If Donald Trump wins re-election, he will have a realistic, credible plan to fundamentally restructure American government. This plan has been worked out in detail and with determination for years by a group of „America First“ populists and conservative organizations – not in secret, but in public.
The Heritage Foundation and the so-called Project 25 have released thousands of pages of policy documents outlining their ideas for Donald Trump’s second term, „Trump Two”.
This plan is seen as a blueprint for concentrating political power. Already during his term as president of the United States of America, Donald Trump signed an executive order on October 21, 2020, exactly 13 days before the presidential election, with the title „Creation of Schedule F in the Excepted Service“.
This gave Donald Trump a lot of media attention for a short time. But due to the events surrounding the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021, the plan was forgotten. Joe Biden canceled the F Plan shortly after taking office.
Donald Trump wants to be able to fire anyone
However, while campaigning in South Carolina in March 2022, Donald Trump told his supporters that he would push through decisive reforms that would allow the President of the United States to fire any executive branch employee. „The deep state must and will be put in its place.“
As close associates of the ex-president told journalists, Donald Trump will reinstate his executive order as soon as he returns to the White House. The personnel and action plans would be implemented in the first 100 days of his possible second term, which could begin on January 20, 2025.
The plan for Trump Two
The actual plan for Trump Two consists of three main parts:
- All those unreservedly loyal to Donald Trump should be given political mandates and positions where political decisions are made and implemented.
For the first part of the plan, the Heritage Foundation and dozens of organizations associated with Donald Trump have already taken action. They are seeking some 20,000 candidates for MAGA appointees in every government agency. For example, they are to work in agencies responsible for protecting the environment, regulating workplace safety, collecting taxes, setting immigration policy, maintaining safety net programs, representing American interests abroad, and ensuring an independent rule of law.
- The civil servants are to be intimidated and frightened so that they will be submissive and will not resist the political plans.
The second point of the plan is implemented by the Presidential Executive Order of October 21, 2020, or Schedule F for short. The purpose of Schedule F is now to place MAGA officials with deep experience in the implementation of all major federal programs into political office.
- The goal is to create a legal framework that allows Mr. Trump to use government resources to protect himself, attack his political opponents, and advance his policy goals without having to seek congressional approval.
The third point of Donald Trump’s plan is to appoint loyal Trump supporters as internal government lawyers. They will wave through even unlawful or unconstitutional actions if it is convenient for President Donald Trump to do so. With government lawyers no longer defending the independence of the Department of Justice, Donald Trump will use the Department to shield himself from legal accountability and prosecute his enemies.
What is Schedule F?
Schedule F provides for the creation of a new classification for federal employees, who may be referred to as „Schedule F employees“. Tens of thousands of civil servants in positions thought to influence policy are going to be classified according to whether they are loyal to Donald Trump. They are only looking for people who are enthusiastic about working for a president who has survived two impeachment trials and tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Officers will not be placed on the list if they have once expressed doubt about the accuracy of the Capitol storming. If they are reclassified, they lose their job protection and become at-will employees. And if Donald Trump becomes president, they could be fired.
What is the effect of Schedule F?
The top positions in government and the civil service are to be filled only by loyalists of the „America First“ ideology. As many as 50,000 federal employees out of over 2 million could lose their jobs as a result.
At the same time, the vacancies will be filled by loyal and faithful Trump supporters who will not question any of the government’s decisions for fear of being seen as disloyal and disqualified.
The result would be that only civil servants with a „flexible backbone“ would hold politically important positions. The demand for the legal independence of the civil service would no longer be tenable, and it would be easier to implement controversial policy changes.
The America First populists, the Heritage Foundation, and Project 25 are operating on several fronts simultaneously. They are shaping policy, recruiting top candidates, and building an unprecedented alternative bureaucracy. These conservative groups are preparing for legal challenges and defenses that could end up in front of Trump-friendly judges – up to a Supreme Court dominated by Republicans by six votes to three, according to fears.
Destroying the deep state
The conservative organizations have a far-reaching plan. They want to destroy the so-called deep state. According to Donald Trump, either the deep state will destroy America, or he and his supporters will destroy the deep state. Donald Trump can also use what he has achieved to carry out vendettas against real or perceived enemies. The president and his allies can thus protect themselves from investigation or prosecution.
If re-elected, Donald Trump has promised to „take off the gloves“ and get tough. He even intends to break one of America’s greatest taboos: He wants to suspend the American Constitution.
The recent New York Times article makes it clear that reelecting Donald Trump would also have significant downsides for Americans.
The functioning of government is democracy in action. It is an indicator of how the social contract between citizens and the state is being fulfilled. When values such as transparency, legality, honesty, the rule of law, adherence to the constitution, and competence in office are at stake, our democracy is at serious risk.
To the German translation of this article: Das Geheimrezept für Donald Trumps zweite Amtszeit