The postmaster general once called the president's leadership style 'self-destructive' and said he'd be fired if he worked for Trump

• US Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a 2005 interview that Donald Trump's leadership style was "self-destructive" and that if he ever worked for Trump, he would be ousted.
• "I'd be fired," DeJoy told The Greensboro News & Record in January 2005.
• "That attitude that you are the most important person is self-destructive," DeJoy told the outlet, referring to Trump's hit television show, "The Apprentice."
• DeJoy, a major fundraiser for Trump and the Republican Party, made headlines in May when he was tapped to oversee the United States Postal Service.
• His coziness with Trump and recent decisions to remove hundreds of mail-processing machines across the country sparked significant concerns about the president's efforts to sabotage mail-in voting by crippling the Postal Service.

Louis DeJoy, the recently appointed US Postmaster General, said in a 2005 interview that Donald Trump's leadership style is "self-destructive" and that if he ever worked for Trump, he would be ousted.

"I'd be fired," DeJoy told The Greensboro News & Record in January 2005.

"That attitude that you are the most important person is self-destructive," DeJoy told the outlet, referring to Trump's hit television show, "The Apprentice."

DeJoy was appointed postmaster general in May by the United States Postal Service's board of governors. He is also the Postal Service's chief executive officer.

Prior to spearheading the embattled post office, DeJoy was a major fundraiser for Trump and the Republican National Committee in Charlotte, North Carolina. He took over as postmaster general on June 15. Shortly after assuming his new role, DeJoy announced plans to "implement an organizational realignment" at the agency.

The announcement and his coziness with Trump and the GOP sparked immediate questions about the president's efforts to sabotage mail-in voting by financially crippling the Postal Service.

In recent days, DeJoy has drawn sharp criticism for his decision to remove hundreds of high-volume mail-processing machines across the country this year. In addition to the controversy over the mail-processing machines, a number of states have seen the removal of letter-collection boxes, and people across the country have seem major slowdowns in mail delivery services.

Trump sought to distance himself from DeJoy over the weekend, telling reporters, "I don't know. I don't know what he's doing. I can only tell you he's a very smart man."

Meanwhile, congressional Democrats have signaled that they plan to take action; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on Sunday that the House of Representatives will cut its summer recess short to vote on legislation countering recent changes at the USPS that could hurt mail-in voting this fall.

"Lives, livelihoods and the life of our American democracy are under threat from the president," Pelosi said. "That is why I am calling upon the House to return to session later this week." Other Democratic lawmakers like California Rep. Adam Schiff and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have called for DeJoy's resignation.

Some Republicans have also spoken out against DeJoy's changes to the post office.

"I share the goal of putting the USPS back on a financially sustainable path; however, this goal cannot be achieved by shortchanging service to the public," Maine Sen. Susan Collins wrote in a letter to DeJoy last week. She added that

On Monday, DeJoy agreed to testify before the House Oversight Committee next week regarding his leadership of the Postal Service.

Michelle Mark contributed reporting.