Shortly after taking an oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution on January 20, President Donald Trump issued an executive order instructing his attorney general to investigate the Justice Department and other agencies for signs of political ‘weaponization.’ On the same day, Pentagon personnel removed a portrait of Mark Milley, a critic of Trump who served as the highest-ranking military officer during Trump’s initial term as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. That evening, Trump revoked the protective Secret Service detail of his former national security adviser John Bolton, who had authored a memoir critical of Trump, following a Justice Department warning regarding threats to Bolton’s life from Iran. In his initial 100 days, Trump has exercised presidential authority against a wide array of declared adversaries, including former intelligence officials who claimed Russian connections to his 2016 election campaign, prominent law firms, and former members of the Biden administration along with prosecutors involved in criminal cases against him during his absence from power. White House spokesman Harrison Fields stated, ‘Traditional presidencies have failed to bring meaningful change to the ways of Washington, and the president is committed to upending the entrenched bureaucracy.’ He added, ‘By utilizing every tool provided by the Constitution, the Trump administration is focusing on efficiency, eradicating waste, fraud, and abuse, and delivering on every campaign promise.’ Trump’s actions have made it clear that his campaign pledge to eliminate the deep state was not merely rhetorical, as he had consistently signaled his intentions during his candidacy. However, the rapidity and breadth of his actions have surprised many. According to historians, the Republican president has employed the state’s machinery and presidential power to target individuals and institutions that have wronged him in ways more extensive than any of his predecessors. Jeremi Suri, a presidential historian at the University of Texas at Austin, remarked, ‘It is not uncommon for presidents to have adversaries.’Trump has extensively utilized executive orders, which are typically employed by presidents to guide policy priorities, to target adversaries and individuals he perceives as part of the deep state. This has included revoking their security clearances, barring them from government facilities, and instructing agencies to investigate their possible criminal activities. He has initiated several federal investigations in Maine following a verbal confrontation with the state’s governor, intervened in the traditionally independent Justice Department to dismiss those he considers disloyal, removed protective security details from his critics, and ordered inquiries into former officials who disputed his unfounded claims regarding the rigging of the 2020 election. In early April, Trump’s Agriculture Secretary, Brooke Rollins, communicated with Mills to confirm the freezing of certain school funding. Rollins cautioned, ‘This is only the beginning.’ Subsequently, the Education Department announced its intention to terminate all federal school funding to the state, and last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed that the Justice Department had filed a lawsuit against Maine in federal court. Recently, Trump has criticized law firms that previously employed attorneys who he believes undermined the judicial process to weaponize it against political adversaries. In February, he revoked security clearances for attorneys at Covington & Burling, who had represented Smith, the former special counsel investigating him, and sought to terminate any government contracts associated with the firm. Trump openly indicated his primary motivation by suggesting that he would send the pen used to sign the order to Smith as a memento. He has issued executive orders targeting five additional law firms, each time asserting the necessity to eliminate those working against the mandate of the duly elected president. For example, his order against WilmerHale noted its previous employment of Robert Mueller, who investigated the allegations of Trump campaign connections to Russia funded by Hillary Clinton.
Trump Moved Swiftly to Dismantle Deep State in First 100 Days
