President Trump declared Sunday that it is “very good” that thousands of lawyers have chosen to leave his administration, responding directly to a New York Times report.
The Times report found that more than 10,000 lawyers working for the federal government departed between the end of 2024 and March.
Trump addressed the reporting publicly, framing the large-scale legal talent exodus as a positive development for his administration.
The president did not express concern over losing thousands of federally employed lawyers, instead welcoming the departures as beneficial.
The New York Times story described the situation as an exodus, signaling a significant reduction in the federal government’s legal workforce.
The scale of the departures, surpassing 10,000 lawyers, represents a notable shift in the composition of the federal government’s legal operations.
Trump’s response drew attention to a broader debate about the role of legal professionals within the executive branch under his administration.
The president’s remarks came on a Sunday, suggesting he was monitoring media coverage of the administration’s shifting legal workforce closely.
The Times report framed the departures as a significant loss, while Trump’s public comments pushed back against that characterization entirely.
The contrast between the newspaper’s framing and Trump’s reaction highlights a deepening divide over what the shrinking federal legal workforce means for governance.