Trump targets his own administration

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Within hours of taking office on Monday, Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders addressing goals he had pursued throughout his campaign, such as immigration, government spending and DEI. He granted blanket pardons to the 1,500 rioters on January 6 and signed his first eight executive orders (and dozens to date) in front of cheering stadium crowds. But among a raft of actions, Trump also signed an executive order targeting his own federal bureaucracy and allowing the investigation and punishment of his perceived enemies within the government.

The executive order, titled "Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government," begins by noting that the Biden administration and its allies are using the government to take action against political opponents. The report said Democrats "weaponized prosecutorial power like never before to subvert the democratic process." Its stated purpose was to "establish a process to ensure accountability for the previous administration's weaponization of the federal government against the American people." Sounds like a threat. The order lists specific targets, including the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission, agencies that Trump and his supporters claim have betrayed them under President Joe Biden. The Trump team, led by appointees as attorney general and director of national intelligence, will sniff out signs of what it sees as political bias. These officials will be responsible for preparing a report to the president and recommending "appropriate remedial action."

Exactly what those remedies would look like is unclear. Quinta Jurecic, a governance fellow at the Brookings Institution and a New York Times staff writer, said the order's ambiguity could lead to "a long, fitful 'investigation.'" atlantictell me in an email.

But information gathered in such investigations could result in some federal employees being publicly criticized or otherwise punished by Trump. Yurecic noted that in addition to drama, the order could also open the door for "Trump's threats to prosecute his political opponents." In other words: In an executive order that suggests the Biden administration is weaponizing government, Trump is laying out how his administration can do the same thing.

Trump's Cabinet is still being formed, and whoever ends up taking the top legal and intelligence posts will have an impact on how the order is implemented. Trump's pick for attorney general, Pam Bondi, is an established loyalist with longstanding ties to Trump (he reportedly considered her for the job during his first term, But there are concerns that scandals in her past could hinder her confirmation). Bondi sought to downplay Trump's ongoing rhetoric about retaliation during her first Senate confirmation hearing last week and avoided directly answering questions about how she, as attorney general, would be involved in his plans to punish enemies. She said she would not accept assumptions about the president, although she did claim "there will never be an enemy list within the Justice Department." Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has a history of political transitions, though she has recently shown her allegiance to the MAGA world.

Long before Trump took office, his allies expressed interest in transforming the federal bureaucracy—which they derisively call the “deep state”—into a system driven by unquestioning loyalty to the president. As my colleague Russell Berman wrote in 2023, some conservatives believe that bureaucrats should be loyal to Trump, not even veiled in the euphemism of “making government more effective and efficient.” their goals”. Russ Water, the nominee to head the Office of Management and Budget, an obscure but powerful federal position, appeared before Congress for the second time today, having previously written that the executive branch should "boldly bend or break the bureaucracy." Consistent with the president's wishes. "

The executive order on weaponizing the federal government is consistent with the retaliatory goals Trump expressed during his campaign. Accusing rivals of using government for personal gain has been a favored tactic among Republicans in recent years. Still, the order confirms that now that Trump is back in office, he will have no qualms about switching the levers of executive power to fulfill his promise of revenge. Many of Trump's executive actions this week have sent a clear message: If you are loyal, you will be protected. If not, you may be vulnerable.

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Illustration by Akshita Chandra/The Atlantic. Source: Getty

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This anxious century doesn't bring much optimism, but most of us resist pessimism. Things have to improve. They will get better. They must do this. But when it comes to big goals like global stability, a fair economy, solutions to the climate crisis, it can feel as if you've been pushing a boulder up a hill only to see it roll back down over and over again. : All the distance is lost, all the breathlessness is wasted. It's a long walk back to the base, where the boulders sit, daring you to start over - if you're not too tired.

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