Hiring, firing, and administration staffing
Trump fired USAID Inspector General Paul Martin one day after his office reported nearly $500 million in food aid was at risk of spoiling due to the administration's gutting of the agency.
Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) launched aggressive efforts to slash federal spending and reduce the government workforce, generating controversy over its access to sensitive government systems and the legality of its actions.
The Trump administration launched an unprecedented effort to drastically reduce the federal workforce, firing probationary employees en masse, offering buyout packages, and reclassifying civil servants to strip employment protections.
Two days after his Senate acquittal, Trump fired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman and Ambassador Gordon Sondland in apparent retaliation for their testimony during the impeachment inquiry.
The day after the 2018 midterm elections, Trump forced Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign, punishing him for recusing himself from the Russia investigation and installing a loyalist as acting attorney general to oversee the Mueller probe.
President Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey while the FBI was investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential ties to the Trump campaign, triggering a constitutional crisis.
National Security Advisor Michael Flynn was forced to resign after it was revealed he had lied to Vice President Pence about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak regarding U.S. sanctions.
