President Donald Trump faces backlash after announcing the firing of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles “CQ” Brown, a four-star Air Force general, on Friday.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Since taking office last month, Trump has implemented sweeping change amid swathes of executive orders, some of which impacted the U.S. military.
Trump has also had an icy history with retired Army General Mark Milley, his former Joint Chiefs chairman, marked by tension on key issues leading Trump to publicly bash Milley.
What To Know
In a post to Truth Social on Friday, Trump announced Brown’s ouster: “I want to thank General Charles ‘CQ’ Brown for his over 40 years of service to our country, including as our current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is a fine gentleman and an outstanding leader, and I wish a great future for him and his family.”
Trump then announced his nomination of retired Air Force Lieutenant General Dan “Razin” Caine to be the next Joint Chiefs chairman. Trump later added that he believes Caine “was passed over for promotion” by former President Joe Biden.
“Alongside Secretary Pete Hegseth, General Caine and our military will restore peace through strength, put America First, and rebuild our military,” Trump said.
Caine worked with Trump during his first term and the president said he was “instrumental in the complete annihilation of the ISIS caliphate.”
The removal of Brown prompted immediate backlash online.
Michael McFaul, U.S. ambassador to Russia under former President Barack Obama, said on X, “This is just awful. I have had the honor of working with and meeting many Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs over the decades. General CQ Brown was one the finest of them all, especially suited for the challenges of our current era of great power competition with China.”
Tennessee Democrat Chris D. Jackson said on X, “🚨 BREAKING: President Trump just fired Joint Chiefs Chairman CQ Brown—no reason given. That’s another highly qualified African American official ousted, only to be replaced by a white guy. This is what ‘America First’ looks like? So sad.”
Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat, also called out Trump on X: “Dictators or wannabe kings fire generals who don’t agree with their politics. This isn’t a banana republic. What Trump and Hegseth are doing is un-American, unpatriotic. It’s definition of politicizing our military, and we should expect to see loyalty oaths (not to the Constitution) and worse coming soon.”
Former Democratic Senate candidate Amy McGrath posted to X: “There is no reason to fire the CJCS other than Trump’s desire to politicize the military. This weakens our country.”
David Axelrod, former strategist for Obama, said on X, “So the president who dodged the draft with “bone spurs” fires the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff–a decorated fighter pilot and Four-Star General–because he’s not a ‘warfighter?'”
What Other People Are Saying
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a statement on Friday, in part: “This evening the President announced that he intends to nominate Lieutenant General Dan ‘Razin’ Caine, USAF, for the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to the President, Secretary of Defense, and National Security Council.
“General Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I look forward to working with him. The outgoing Chairman, Gen. Charles ‘CQ’ Brown, Jr., USAF, has served with distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service. I have come to know him as a thoughtful adviser and salute him for his distinguished service to our country,” Hegseth said.
Concluding, Hegseth added, “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.”
What Happens Next
Trump said in his social media post that he has requested Hegseth to solicit nominations for additional high-level positions that will be announced soon.
