Trump Allies Plot to Stock Government With Up to 54,000 Loyalists
Trump is clearly not happy with many of his key hires during his first term in office, regularly slamming former lackeys like Attorney General Bill Barr, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Adivser John Bolton. Axios reported in 2022 that Trump planned to ensure the loyalty not just of his high-profile appointments, should he win in 2024, but of thousands of mid-level staffers working throughout the government. Political views, rather than credentials or experience, are driving the process.
The outlet reported on Monday that the effort is well underway — and it’s sophisticated. The campaign is contracting “smart, experienced people, many with very unconventional and elastic views of presidential power and traditional rule of law,” according to Axios, to ensure new hires are fully onboard with the brutal policy proposals Trump has floated. It’s also using AI to vet potentail staffers, including by srubbing their social media.
Remember all of these little articles, all the social media posts, and any other media outing. We are baring full witness to the onset of a dictatorship.
Would be nice if Democratic leadership took this as the threat it is. Instead, they see it as an indication that they can do even less, move even further to the right, and demand even more from voters.
Absolutely nobody on that list should ever be allowed to have the slightest bit of political power.
Harnessing the power of AI to more efficiently install a facist totalitarian state. What an innovative and horrifying use.
And looks like any credentials or experience are going by the wayside again. It was fascinating just how bad all of his appointments were in the first term. Environmental protection agency? Put a coal lobbyist in charge. Department of Education? Grab that religious zealot who wants to abolish all public education. State Department? Get the former boy scouts president and CEO of ExxonMobil in here.
This is frightening though, the idea that Bill Bar and John Bolton sound reasonable in comparison to what he has in mind should be ringing off facist warning bells for any American. I fully expect Attorney General nominee Sidney Powell or someone similar. And for anyone expecting senate confirmations to stop this, it's possible democrats lose the senate again with Joe Manchin out and a bad map this year with democrats and most of these positions don't have any senate confirmation. He also routinely avoided issues with senate confirmation in his first administration, by appointing the facist he actually wanted to a "deputy" or "acting" role, and then leaving the actual role unfulfilled with all duties delegated to the deputy. Many of these people he never even bothered officially nominating to the senate.
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/09/813577462/how-trump-has-filled-high-level-jobs-without-senate-confirmation
Why does the thumbnail look like he’s sucking his own hair with a vacuum
Now i can't unsee it
Well, it certainly does suck
Trump types don't operate well with actual rules. They won't survive the on boarding process.
Why assume the fascistic lackeys will be ejected rather than the rules?
Trump wants to get rid of the federal workforce. He wants to go back to the Spoils system where Presidents awarded government positions and ambassadorships as favors and payment. That way there's nothing stopping from stacking the government and firing any dissenters.
It won't work. The federal government is HUGE now and it'd take years just to get an accounting of who to replace, even if you only go for supervisors and up. This WILL be a huge problem if attempted because it will decapitate every federal agency from being effective.
He succeeded in firing half of State last time. Crippling the government is the whole point.
Uhh no he didn't? Lol, source?
Actually the Federal Government is quite small, but the employees were told to do more with less, now you have individuals who are unreplaceable. Entire functions of Government run through the hands of so few due to their complexity.
So when Trump fires all of them the government simply fails to function.
Sort of similar to how it was before, just far larger in scope of damage.
Trump demands so much loyalty. Not too surprising.
We did away with this a long time ago, it used to be called the "spoils" system. As in to the victor go the spoils. The end was bipartisan as it's a terrible way to run a government unless you want invite incompetence and corruption.
Ending it made sense from the pure cynical pov. If you can't award favors your opponent can't either. If you can't do something you can't be held responsible for not doing it.
It worries me how this sounds. This is exactly the sort of thing you read and hear in fictional stories where the bad guys and good guys are fighting for control of their government.
I don't like this one bit.
Ah the return of the spoilage system.
Where are they going to get those?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The former president reportedly has long planned to overhaul the government in his image should he win another term, and Axios reported on Monday that his team is busy screening thousands of loyalists in the hopes of installing an army of up to 54,000 MAGA diehards to expand the president’s power.
Axios reported in 2022 that Trump planned to ensure the loyalty not just of his high-profile appointments, should he win in 2024, but of thousands of mid-level staffers working throughout the government.
The campaign is contracting “smart, experienced people, many with very unconventional and elastic views of presidential power and traditional rule of law,” according to Axios, to ensure new hires are fully onboard with the brutal policy proposals Trump has floated.
Trump has also repeatedly indicated that he will weaponize the Justice Department to go after his political enemies, including the people responsible for his four criminal indictments and other legal issues.
The New York Times reported the same day on Trump’s sweeping plans to attack immigrants — including through deportations.
The Axios report on Monday emphasizes that the former president and the conservative forces organizing the effort to screen potential staffers are going to stop at nothing to tear down any governmental roadblocks standing in the way of Trump’s brutal vision for the future of the country.
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