Lisa Monaco, the head of global affairs at Microsoft and a person that has served in the administrations of two Democratic presidents, is President Donald Trump's new target. The United States current executive president has publicly demanded Microsoft fire Lisa Monaco from her role as President (or Head) of Global Affairs.
On his Truth Social handle, Trump lashed out at Lisa Monaco, labeling her “corrupt” and “a danger to national security.” Monaco only began her role at Microsoft this spring, formally announcing it in the summer, but Trump’s sharpest criticism appears to stem from her past position as Deputy Attorney General in the Biden administration under Merrick Garland, who oversaw federal cases brought against him.
It's worth noting that Monaco previously served in high-level roles in Democratic administrations: she was 39th Deputy Attorney General in the Biden administration and had national security and homeland security experience under Obama. Her position at Microsoft involves engagement with governments globally, which Trump view as giving her potential access to sensitive matters given Microsoft’s large federal contracts.
Trump writes that he’s already revoked Monaco of security clearances in February, but suggests that her role at Microsoft now lets her access “Highly Sensitive Information.” Despite the fact that multiple outlets have echo that claim in coverage of Trump’s demand, Microsoft had not given an official response to the Trump’s demand.
It’s not obvious why Trump chose this moment to attack Monaco—the flare-up may have followed renewed attention to her hire after Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo posted about Monaco’s move to Microsoft on X the night before.
Interesting new job - Lisa Monaco, ’97, Joins Microsoft as President of Global Affairs | University of Chicago Law School https://t.co/wIjFq6O7vK
— Maria Bartiromo (@MariaBartiromo) September 26, 2025
Meanwhile, this stands out because Microsoft hasn’t been a regular target of Trump's ire; the company’s leaders, including CEO Satya Nadella, have been publicly engaging with the administration and even attended recent White House events, so calling for an executive’s firing marks a notable escalation.
We've seen Trump in moves like that before; a pattern in Trump’s behavior which he always frame the outcome as a win or loss for himself. He often singles out public figures or corporate leaders and pressures them through public attacks. According to TheVerge, he successfully manipulated Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Meanwhile, his efforts to get ABC to cancel Jimmy Kimmel’s show didn’t succeed.
This connects to the Monaco situation because his demand that Microsoft fire her follows the same playbook—targeting an individual he sees as politically hostile, amplifying the pressure through social media, and trying to turn it into a public test of loyalty or influence.
It's worth noting that just yesterday, Microsoft scaled back its involvement in projects linked to surveillance operations by the Israeli military after facing internal backlash, including protests and sit-ins from employees who opposed the work. The company has also been under pressure for laying off staff who spoke out, and its frustration may be compounded by a recent policy change imposing a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, which could significantly affect its global workforce.
