Looking at Trumpism as the ‘greatest show on earth’

In Trump’s first administration, he selected people who he was advised to select, because of their establishment credentials. Trump soon found out that such people were not loyal to his administration’s interests, but to a group that has become known as the ‘deep state’.

In Trump’s second administration, the primary criteria for Trump is personal loyalty, the MAGA cause, and a passion for action. That’s why Trump selected people like Pam Bondi as Attorney General, Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, and Susie Wiles as Chief of Staff.

Government and Management

Trump convincingly winning both the popular vote and electoral college has provided him with a powerful popular and moral mandate by the people for his second term as president. This provides Trump with a very persuasive disposition to push through his agenda.

To date (one week), Trump’s announcements and executive orders are precisely what he promised the people, and not vengeful, as Trump realises that being vengeful could very possibly destroy his ability to implement promised and desired programs.  

Obtaining the cooperation and control of the civil service will be the largest barrier to Trump’s ability to run an effective administration. Even in the first week of his administration, some agencies have flatly refused to carry out his executive orders.

This is partly why the newly formed temporary Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been set up. DOGE operates from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, within close proximity to the White House.

Although DOGE was initially touted as an organization to expose government waste and inefficiency, according to the executive order changing the name of the United States Digital Service to DOGE, its formal purpose is to ‘modernise federal technology and software to maximise government efficiency and productivity’.

Politically, DOGE headed up by billionaire Elon Musk, seeks to shave off a trillion dollars from government spending, so Trump’s programs can be financed. US government debt, now over $36 trillion will be a major financial barrier for the Trump administration to overcome.

The power of the civil service comes from the regulations it generates. In order to prevent the civil service straying from the Trump agenda through issuing regulations, another Trump executive order has frozen all new regulations. Trump has promised for every new regulation created, there will be 10 existing regulations revoked.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies are seen by Trump as dysfunctional government, eroding the concept of meritocracy. DEI also goes against Trump’s Christian outlook. Trump respects the ALPHA people, who show intelligence and the ability to achieve. To all intents and purposes, DEI is seen by the Trump administration as a manifestation created by elements within the so-called ‘deep state’ to prevent optimal government. The recent Los Angeles fires have exposed the weaknesses of DEI.

The ’deep state’ made up by elements within The Pentagon, Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a number of major corporations, and a caucus within the Congress is another major barrier to the Trump administration. This is perhaps part of the reason Trump has agreed to release the files relating to the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, to expose the excesses of the ‘deep state’.