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Trump Fires Senior Advisors and Faces Biden's Pardon Echoes
Former President Donald Trump announced that he has fired four staff members, including retired General Mark Milley, from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. He also mentioned that these individuals include José Andrés from the Presidential Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, Brian Hook from the Wilson Center for Research, and Keisha Lance Bottoms from the Presidential Export Council. Trump explained that this decision resulted from these individuals' lack of alignment with his vision of "making America great again."
Trump concluded his announcement with his famous phrase, "You're fired!" which has become a symbol of his style on the reality show "The Apprentice."
These statements coincide with the recent decision by current President Joe Biden, who issued a pardon last Monday for Dr. Anthony Fauci and retired General Mark Milley, as well as members of the House committee that investigated the January 6 attack on the Capitol. This move has been considered an unconventional use of presidential powers in the final moments, as Biden seeks to protect these individuals from potential "retaliation" that may come from a forthcoming Trump administration.
Biden's decision came amid Trump's previous warnings about preparing a list of those who opposed him politically or who sought to hold him accountable for his actions during the 2020 election crisis and his role in the Capitol breach on January 6, 2021.
For his part, Trump emphasized that the pardons do not necessarily mean an admission of anyone's wrongdoing or misconduct, urging not to misunderstand these decisions.
It is noteworthy that Fauci, who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for nearly 40 years, was part of Trump's presidency and later became Biden's senior medical advisor until his retirement in 2022, having played a prominent role in coordinating the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, his opposition to some of Trump’s health concepts brought him significant criticism, particularly from the Republican Party, which accused him of failing public health policies such as mask mandates, despite many fatalities.
As for Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he described Trump as fascist and spoke in detail about the president's behavior during the January 6 riots, increasing the anger towards him among Trump supporters.
