Mass Firing of Inspectors General
Trump fired at least 17 inspectors general in a late-night mass dismissal via two-sentence emails. A federal judge ruled the firings unlawful — Trump had violated statutory requirements to notify Congress 30 days in advance.
On January 24, 2025, just four days into his second term, Trump fired at least 17 inspectors general in a late-night mass dismissal. The terminations were delivered via brief two-sentence emails citing "changing priorities" — no substantive reasons were given.
Inspectors general serve as independent government watchdogs, responsible for investigating waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct within federal agencies. The Inspector General Reform Act requires the president to notify Congress 30 days in advance of any removal and provide substantive reasons for the decision.
Trump did neither. A federal judge later ruled the firings were unlawful because they violated these statutory requirements. However, despite the ruling, the watchdogs were not reinstated.
The mass firing was described as a "Friday night purge" and represented the most sweeping assault on independent government oversight in modern American history. By October 2025, nearly 20 total inspectors general had been removed, effectively gutting the mechanisms designed to hold the executive branch accountable.