In a surprise announcement, the last remaining members of the president's council on HIV/AIDS have been fired. After the story broke, it didn't take long before backlash followed.

Trump on AIDS

On Friday it was announced that the last 16 members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS have been relieved of their duties. In an announcement by the council’s executive director Kaye Hayes, the remaining members "received a letter informing them that the Administration was terminating their appointments." The council had long been frustrated with Donald Trump's approach to dealing AIDS/HIV, which led to six other members quitting the team over the summer.

Donald Trump still has not appointed a new director to the Office of National AIDS Policy, and never mentioned the LGBT community when giving a speech during World AIDS Day, causing further criticism against him on the matter at hand. The issue of HIV/AIDS funding and research has long had bipartisan support in Congress since the 1990s, with both Democrats and Republicans understanding the serious nature of the virus and the importance in doing what it takes to find a cure, not just in the United States, but also around the world. These issues were reported The Hill on December 29, which resulted in massive backlash against the commander in chief and his decision on social media.

Twitter reacts

Following the news about the firing, critics on Twitter hit back. "Now Trump will appoint Mo, Curly, and Larry to replace them, one tweet read with humor.

"Fabulous.

I can't wait to see the undoubtedly special people he installs on this Council! I'm sure not one of them will have a background in medicine," another sarcastic tweet read. "1984. literally," another tweet noted. "He wants people to die. I'm convinced that he is an evil man with no morals," one Twitter user wrote. Another tweet went on to cite the ongoing opioid crisis as a gateway to contracting the virus, writing, "Why?

The opioid/heroin epidemic is increasing risk of HIV/AIDS."

"Either he'll never replace them or replace them with religious zealots who view AIDS as appropriate punishment. people who have resigned said trump doesn't care about AIDS or programs to address it, his lack of empathy on display yet again," yet another tweet stated. "This is sounding a lot like what Ronald Reagan did back in the 80s when he didn't acknowledge the HIV/AIDS crisis," a social media user wrote.
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