit for fresh 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 don’t think 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 fresh 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 fresh influence over the US government would mark a significant change from his predecessor.
He pardoned hundreds of people for their roles in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, withdrew the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accords and the World Health Organization, and began his crackdown on immigration policy by declaring a national emergency at the border U.S.-Mexico border and sought to end automatic citizenship for anyone born in America, which is expected to face constitutional challenges.
He also signed an order that would suspend a ban on TikTok for 75 days to give the China-based parent company more time to find an approved buyer.
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Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Darlene Superville, Tiffany Stanley and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
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This story has been updated to correct Trump’s quote about the prayer service.
