Who is Keisha Lance Bottoms and why was she fired by Donald Trump?
KEISHA Lance Bottoms has been given her marching orders by President Donald Trump.
Removing Biden-appointed officials from government is part of a massive shake-up on day one of his second term — here’s everything we know about why she was fired.
Who is Keisha Lance Bottoms?
Keisha Lance Bottoms is an American attorney, politician and political commentator who served as the 60th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2018 to 2022.
Born in Atlanta on January 18, 1970, she is the daughter of R&B singer-songwriter Major Lance.
Keisha is married to Derek W. Bottoms, whom she met in 1991 at Georgia State University College of Law during their freshman year.
Three years later, they tied the knot at Atlanta’s Ben Hill United Methodist Church.
They share four children together — Lincoln, Lennox, Langston and Lance — all of whom they adopted.
Keisha has a diverse background in public service, having worked in all three branches of Atlanta’s government as a judge, city council member and mayor — a unique achievement in the city’s history.
Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her leadership and commitment to public service.
Keisha has received numerous accolades, including being named the 2020 Georgian of the Year by Georgia Trend Magazine, as well as one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year.
National prominence
Keisha gained national attention during her tenure as mayor, particularly for her leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic and the protests following the murder of George Floyd.
She was appointed co-chair of the 2020 Democratic National Convention.
Keisha later served as Joe Biden’s Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement.
Post-mayoral career
She chose not to run for re-election as mayor in 2021, completing her term in January 2022.
In February 2022, the former Atlanta mayor announced on her X/Twitter account that she would be joining CNN as a political commentator.
After leaving office, she joined the Biden administration as senior advisor and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, serving from June 2022 to February 2023.
My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again
President Trump
Keisha was appointed to the President’s Export Council (PEC) by former President Biden on July 14, 2023.
The PEC is the principal national advisory committee on international trade in the United States.
‘YOU’RE FIRED’
On January 21, 2025, freshly inaugurated President Donald Trump announced the dismissal of four senior officials appointed by his predecessor, including Keisha.
Trump made the announcement via his social media platform Truth Social, writing: “Our first day in the White House is not over yet!
“My Presidential Personnel Office is actively in the process of identifying and removing over a thousand Presidential Appointees from the previous Administration, who are not aligned with our vision to Make America Great Again.”
The statement also served as a notice of dismissal for the four officials, with Trump hinting that he was just getting started on a much bigger shake-up of the federal administration.
He added: “Let this serve as Official Notice of Dismissal for these 4 individuals, with many more, coming soon: Jose Andres from the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, Mark Milley from the National Infrastructure Advisory Council, Brian Hook from the Wilson Center for Scholars, and Keisha Lance Bottoms from the President’s Export Council — YOU’RE FIRED!”