Trump goes on unprecedented military purge to hire MAGA loyalists

Washington, DC - President Donald Trump and his administration recently fired two prominent military officials as he continues his aggressive purge of federal workers.

Donald Trump (r.) has tapped Air Force Lieutenant General Dan "Razin" Caine to become the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General.
Donald Trump (r.) has tapped Air Force Lieutenant General Dan "Razin" Caine to become the new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General.  © Collage: US Air Force & MANDEL NGAN / AFP

On Friday evening, Trump announced in a Truth Social post that he had fired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., the second African American to hold the top military position.

He thanked the general for his "over 40 years of service to our country" and wished him a "great future."

Trump went on to reveal that Brown will be replaced by Air Force Lieutenant General Dan "Razin" Caine, a staunch MAGA loyalist.

Supreme Court goes against Trump in first ruling on executive actions
Donald Trump Supreme Court goes against Trump in first ruling on executive actions

"General Caine is an accomplished pilot, national security expert, successful entrepreneur, and a 'warfighter' with significant interagency and special operations experience," Trump wrote.

That same day, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared a statement, thanking Gen. Brown – whom he previously derided for having "woke" ideologies – for his service.

Hegseth also revealed that he has requested nominations for the positions of Chief of Naval Operations and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff, as he has fired Admiral Lisa Franchetti and General James Slife.

"Under President Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting, and winning wars," Hegseth concluded.

Trump installs MAGA loyalists after firing sprees

Since taking office, President Trump has fired thousands of federal workers and officials.
Since taking office, President Trump has fired thousands of federal workers and officials.  © JIM WATSON / AFP

Since taking office, Trump, who vowed to aggressively revamp the federal government, has fired thousands of federal workers and officials and begun to dismantle numerous government agencies that he claims do not align with his MAGA agenda.

While Trump and his administration have argued those fired were either corrupt or inept at their job, critics have argued that he intends to stock his administration and the government with only fierce loyalists.

His shakeup of military officials comes as he has been proposing wildly controversial foreign policy moves, such as his ambitions to take over Canada, Gaza, Greenland, and the Panama Canal.

At last year's annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Trump shared the story of when he first met Dan Caine, during which the general supposedly told him, "I love you, sir. I think you're great, sir. I'll kill for you, sir."

Cover photo: Collage: US Air Force & MANDEL NGAN / AFP

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