With President-elect Donald Trump returning to power this week in grand fashion, many of those in Washington D.C. who opposed him or are otherwise not in alignment with his vision for America are already throwing in the towel.

According to USAToday, one of those people was IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, who informed employees at the agency that he will resign the day Trump takes office, which is on Jan. 20. 

Werfel's resignation was definitely strategic, as it technically prevented Trump from removing him from office.

The IRS commissioner still had three years left as his term as the head of the U.S. tax agency.

What did he say?

Werfel resigned because Trump has already indicated that he wants former Republican lawmaker Billy Long from Missouri to head the agency.

Had Werfel not tendered his resignation, he undoubtedly would have been fired by Trump, which wouldn't have looked great on his resume.

USAToday noted:

Werfel, in a letter to agency staff obtained by the Wall Street Journal said that if he had tried to remain in office during Long's confirmation process, it would have been "hard to predict what type of distractions this unprecedented scenario would create."

Notably, IRS commissioners typically do not have to worry about being fired, and the transition between presidents usually do not affect them. The last time an IRS commissioner pulled the same move was after Bill Clinton took over in 1993.

The IRS has only two political appointees, one being the commissioner and the other being the chief of counsel.

USAToday added:

The commissioner and chief counsel are the agency's only political appointees, and a 1998 reform bill established five-year terms for IRS commissioners in an effort to keep politics out of tax enforcement. Every president since the 1998 reform − to include Trump in his first term − retained the serving IRS commissioner.

Social media reacts

Users across social media weighed in on Werfel's resignation announcement.

"I hope the Trump Administration gets rid of the IRS, the federal income tax, and the Federal Reserve! please please!" one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "Putting themselves in timeout one after another before Daddy Don pulls up with the belt. Pro tip - it won't save you."

Long, like most of Trump's nominees, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate.