President Donald Trump escalated his confrontation with Big Tech Friday, demanding Microsoft fire Lisa Monaco, the former Biden administration deputy attorney general who joined the company's global affairs team in July. The public ultimatum, posted to Trump's 10 million Truth Social followers, marks an unprecedented direct presidential intervention in corporate hiring decisions at one of America's largest government contractors.
The confrontation erupted Friday afternoon when Trump took to Truth Social to target Monaco directly. 'She is a menace to U.S. National Security, especially given the major contracts that Microsoft has with the United States Government,' Trump wrote in the post. The president claimed the government had 'stripped her of all Security Clearances, took away all of her access to National Security Intelligence, and banned her from all Federal Properties' due to her 'wrongful acts.'
Microsoft has remained silent on the demand, not immediately responding to requests for comment. The company finds itself in an increasingly precarious position as it navigates massive government relationships worth billions while facing direct political pressure over personnel decisions.
The timing isn't coincidental. Monaco's hiring became public Friday morning when Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo posted about the appointment on X, linking to a July article from the University of Chicago law school's website. According to Monaco's LinkedIn profile, she joined Microsoft's global affairs division in July, just months after leaving her Justice Department role.
During her tenure as deputy attorney general under Biden, Monaco oversaw some of the most aggressive antitrust enforcement in decades. She was instrumental in major cases against tech companies and played a key role in the Live Nation antitrust lawsuit announced in May 2024. Her departure from DOJ marked the end of an era of heightened regulatory scrutiny that put companies like Microsoft, Google, and Meta squarely in the government's crosshairs.
Microsoft represents a particularly complex case for the Trump administration. The company is deeply embedded in federal operations, providing cloud infrastructure and productivity software across agencies. Earlier this month, on cloud services for government use, cementing its position as a critical technology partner.
