By Qamar Bashir
Donald Trump, even before his potential inauguration in 2025, has opened multiple contentious fronts both domestically and internationally. Each of these fronts is serious, radical, and aggressive, carrying significant risks and consequences if not handled with extreme care. However, the most perilous and far-reaching of these battles is his direct confrontation with the so-called deep state. His perception of the deep state arises from the significant resistance he faced from federal agencies during his first term, as well as his belief that the Biden administration has used government machinery as a political tool to intimidate and suppress him, his associates, and his party.
Trump’s anti-deep state policy is based on the premise that the deep state is a network
of entrenched bureaucrats and intelligence officials working to undermine the elected
authority. He has vowed to "obliterate" this institutional opposition by purging
government agencies, dismantling bureaucratic strongholds, reducing administrative
power, and imposing stricter political loyalty tests within federal institutions with the
objective to shift decision-making power away from unelected officials back to the duly
elected representatives of the people.
He rightly understood that the federal bureaucracy has accumulated substantial leverage
over elected officials through the crafting and enforcement of complex regulations and by
maintaining an outsized role in governance and limiting executive flexibility. Trump
rightly realized that without dismantling this influence, no president can effectively
execute their agenda.
To achieve t his, Trump introduced Agenda 47, a sweeping initiative to re-establish a
new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This department is tasked with
setting performance benchmarks, streamlining governmental functions, and ensuring that agencies operate with heightened efficiency and accountability. By defining clear
objectives and reassessing resource allocation, this initiative seeks to eliminate
inefficiencies and curtail the unchecked power of unelected officials.
Soon after his inauguration, Trump issued an executive order to enforce a federal hiring
moratorium, intending to drive deep structural reforms within the government by
reducing bureaucratic expansion and recalibrating agency operations. He issued
Executive Order 13957 (Schedule F) to reclassify certain federal positions. The purpose
was to make it easier to remove employees deemed obstructive to the administration’s
objectives, laid the groundwork for sweeping restructuring, particularly within national
security and intelligence agencies, and fundamentally reforming the Foreign Intelligence
Surveillance Act (FISA) courts.
Additionally, Trump has proposed the creation of a Truth and Reconciliation
Commission to declassify and disclose documents related to alleged deep state activities,
including unauthorized surveillance, censorship, and political interference. He has vowed
to identify and prosecute individuals who leak sensitive government information to the
media, arguing that such leaks contribute to misinformation and internal manipulation.
To ensure continued oversight, Trump has setup an independent auditing system to
continuously monitor intelligence agencies, preventing them from engaging in
unauthorized activities against American citizens, and to dismantle the entrenched power
structures that have historically constrained presidential authority.
Additionally, the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” aligns with these objectives and
has launched a comprehensive plan to reshape federal agencies and implement policies
consistent with the administration’s goals. On January 24, 2025, the administration
terminated at least 17 inspectors general across various federal agencies, while tens of
thousands of federal civil service roles are reclassified as political appointments, aiming
to replace existing personnel with individuals loyal to the administration.
A program has been offered to buyouts equivalent to seven months’ salary, encouraging
federal employees to resign voluntarily by February 6, 2025. Estimations suggest that
between 5% to 10% of federal employees may accept the buyout offer, potentially
affecting up to 200,000 workers, given the federal civilian workforce of approximately 2
million.
President Donald Trump has not solely focused on civil bureaucracy, but he has
implemented significant reforms in the U.S. armed forces to better align them with his
administration's policies and strengthen civilian oversight. On January 27, 2025, he
signed an executive order to prohibit the use of race- or sex-based preferences in
recruitment and advancement, aiming to refocus the military on traditional merit-based
criteria. He has signed another executive order prohibiting transgender individuals from
serving in the U.S. military. He has appointed individuals aligned with his vision for the
military to key defense positions.
Trump has demonstrated to leaders worldwide how to free elected representatives and
their constituents from the control of entrenched bureaucrats who, through sheer force
and administrative manipulation, usurp the powers of elected officials. Under the guise of
regulations, laws, and procedural rules, these unelected entities assert dominance, making
entire nations subservient to their authority. He has shown that decision-making power
can and must be returned to the duly elected representatives of the people, ensuring that
governance reflects the will of the electorate rather than the dictates of an unaccountable
bureaucracy.
His actions resonate with millions, particularly in nations where fragile democratic
institutions allow deep state elements to operate unchecked. In these countries, the deep
state is often far more oppressive, using military power to suppress fundamental human
rights. Despite being funded by taxpayer money, these entities dominate national
institutions, including the judiciary, parliament, and executive branches, ensuring an
unyielding grip on power.
In such regimes, deep state actors exploit their positions for illicit activities such as
smuggling, blackmail, and seizing national assets through sheer force. They impose
tyranny and fascism on their own citizens, silencing opposition by means of extrajudicial
killings, destruction of businesses, and illegal detentions. Political dissidents are often
abducted without judicial oversight, imprisoned under fabricated charges, or forced into
exile. This unchecked power structure devastates economies, stifles free speech, gags and
defaces the media, imposes curbs on the internet and social media, and undermines the
democratic aspirations of the people.
The deep state in these countries has established a parallel government structure that
exerts control over nearly every aspect of governance, from the lowest levels to the
highest. This shadow system overrides decisions made by the civilian government,
imposing its own policies and directives. Additionally, a parallel industrial network has
been created, operated by serving military officials who use illicit funds, tax revenues,
and illegally diverted national resources to sustain and shield their operations from
taxation or legal scrutiny.
Any business entity posing a challenge to their financial interests is swiftly eliminated
through coercion, intimidation, or outright force. Business leaders and industrialists are
frequently blackmailed, while legislators are pressured into passing laws that further
consolidate deep state influence, and the judiciary is given written orders to issue. These
tactics ensure that the deep state remains beyond accountability, leveraging illegal and
unethical methods to maintain and expand its power.
By challenging these entrenched power structures, Trump has positioning himself as a
force against global deep state influences and a role model for other democratically
elected leaders around the world. His actions have the potential to inspire movements in
other nations to resist undemocratic rule and reclaim their sovereignty. If successful, his
reforms could mark a significant shift in the governance of not only the United States but
also serve as a beacon of hope for oppressed populations around the world.
