“You’re fired” is among the many catchphrases President Donald Trump is known for. He started saying those words more than 20 years ago when he hosted the reality TV show “The Apprentice.”

Since taking office earlier this month, he has been saying “you’re hired” to people who he strongly believes are the best candidates to help him “ensure effective execution of federal law,” as well as restore “accountability to policy-influencing positions.”

“A critical aspect of this executive function is the responsibility to maintain professionalism and accountability within the civil service,” said a news release the White House issued last week.

It’s all part of an effort to weed out weak links and build the best team possible.

Trump also vowed to terminate federal workers who they think don’t have his back throughout his second term in the White House and recently began offering at least two million federal employees buyouts as a way to encourage less-than-stellar workers to resign.

“If you choose not to continue in your current role in the federal workforce, we thank you for your service to your country and you will be provided with a dignified, fair departure from the federal government utilizing a deferred resignation program,” according to a memo the Office of Personnel Management sent the workers. “This program begins effective January 28 and is available to all federal employees until Feb. 6.”

Not everyone is happy with Trump’s promise to purge workers who don’t meet his standards.

Randy Erwin, of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), said he thinks Trump “has gone out of his way” to intimidate civil service federal employees by identifying insubordinate workers.

Erwin also said Trump is “illegally targeting” them. He added that Trump’s demands on federal workers creates a “threat to society.”

“The White House creating a hitlist of ‘disloyal’ federal employees represents a dangerous escalation of politically motivated retribution that is both illegal and threatens a foundational pillar of American democracy — an independent civil service,” Erwin said in a news release.

“Federal employees swear an oath to support and defend the country from all enemies foreign and domestic. They work for the American people, not the President of the United States himself. Asking employees to submit their loyalty to anyone or anything else would be inconsistent with federal employees’ oaths and contrary to law,” Erwin added.

Trump has said it is OK if federal workers don’t vote for him or agree with his policies. He said they are simply required to enforce the policies.

“Employees in or applicants for Schedule Policy/Career positions are not required to personally or politically support the current President or the policies of the current administration. They are required to faithfully implement administration policies to the best of their ability, consistent with their constitutional oath and the vesting of executive authority solely in the President. Failure to do so is grounds for dismissal,” Trump’s release said.

Trump spoke about his hiring standards during a news conference Thursday after the deadly midair collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

He then issued a memo directing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to review hiring decisions and changes to safety protocols during the last four years as investigators continue to look into the what led to collision.

The memo directs the FAA administrator, which is currently without a permanent nominee, and the transportation secretary to carry out “systematic assessment of any deterioration in hiring standards and aviation safety standards and protocols during the Biden Administration.” Trump also signed an order appointing Christopher Rocheleau as acting FAA administrator.

During the conference, the president blamed the deadly crash on Democrats.

Trump criticized former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, as well as previous diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) initiatives within the FAA and the Department of Transportation (DOT). He said they should have focused on hiring the best people for jobs, including air traffic controllers.

Trump said the Obama administration implemented “a biographical questionnaire at the FAA” to shift hiring away from objective aptitude that, in tern, “minimized merit and competence in the FAA.” He added that he had “a very good policy” in place after Obama left office, but then Biden reversed it.

“I changed the Obama standards from very mediocre at best to extraordinary. Only the highest aptitude. They have to be the highest intellect and psychological aptitude that were allowed to be qualified for air traffic controllers,” Trump said.

He said Obama and Biden, along with other Democrats, contributed to the cause of the collision.

“My original order should never have been changed and I think maybe this could have been avoided — maybe,” he said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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