A former executive from Wall Street has taken on a surprising new role and made his astonishment apparent during a conversation with his employees.
Frank Bisignano has been installed as the head of the Social Security Administration, a major federal entity tasked with the distribution of retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to over 70 million Americans.
This appointment seemed unexpected for Bisignano himself, as he expressed during a town hall meeting with Social Security managers from across the nation on May 21st, where he spoke openly.
In an audio recording that was leaked from the meeting, Bisignano mentioned that he had not been actively seeking a position within Donald Trump’s administration and was unfamiliar with the role.
He stated, “So, I get a phone call and it’s about Social Security. And I’m really, I’m really not, I swear I’m not looking for a job.
“And I’m like, ‘Well, what am I going to do?’ So, I’m Googling Social Security. You know, one of my great skills, I’m one of the great Googlers on the East Coast.
“I’m like, ‘What the heck’s the commissioner of Social Security?’”
Ironically, during the meeting, he also criticized media leaks from within the agency, which was revealed through a leaked audio clip.
He added, “Put that as the headline for the Post: ‘Great Googler in Chief. Chief in Googler’ or whatever.”
“By the way, I like to have fun at work, we are allowed to laugh, we are allowed to have fun, we are allowed to know each other’s family, we are allowed to be normal, how is that.”
Despite this, social media users have been critical of Bisignano’s apparent lack of knowledge about his new role.
One user on Twitter remarked, “So he’s 100% in on the time tested and foolproof ‘fake it till you make it’ strategy. Got it.”
Another added, “The qualifications to hold a position in the Trump Admin is to NOT be qualified. If your resume has relevant experience, you don’t even get past the phone screen.”
A third user commented, “This makes my blood boil. These are NOT serious people, but they’ve accepted serious jobs just for novelty?”
Nevertheless, some people defended Bisignano’s new position.
One commenter said, “People act like you need some elite PhD to run the agency…. You don’t…. What it needs is someone who’s actually built things, managed huge teams, and delivered results.
“Frank Bisignano has done that at the highest level, running billion-dollar companies with real accountability.”