Atlanta's former mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms out of a job after Trump takes office
White House Public Engagement Advisor Keisha Lance Bottoms speaks a press briefing at the White House on January 13, 2023 in Washington, DC. Bottoms spoke on the President's upcoming visit to the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia for a Mart
ATLANTA - Atlanta's former mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms, is no longer serving in her role as a presidential appointee.
Bottoms, who served one term as mayor from 2018 to 2022, had been appointed to former President Joe Biden's Export Council. She also served as a senior advisor on Biden's reelection campaign.
Trump begins firing people
What we know:
President Donald Trump announced Tuesday morning on Truth Social that he was removing over 1,000 presidential appointees made by the previous administration.
"My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again," Trump wrote.
What they're saying:
However, Bottoms stated on Instagram that she had already resigned before Trump's announcement.
"A day late and a dollar short…. My resignation from the President’s Export Council was submitted January 4, effective yesterday. You can’t fire someone who has already resigned," Bottoms wrote.
Trump also removed other prominent figures, including Chef José Andrés from the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition; retired General Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council; and former State Department official Brian Hook from the board of the Wilson Center.
It is common for a new administration to replace appointees from a previous administration. For example, President Joe Biden dismissed multiple Trump hires after taking office in 2021.
Bottoms career before the White House
The backstory:
Before her political career, Bottoms worked as a prosecutor and represented children in juvenile court. In 2002, she became a magistrate judge in Atlanta. She was elected as a Fulton County Superior Court judge in 2008 and served as an Atlanta City Council member from 2010 to 2018.
In 2020, Bottoms reportedly declined a role in Biden's cabinet and was at one point considered a potential vice-presidential running mate.
In June 2022, it was announced that Bottoms would lead the White House Office of Public Engagement, playing a pivotal role in Biden's reelection bid. She officially joined his campaign in June 2024.
Bottoms was appointed to Biden's Export Council in July 2023, which serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade.