During his reality TV days when he hosted The Apprentice, Donald Trump loved using the phrase: You are fired. It was his catchphrase, synonymous with other Trumpisms: gilded gold designs that look like they belong in the Ottoman Empire, membership of the WWE Hall of Fame, stream-of-consciousness speeches that hint at logorrhoea, taking credit for ceasefires, describing all objects as beautiful, and in general being unhinged Americana on steroids and Diet Coke. However, in his second term as President – after coming back from political exile and dodging a bullet – Trump is quite reluctant to use his catchphrase.
In his first term, according to an analysis by the Brookings Institution of Trump’s A-team, when he was still surrounded by old-school Republicans, Trump fired 60 candidates and had a turnover rate of 92%, with only five people remaining in their original posts by the time his tenure at the White House was done.
