Former U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Microsoft to dismiss Lisa Monaco, its president of global affairs, citing national security concerns tied to her previous role in the Biden administration.
In a post on Truth Social to his 10 million followers, Trump described Monaco as “a menace to U.S. national security,” referencing Microsoft’s extensive federal contracts. He claimed Monaco had been stripped of her security clearances, barred from federal properties, and cut off from access to national security intelligence.
Microsoft declined to comment on Trump’s remarks. The company provides cloud infrastructure and productivity tools across U.S. government agencies and recently agreed to deliver $3.1 billion in cost savings on federal cloud services.
Monaco’s appointment and political backdrop
Monaco, who previously served as deputy attorney general under President Joe Biden, joined Microsoft in July as president of global affairs, according to her LinkedIn profile. Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo highlighted her appointment on social media earlier Friday, sharing a University of Chicago law school article from the time of her hiring.
The controversy comes amid heightened scrutiny of Microsoft’s government relationships. On Thursday, the company announced it would terminate cloud storage and AI services for a unit of the Israeli military after investigating claims that the unit had developed a system to track Palestinians’ phone calls.
Political timing
Trump’s demand also follows the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, a case he had pressed prosecutors to pursue. He is scheduled to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, according to NBC News.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was among several technology executives who attended a White House dinner earlier this month, underscoring the company’s ongoing ties to U.S. policymakers despite the political spotlight now falling on Monaco’s role.
