WASHINGTON, Jan 20 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump

has ordered federal workers to return to the office five days a

week, signing an executive order in front of cheering supporters

at Washington's Capital One Arena on Monday.

The move would force large numbers of white collar

government employees to forfeit remote working arrangements,

reversing a trend that took off in the early stages of the

COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of Trump's allies have said the return-to-work mandate

is intended to help gut the civil service, making it easier for

Trump to replace long serving government workers with loyalists.

In a brief statement posted to the White House's website,

Trump ordered all heads of departments and agencies to, "as soon

as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote

work arrangements and require employees to return to work

in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time

basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make

exemptions they deem necessary."

Tesla CEO Elon Musk - who chairs a body aimed at

cost-cutting - recently predicted that revoking "the COVID-era

privilege" of telework would trigger "a wave of voluntary

terminations that we welcome."