José Andrés is firing back on President Trump’s claim that he was “fired” as a presidential appointee, calling on the commander in chief to “put politics and name calling aside.”
In a social media message posted by Trump on Tuesday after his inaugural ceremony a day earlier, the president wrote that Andrés, a celebrity chef and founder of World Central Kitchen, was one of “over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration” who “are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again.”
Then-President Biden tapped Andrés to help lead the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition in 2022.
“YOU’RE FIRED!” Trump wrote on Tuesday.
In a response to Trump’s Truth Social post, Andrés pushed back on Trump’s message.
“I submitted my resignation last week … my 2 year term was already up,” Andrés, 55, said, calling the role an honor.
“My fellow council members — unpaid volunteers like me — were hardworking, talented people who inspired me every day,” the restauranteur and humanitarian said.
Andrés, a vocal critic of the 47th president, said, “I hope @realdonaldtrump exercises his presidential authority so the Council can continue to advocate for fitness and good health for all Americans. These are bipartisan issues…nonpartisan issues.”
“May God give you the wisdom, Mr. President, to put politics and name calling aside…and instead lift up the everyday people working to bring America together. Let’s build longer tables,” Andrés, who was born in Spain and became an American citizen in 2013, said.
In an interview last November, ITK asked Andrés how he was approaching the next four years and if he would be willing to work with the incoming president following Trump’s White House win.
“I’m always ready for joining forces when people want to do good,” he said.
“I will keep contributing to my country, to America, the same way America gave me a lot of what I have in the last 33 years.”
“I’ve been now with many Republican and Democratic presidents alike — and the world keeps going on and America keeps moving,” he said.
“Some things get better, some things they always have room for improvement, but you hope that the people in power have always the best interest of everybody.”
