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.

  • Neato@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    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.

    • YoBuckStopsHere@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      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.

      • agent_flounder@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        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.