President Donald Trump just fired a key member of the Surface Transportation Board.
Newsmax reports that the Trump administration let go of board member Robert Primus on Wednesday.
Primus is now trying to claim that his termination is “legally invalid.”
Exclusive: President Trump on Wednesday fired Robert Primus, a board member of the railroad regulator that is weighing the proposed megamerger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. Primus said he planned to challenge the termination. https://t.co/zJ2DHQYobZ
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 28, 2025
“Primus did not align.”
The Trump White House has released a brief statement on Primus’s firing.
White House spokesman Kush Desai said:
Robert Primus did not align with the President’s America First agenda, and was terminated from his position by the White House. The Administration intends to nominate new, more qualified members to the Surface Transportation Board in short order.
Primus, a Democrat, was originally put on the board by Trump during the president’s first term. Then, he was renominated to the board position by former President Joe Biden.
Newsmax hints at what may have led to Primus’s firing.
It reports:
The board, which regulates railroads, currently is considering the proposed mega-merger between Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern, The Wall Street Journal reported. Trump nominated Primus, a Democrat, to the board in 2020. He was the only board member to oppose the merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern, which was approved by the STB in 2023.
“Legally invalid?”
Primus released a statement on his termination via LinkedIn.
He wrote:
This is deeply troubling and legally invalid. Ironically, this comes at a time when the Board is considering significant pressing matters of critical importance to both our national freight rail network and supply chain that would directly affect large swaths of our manufacturing, agricultural, industrial, and energy sectors.
Primus went on to claim that he “worked tirelessly to build bipartisan trust” and that he has demonstrated himself “to be truly an independent Board member that has consistently rendered fair and impartial decisions.”
He added:
My record during my four and a half years at the Board reflects this and I strongly believe the actions of the White House would weaken the Board and adversely affect the freight rail network in a way that may ultimately hurt consumers and the economy.
Primus concluded by stating that he is going to keep doing his job as a board member and by threatening legal action should anyone from the Trump administration try to stop him from doing so.
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Author: Oliver Winters
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