Trump’s USA The President’s Team

Pete Hegseth fires US top army commander

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has asked Army Chief of Staff Randy George to resign and retire immediately, the Pentagon reports according to the AP.

A source to CBS News states that Hegseth wants a replacement who better implements his own and Trump's vision for the army.

- We are grateful for his service, but it is time for a change of leadership in the army, says a senior source within the Defense Department.

Randy George was nominated by Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in 2023. His four-year term was to have expired next year.

Analysis: Trump avoided ministerial chaos – until now

Pam Bondi's tough, combative style made Trump like her – but it didn't make her the best attorney general, writes David Blevins for Sky News.

"In the eyes of supporters, she was determined and relentless, and in the eyes of critics, she was too confrontational for the nation's highest judicial office."

Regarding the Epstein investigation, she promised much but delivered little, writes Blevins. In congressional hearings on Epstein, she launched fierce counterattacks and refused to pay attention to the sex offender's victims who were there. The storm of criticism that followed – and the lack of successful prosecutions of the president's political enemies – made Trump's case boil over.

Trump went a year without firing any ministers, but now Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have both been fired in the space of a few weeks. Daniel Bush writes for the BBC.

Last term, Trump fired a string of top figures in his first year, causing drama that often overshadowed his political agenda, Bush continues.

“Trump seemed determined to avoid a repeat during this term, and has refrained from firing ministers – until now.”

Bondi: “Eternally grateful for Trump’s trust”

Outgoing US Attorney General Pam Bondi has written a post on X, shortly after the news that she will be fired by Trump.

She writes, among other things, that her time as Attorney General was the greatest honor of her life and that she is looking forward to the unspecified job in the private sector she is now taking.

“I remain eternally grateful that President Trump gave me the trust to make America safe again,” she concludes.