Donald Trump‘s victory in the 2016 presidential election shocked and surprised many Americans: at the same time as their country closed the doors of the White House to the first official female presidential candidate, it opened them to a man who was publicly bragged about treating women like objects.
Eight years have passed, and the controversies of that time seem very bland in comparison to what Trump promised to accomplish during his second term, which now seems certain to him in light of the results of the November 5 election. Today, it is no longer shock or disillusionment that dominates among his opponents, but fear and anxiety in the face of the radical changes that he intends to implement and which represent, even more clearly than before, the triumph of the extreme right.
At the time of his victory, it is therefore useful to draw up an initial picture of the main objectives that Trump intends to pursue upon his return to the White House, as these transformations promise to be more profound than those undertaken between 2017 and 2021.
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One of his major objectives, to which almost all other parts of his program are subordinate, is to submit the federal administration to his will. Responding to accusations against a “Deep State” which allegedly hampered Trump in his first term, the plan aims to lift legal protections enjoyed by tens of thousands of public officials so that they can be fired and replaced with loyal supporters willing to scrupulously follow White House directives.
Control over the three powers
Russ Vought, Trump’s former budget director, has explicitly discussed his goal of “traumatize” civil servants to dissuade them from working, while the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 has already appointed replacements for thousands of key positions. Inside the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement, some are also considering the possibility of circumventing administrative security investigations traditionally carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which could allow the arrival (or return) of positions of responsibility of personalities openly associated with the extreme right, such as Michael Flynn or Steve Bannon.
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Such an upheaval would mark the end of a public service based on merit and the return of spoil system reminiscent of the 19th century, where positions were awarded to supporters of the winner of the election. However, two major differences stand out: not only are the appointments projected by Project 2025 planned in a much more comprehensive and systematic way, but they aim to anchor a specific ideology rather than reward simple partisan loyalty.
