By Courtney Rozen WASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will have more power to hire and fire up to 50,000 career federal employees in an overhaul of the government's civil service system announced by his administration on Thursday.

In its latest effort to weaken the federal workforce, the Trump administration issued a rule on Thursday that would shift an estimated 50,000 senior career staffers into a new category that would make them easier to fire.

President Trump late Friday addressed a video posted to his social media account that included a racist depiction of Barack and Michelle Obama as apes, telling reporters he didn't see the part that showed the former president and first lady.