The Atlantic

The Best Way to Get Fired by Trump

The president’s new strategy for getting rid of scandal-tainted aides: Quickly accept their resignations, but heap praise on them as they leave.
Source: Kevin Lamarque / Reuters

President Donald Trump says he hates to see Alex Acosta go. That doesn’t mean he didn’t quickly accept the labor secretary’s resignation, though.

Under fire for his involvement in the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s light 2008 sentence, Acosta announced his resignation this morning, two days after a disastrous press conference in which he seemed to criticize Epstein’s victims for not coming forward. Trump tweeted his praise for Acosta: “Alex Acosta informed me this morning that he felt the constant drumbeat of press about a prosecution which took place under his watch more than 12 years ago was bad for the Administration, which he so strongly believes in, and he graciously tendered his resignation. Alex was a great Secretary of Labor and his service is truly appreciated.”

One of, even when he clearly neither liked nor respected them. This was true of Press Secretary Sean Spicer and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, but the most glaring example was Attorney General Jeff Sessions. More recently, however, Trump has developed : He’ll happily cut loose an aide who’s causing him political trouble.

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