Well, well, well—looks like President Trump is cleaning house, and of course, the left is clutching their pearls like it’s the end of democracy as we know it.
This week, Trump fired 18 inspectors general, and naturally, critics are lining up to call it “illegal,” “authoritarian,” and probably “unprecedented” if they can squeeze that into a soundbite. But let’s not get carried away—Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) just dropped a reality check that should remind everyone how the Constitution actually works.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Cotton didn’t waste any time swatting down the hysteria. The big talking point from the opposition is that Trump didn’t notify Congress before sending these inspectors general packing. But here’s the kicker: the Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue, and guess what? The president has every right to fire federal officers. Cotton pointed to a 2020 Supreme Court case involving Trump’s removal of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) director—a case the president won. So much for the “illegal” narrative.
The left is losing its mind:
Topic: American Reality
In firing 17 IG’s, Trump made history. It’s one thing to fire 1. He did so illegally because he BROKE THE LAW in doing so. But he fired 17. That’s 17 times that he broke the same law. There is a process to doing things in government by rule of law.— Ronald McConneyhead (@mcconneyhead) January 26, 2025
In the dark of night, President Trump fired at least 12 independent inspector generals at important federal agencies across the Administration.
A chilling purge.
It’s a preview of the lawless approach Donald Trump and his administration is taking to being President.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 25, 2025
“Time and time again, the Supreme Court has said that Congress can’t impose restrictions on the president’s power to remove officers,” Cotton explained. That’s right, folks. The Constitution gives the executive branch this authority, and no amount of handwringing from Capitol Hill is going to change that. Inspectors general may be tasked with overseeing agencies and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, but at the end of the day, they serve at the pleasure of the president. If Trump decides he wants people who actually align with his agenda, that’s his prerogative.
“So ultimately, these inspectors general serve at the pleasure of the President,” Cotton added. “He wants new people in there. He wants people who focused on getting out waste and fraud and abuse and reforming these agencies, he has a right to have to get in there who he wants.”
Libs freaking out over Trump firing inspectors general
These are Biden-appointed officials
There’s nothing novel about replacing them with Trump appointees
It’d be crazy *not* to do this
Presidents should be able to fire every person in the executive branch other than the VP
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 25, 2025
Of course, the predictable criticism is that this is all about Trump consolidating power or avoiding oversight. But let’s be real—how effective can oversight be if inspectors general aren’t on board with the administration’s mission? These aren’t lifetime appointments; these are federal officers working for the executive branch, which means the president gets to decide who stays and who goes. The real outrage from the left isn’t that Trump fired these people—it’s that he’s asserting his authority, which they can’t stand.
When Shannon Bream asked Cotton whether Trump will actually fill these vacancies, Cotton acknowledged that it might not happen right away. Fair point—there’s a whole government to run, and let’s not pretend that staffing federal offices happens overnight. But Cotton made it clear that the president’s inherent power to remove and replace officers is rock-solid and has been upheld time and again, whether it’s a Republican or Democratic president in the Oval Office.
What’s particularly amusing is how selective the outrage is. Where were all these critics when President Obama or President Biden exercised similar powers to reshuffle personnel? Oh, that’s right—they were too busy cheering them on. But now that Trump’s the one making the calls, it’s suddenly a constitutional crisis. The double standard couldn’t be more obvious.
This boils down to the president wanting people in key positions who will focus on rooting out waste and reforming agencies—not playing bureaucratic games. If Trump thinks these inspectors general weren’t up to the task, then it’s his right to make a change. And frankly, the American people deserve a government that actually works for them, not one bogged down by political infighting and resistance from holdovers who refuse to get on board.
WATCH: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) defends President Trump firing inspectors general:
“Time and time again, the Supreme Court has said that Congress can’t impose restrictions on the president’s power to remove officers…” pic.twitter.com/c6rf7RJFGX
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) January 26, 2025
So, let the critics cry foul. The Constitution is on Trump’s side, and as Cotton aptly pointed out, the Supreme Court has already backed him up on this. The president is doing what he’s constitutionally empowered to do—cleaning house, setting his agenda, and putting America First. If that makes the left uncomfortable, well, that’s just a bonus.