A recent poll confirming that nearly half of federal government employees plan to resist a second Trump administration should alarm anyone who values the integrity of constitutional governance. For those of us who have served in public office, the data aren’t surprising. Bureaucratic resistance — quiet or overt — has long been an entrenched feature of Washington’s political landscape. Yet the scale and brazenness of defiance revealed in this survey highlights a broader threat: a federal bureaucracy that prioritizes its own agenda over the will of the voters.
The poll revealed that whereas 89% of Republican government employees plan to support a Trump administration, nearly three quarters of Democrat bureaucrats (73%) plan to resist it. Among federal managers — the individuals tasked with implementing presidential directives — the divide is particularly stark. Only 26% of managers overall plan to “strongly support” the administration, while nearly as many (23%) openly admit they will “strongly resist” it. Worse, when asked how they would respond to a lawful presidential order they consider bad policy, 64% of Democrat managers said they would ignore the directive and “do what they thought was best.”
This is not resistance; it is insubordination. It is not just a rejection of Trump; it is a rejection of the voters who elected him. These bureaucrats elevate their own preferences above the electoral process, openly declaring their intent to resist lawful orders from the duly elected president simply because they disagree with the policy. This behavior strikes at the heart of representative government. Federal employees are not policymakers; they are public servants charged with executing the policies set by elected officials. Yet, as this poll shows, many consider themselves a shadow authority — a Deep State unaccountable to the electorate.
A Battle That’s Not New, and Escalating
The Deep State’s defiance of Trump is not a new phenomenon. During his first term, deep-seated bureaucrats leaked information, slow-walked directives, and quietly undermined his agenda. But this resistance did not begin in 2017, nor did it end when Trump left office in 2021. For more than eight years, the immutable bureaucracy has worked to obstruct Trump’s agenda, and under the Biden administration, its power has only deepened.
This isn’t just a continuation of an old battle; it’s an escalation. The resistance that was once covert is now out in the open, with bureaucrats declaring their intent to defy lawful orders. This escalation reflects a broader cultural problem in Washington, where many within the government view themselves not as public servants, but as guardians of their own ideological agenda.
Critics often accuse Trump of authoritarian tendencies, pointing to his demand for loyalty from his appointees as evidence. But this accusation misses the mark. The true authoritarians are not those insisting on alignment with an elected president’s vision; they are those within the entrenched bureaucracy who subvert the will of the voters and use their positions to advance their own agenda. There is no clearer example of authoritarianism than unelected officials deciding they have the right to overrule the elected president and the people who put him in office.
The Stakes for Trump’s Second Term
Trump’s mandate in 2016 was clear: drain the swamp. That message resonated because Americans saw a federal government bloated with inefficiency, mired in unaccountability, and indifferent to their concerns. But as this poll demonstrates, that mandate is not a stale slogan. Then, as now, the bureaucracy bristled at the idea of reform. Then, as now, it viewed Trump not as its leader, but as its adversary. And then, as now, Americans have chosen Trump to deliver change.
The stakes for a second term, however, are higher than ever. For Trump to succeed in fulfilling his renewed mandate, he must take decisive action to neutralize this internal sabotage.
This begins with personnel. Trump cannot afford to make the mistakes of his first term, where too many appointees were either complicit in the swamp’s resistance or unwilling to confront it. Personnel decisions in his second term must reflect a hard earned lesson: loyalty, competence, and ideological alignment are non-negotiable. Trump’s appointees must not only share his vision, but also possess the courage to enforce it within agencies riddled with entrenched opposition.
This also means rejecting the usual Washington power brokers. Lobbyists, political operatives, and special interest groups will undoubtedly push their own candidates for key roles, but Trump must resist this temptation. These individuals often have divided loyalties, beholden to their patrons rather than the president. Instead, Trump must surround himself with reformers — leaders willing to challenge the status quo, impose accountability, and root out inefficiencies.
A Nation That Demands Accountability
The American people see through the bureaucracy’s charade. According to the poll, more than half (54%) of Main Street voters believe that bureaucrats who refuse to follow lawful presidential orders should be fired, with even the Elite 1% agreeing at 52%. Republican managers overwhelmingly (74%) support terminating insubordinate federal employees, compared to just 23% of Democrat managers. This divide highlights the stark cultural contrast between those who see public service as a duty to the people and those who see it as a tool for advancing personal or ideological goals.
The American public’s demand for accountability reflects a deep frustration with a system that has grown unresponsive to their needs. The swamp isn’t just a collection of bad actors; it’s a culture of inertia and entitlement that values its own preservation over the public good. Trump’s second term represents an opportunity to disrupt that culture once and for all.
The Road Ahead
Trump’s renewed mandate is a battle for the soul of the republic. The Deep State’s resistance is not about Trump as an individual; it is about the voters who elected him and the policies they demand. Bureaucratic defiance is an affront to the principles of representative democracy, and it must be confronted with urgency and resolve.
For Trump, this means taking bold, decisive action from day one. It means staffing his administration with leaders who are committed to his vision and unafraid to challenge the deep-rooted bureaucracy. It means demanding accountability at every level of government and holding insubordinate employees to the standard the American people expect.
The Deep State is ingrained, but it is not invincible. Trump’s election — first in 2016 and reaffirmed in 2024 — reflects the public’s determination to wrest control of the government back from unaccountable elites. The American people have given him a renewed opportunity to deliver on the promise of reform. It is a fight worth having, not just for Trump’s legacy, but for the integrity of the republic itself. If successful, Trump will reaffirm the principle that government serves the people, not the other way around.
That is a legacy worth fighting for.
Charlton Allen is an attorney and former chief executive officer and chief judicial officer of the North Carolina Industrial Commission. He is the founder and editor of The American Salient and the host of the Modern Federalist podcast.
Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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