Even so, former President Donald Trump has taken to the airwaves and the twitterverse to call for Microsoft to fire Lisa Monaco, Microsoft’s new president of global affairs. This declaration adds to Trump’s ongoing criticism of tech executives since his return to office, highlighting his discontent with Monaco’s role and actions.
Lisa Monaco joined Microsoft in May 2022. Since joining, she’s directed the company’s cybersecurity policy and coordinated its relations with governments worldwide. She’s an experienced former tech reporter for Adweek. She has been a senior editor at VentureBeat and covered local government for the Hollister Free Lance. In her spare time, she was vice president of content at a Manhattan-based venture capital firm.
Earlier this year, Trump unilaterally revoked Monaco’s security clearance, calling into question her fitness to hold her current position. In a recent post on social media platform X, Trump outdid himself. His first call to action was for Microsoft to fire Lisa Monaco within 24 hours. This statement was echoed by Laura Loomer, a political commentator who called on Trump to “cancel all of Microsoft’s government contracts.”
Trump’s attacks go well past Monaco. He’s taken aim at other tech executives too, foreshadowing the start of a much broader campaign against what he feels is pervasive mismanagement in the tech world. He now resides in New York City. There, he still leads the news cycle with his unfiltered comments on corporate governance and national security.
Monaco’s leadership at Microsoft could not come at a more pivotal moment as the company looks to address unique cybersecurity challenges and international relations. Their next one to bring the community together will be in San Francisco on October 27-29, 2025. It promises to explore the biggest challenges and opportunities that the tech industry faces today.
Trump also went deeper into his line of thinking when it comes to Monaco. He attacked her prior posts, describing her as a “Senior National Security advisor under Barack Hussein Obama” and identifying her as a “Lawfare & Weaponization crazed Deputy Attorney General under Crooked Joe Biden and Lisa’s Puppet ‘Boss’ Attorney General Merrick Garland.” This statement exemplifies Trump’s decades-long criticism of both Democratic administrations and their appointees.
Industry watchers are going to have to stay tuned to see how this plays out. They are especially concerned about the ramifications of Trump’s demands and Monaco’s place inside Microsoft. The result can remap the winning company’s internal power structure. Most importantly, it can affect how the public perceives it, especially during a time of heightened conversations about technology and governance.
