President Donald Trump’s second term is off to a thunderous start. Wasting no time, the president signed a flurry of executive orders on day one, initiating crackdowns on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) and illegal immigration. DOGE, the new agency spearheaded by Elon Musk, got to work immediately as well, cutting $1 billion a day in federal spending, a figure it aims to triple.
The tempo set by this administration has proven shocking. After all, Trump’s first term left much to be desired. However, people shouldn’t be too surprised. There are several noteworthy factors that explain why the second Trump administration is outshining the first.
His Experience
Perhaps the most obvious one is experience. Prior to his inauguration in Jan. 2017, Trump had never held public office. Navigating the byzantine labyrinth that is the federal government is difficult to the uninitiated. And as an outsider — one constantly subjected to phony investigations, leaks, and manufactured media scandals — this proved more arduous than anyone could have predicted. But this time around, Trump undoubtedly has a much better grasp of how things work in D.C., a requirement for doing anything from firing bureaucrats to scoring policy wins.
Better Team
He has a better team as well. As the saying goes, personnel is policy. This was a weak point the first time around. Entering that pit of vipers forced Trump to choose between inexperienced loyalists — of whom there were few — and experienced swamp creatures. Trump initially opted for the latter, as evidenced by Reince Priebus, who in 2012 described Romney’s milquetoast self-deportation comments as “horrific,” becoming his first chief of staff. You can’t beat the political establishment by hiring it.
Four years in the White House and another four in the wilderness gave Trump ample time to assemble a loyal, experienced team. From Kash Patel to Marco Rubio, Trump has surrounded himself with competent figures eager to enact his agenda. While the president should, of course, be ready to fire any who step out of line, Trump 47 appears unlikely to become a revolving door like Trump 45. His 2024 campaign was remarkably stable, featuring the same co-managers from start to finish. Contrast this with 2016, which saw three different campaign managers.
Firing Bureaucrats
However, hiring the right people is only half of the personnel battle. Trump must also implement mass lustration by firing as many federal bureaucrats as possible. During his first term, these regime apparatchiks attempted to thwart Trump’s agenda at every turn. In many cases, unfortunately, they succeeded.
America First Policy Institute published a report that outlined how career federal employees carried out this subterfuge. These bureaucrats would frequently withhold critical information from administration officials; at times misrepresent information, particularly when it came to what could and could not be done; refuse to do policy work for ideological reasons; delay work or intentionally submit unacceptable projects; and, of course, leak sensitive information to the press. So much for a politically neutral civil service.
The federal bureaucracy is clearly an obstacle to the president’s agenda. But Trump has a plan this time around. Already, the administration has fired prosecutors involved in former President Joe Biden’s Jan. 6 witch hunt. It has also fired eight high-level FBI officials and is reportedly considering firing many thousands more. Additionally, Elon Musk has claimed that Trump agreed to “shut down” the U.S. Agency for International Development, which would put 10,000 civil servants out of job. And then we have the 30,000 or so federal employees who accepted Trump’s brilliant buyout offer.
But given that the federal government employs more than 2 million people, much work remains to be done. Thankfully, Trump signed an executive order on day one that not only reinstated his Schedule F executive order from 2020 but also expanded its scope. According to the National Treasury Employee Union, Trump’s executive order would affect far more federal employees than the 100,000 previously anticipated. It turns out he wasn’t kidding about draining the swamp.
No More Lip Service
Dealing with the bureaucracy isn’t the only policy field in which the second Trump term is superior to the first. Across the board — DEI, immigration, trans nonsense, foreign policy, you name it — this administration has proven its commitment to implementing a holistic platform that addresses the existential issues of our time. Long gone are the days of elected Republicans paying mere lip service to conservative ideals. Thanks to Trump, the new GOP knows the score — and it’s playing to win.
Dejected Opposition
Moreover, the opposition Trump faced in his first term has dissipated. The left is tired and dejected. Trump survived everything the establishment threw at him — including an assassination attempt — and went on to win reelection. Facing such an unstoppable adversary is enough to demoralize anyone. Even Van Jones, a sworn far-left partisan, couldn’t help but describe Trump as “phenomenal” and “the most powerful human on earth” in a recent interview. Perhaps for the first time in his life, he’s right.
With that said, Trump will not solve every problem. Even in the best-case scenario, much work will remain to be done. This restoration of social and political order in America could take decades. But after Trump’s second term concludes, we will find ourselves considerably closer to the finish line.
Jesus Christ is King
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