Donald Trump relished the idea that his return to the White House would give him the power to overthrow the deep state actors who once opposed him – and almost sent him to prison.
His campaign of revenge began just a few hours after he was sworn in as America’s 47th President.
Among the first targets was John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser and one of the president’s harshest critics. First, Bolton’s security clearance was revoked. Then in 2019, Trump ordered the removal of the protective detail assigned to Bolton after threats against his life from Iran.
“We’re not going to get safety information on people for the rest of their lives – why should we? I thought he was a very stupid person,” he said Trump on Tuesday.
Bolton said he was “disappointed but not surprised.”
This could be just the beginning as Trump seeks to destroy perceived opponents in the government by targeting targets ranging from intelligence agencies to the military, financial and economic regulators, and even the law enforcement apparatus itself.
It could usher in a new era for the United States — and for the way it is governed, in which favor and punishment are doled out according to a leader’s whims rather than the judgment of career officials who follow long-agreed-upon rules of their institutions.
It’s a moment of vindication for Trump as he weeds out officials who thwarted his agenda during his first term or increased his legal jeopardy as federal criminal cases mounted against him in 2023.
“Never again will the immense power of the state be used as a weapon to persecute political opponents,” he said in his inaugural address at the Capitol on Monday.
Hours later he signed one Implementing regulation on “weaponizing” the government and authorizing comprehensive reviews of U.S. intelligence agencies and other agencies to correct “past wrongdoing” through “appropriate action.”
“It’s an open-ended move against resistance,” said Yuval Levin, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, referring to the order.
He said it was “too early to tell” whether Trump was simply sending a message to officials to “steer clear” of his radical agenda or to “reshape the bureaucracy to more fully serve the president.” becomes”. .
Secret services are a particular focus for Trump. In another executive order signed during Monday night’s raid, Trump revoked the security clearances of 50 former Secret Service officials, claiming they coordinated with former President Joe Biden’s campaign to discredit coverage of his scandal-prone son Hunter Biden.
The order echoed language from Kash Patel, Trump’s controversial pick to head the FBI, who is awaiting Senate confirmation.
Patel has long advocated for the removal of security clearances to root out the “deep state.”
A former US intelligence official said the measure would have a “chilling effect” on the intelligence community. “This is a clear sign that Trump will use clearances for political reasons. This will make people afraid to express their opinions.”
“Anything that suggests approvals are being manipulated for political purposes damages trust in the intelligence community,” said Emily Harding, director of the Intelligence, National Security and Technology Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Trump also sent a clear message to the Pentagon, where officials removed a portrait of his former top military adviser – and eventual arch-critic – retired Gen. Mark Milley just minutes after his inauguration. On Monday, Trump also fired Coast Guard Commander Linda Fagan. A senior official said she placed “excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion” and mishandled border security.
But Trump’s plans go far beyond the American security apparatus. The “weaponization” executive order called for greater oversight of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, as well as other enforcement agencies such as the Justice Department.
Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick for attorney general, has promised that “the investigators would be investigated” and “the bad” prosecutors would be prosecuted.
“I fear that this allows the government to use its real weapon against perceived enemies,” said Ryan Goodman, a professor at New York University School of Law.
“Ordinarily, an after-the-fact investigation into potential government misconduct may not be amiss,” he added. But this order “was drafted with an eye on candidates who would come into government with an enemy list. This is a very worrying combination for the state of democracy in the country.”
Trump previously called for the criminal prosecution of opponents including former Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and former Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he defeated in the 2024 general election. He has also threatened to appoint a special prosecutor to “go after” Joe Biden.
Biden himself took this threat – and others – seriously enough to issue preemptive pardons to members of his own family and potential top targets such as Milley and members of the panel that investigated the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, including a former congresswoman issued to Liz Cheney shortly before he left office.
Trump is also targeting federal workers, promising to end Biden’s tightened job protections for tens of thousands of career civil servants in “policy-related” jobs – a way to easily fire government workers who oppose his agenda.
Meanwhile, while he revoked security clearances from his perceived enemies, he issued a separate order to immediately grant temporary clearances to “qualified and trustworthy personnel” of his choice.
“Our foreign adversaries are salivating over this Trump Executive Order granting immediate classified clearances to individuals without proper security clearances and background checks,” Olivia Troye, a former Trump administration official turned critic of the president, wrote on X.
