On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump encouraged billionaire Elon Musk to take a more aggressive approach in reducing the federal government, despite the backlash over layoffs and significant spending cuts.
“Elon is doing a great job, but I would like to see him get more aggressive,” Trump posted all in uppercase letters on his Truth Social platform. “Remember, we have a country to save, but ultimately, to make greater than ever before. MAGA!”
Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE – an entity created by Trump – has swept across federal government agencies, firing tens of thousands of federal government workers from scientists to park rangers, mostly those on probation.
Trump Fires Top U.S. General
In a major and unprecedented move, Trump on Friday fired the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General C.Q. Brown, and pushed out five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of U.S. military leadership.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he would nominate former Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to succeed Brown, breaking with tradition by pulling someone out of retirement for the first time to become the top military officer.
Major Shakeup
The president will also replace the head of the U.S. Navy, a position held by Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman to lead a military service, as well as the air force vice chief of staff, the Pentagon said. He is also removing the judge advocates general for the Army, Navy and Air Force, critical positions that ensure enforcement of military justice.
Trump’s decision sets off a period of upheaval at the Pentagon, which was already bracing for mass firings of civilian staff, a dramatic overhaul of its budget and a shift in military deployments under Trump’s new America First foreign policy.
While the Pentagon’s civilian leadership changes from one administration to the next, the uniformed members of the U.S. armed forces are meant to be apolitical, carrying out the policies of Democratic and Republican administrations.
Brown, the second Black officer to become the president’s top uniformed military adviser, was serving a four-year term meant to end in September 2027.
A U.S. official said Brown was relieved with immediate effect, before the Senate confirms his successor.
(With inputs from Reuters)
