'You're fired': Thousands taunt Trump with his own catchphrase after election loss

In this Jan. 16, 2015 file photo, Donald Trump, then-host of the television series "The Celebrity Apprentice," mugs for photographers in Pasadena, Calif.
In this Jan. 16, 2015 file photo, Donald Trump, then-host of the television series "The Celebrity Apprentice," mugs for photographers in Pasadena, Calif.

President Donald Trump faced a predictable taunt from thousands of social media users on Saturday after he lost his bid for reelection: You're Fired.

It's the catchphrase he used to kick off contestants when he hosted the reality show "The Apprentice" for years — a show that brought him pop-culture fame that helped boost his 2016 bid for president.

NBC cut ties with Trump in 2015 after he made "derogatory statements" about Mexican immigrants as he began his bid for president.

Media coverage of high turnover in his administration often invoked the phase, although, as the Associated Press noted in the year after Trump was elected, Trump often delegated the task of firing someone or publicly shamed those he wanted out, so they would simply quit.

As president in 2017, Trump invoked the catchphrase in a tweet saying football players who did not stand for the national Anthem should be told "YOU'RE FIRED."

While the catchphrase has faded in popularity in recent years, Trump's critics have not forgotten it:

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'You're fired': Thousands taunt Trump with 'Apprentice' catchphrase