By: Qamar Bashir
Macomb, Detroit, Michigan
Donald Trump, even before his potential inauguration in 2025, has opened multiple contentious fronts both domestically and internationally. Each of these fronts is serious, radical, and aggressive, carrying significant risks and consequences if not handled with extreme care. However, the most perilous and far-reaching of these battles is his direct confrontation with the so-called “deep state.” His perception of the deep state arises from the significant resistance he faced from federal agencies during his first term, as well as his belief that the Biden administration has used government machinery as a political tool to intimidate and suppress him, his associates, and his party.
Trump’s anti-deep state policy is based on the premise that the “deep state” is a network of entrenched bureaucrats and intelligence officials working to undermine the elected authority. He has vowed to “obliterate” this institutional opposition by purging government agencies, dismantling bureaucratic strongholds, reducing administrative power, and imposing stricter political loyalty tests within federal institutions with the objective to shift decision-making power away from unelected officials back to the duly elected representatives of the people.
He rightly understood that the federal bureaucracy has accumulated substantial leverage over elected officials through the crafting and enforcement of complex regulations and by maintaining an outsized role in governance and limiting executive flexibility. Trump rightly realized that without dismantling this influence, no president can effectively execute their agenda.
To achieve this, Trump introduced “Agenda 47,” a sweeping initiative to re-establish a new “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE). This department is tasked with setting performance benchmarks, streamlining governmental functions, and ensuring that agencies operate with heightened efficiency and accountability. By defining clear objectives and reassessing resource allocation, this initiative seeks to eliminate inefficiencies and curtail the unchecked power of unelected officials.
Soon after his inauguration, Trump issued an executive order to enforce a federal hiring moratorium, intending to drive deep structural reforms within the government by reducing bureaucratic expansion and recalibrating agency operations. He issued Executive Order 13957 (Schedule F) to reclassify certain federal positions. The purpose was to make it easier to remove employees deemed obstructive to the administration’s objectives, laid the groundwork for sweeping restructuring, particularly within national security and intelligence agencies, and fundamentally reforming the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) courts.
Additionally, Trump has proposed the creation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to declassify and disclose documents related to alleged deep state activities, including unauthorized surveillance, censorship, and political interference. He has vowed to identify and prosecute individuals who leak sensitive government information to the media, arguing that such leaks contribute to misinformation and internal manipulation.
To ensure continued oversight, Trump has setup an independent auditing system to continuously monitor intelligence agencies, preventing them from engaging in unauthorized activities against American citizens, and to dismantle the entrenched power structures that have historically constrained presidential authority.
Additionally, the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025” aligns with these objectives and has launched a comprehensive plan to reshape federal agencies and implement policies consistent with the administration’s goals. On January 24, 2025, the administration terminated at least 17 inspectors general across various federal agencies, while tens of thousands of federal civil service roles are reclassified as political appointments, aiming to replace existing personnel with individuals loyal to the administration.
A program has been offered to buyouts equivalent to seven months’ salary, encouraging federal employees to resign voluntarily by February 6, 2025. Estimations suggest that between 5% to 10% of federal employees may accept the buyout offer, potentially affecting up to 200,000 workers, given the federal civilian workforce of approximately 2 million.
President Donald Trump has not solely focused on civil bureaucracy, but he has implemented significant reforms in the U.S. armed forces to better align them with his administration’s policies and strengthen civilian oversight. On January 27, 2025, he signed an executive order to prohibit the use of race- or sex-based preferences in recruitment and advancement, aiming to refocus the military on traditional merit-based criteria. He has signed another executive order prohibiting transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military. He has appointed individuals aligned with his vision for the military to key defense positions.
Trump has demonstrated to leaders worldwide how to free elected representatives and their constituents from the control of entrenched bureaucrats who, through sheer force and administrative manipulation, usurp the powers of elected officials. Under the guise of regulations, laws, and procedural rules, these unelected entities assert dominance, making entire nations subservient to their authority. He has shown that decision-making power can and must be returned to the duly elected representatives of the people, ensuring that governance reflects the will of the electorate rather than the dictates of an unaccountable bureaucracy.
His actions resonate with millions, particularly in nations where fragile democratic institutions allow deep state elements to operate unchecked. In these countries, the deep state is often far more oppressive, using military power to suppress fundamental human rights. Despite being funded by taxpayer money, these entities dominate national institutions, including the judiciary, parliament, and executive branches, ensuring an unyielding grip on power.
In such regimes, deep state actors exploit their positions for illicit activities such as smuggling, blackmail, and seizing national assets through sheer force. They impose tyranny and fascism on their own citizens, silencing opposition by means of extrajudicial killings, destruction of businesses, and illegal detentions. Political dissidents are often abducted without judicial oversight, imprisoned under fabricated charges, or forced into exile. This unchecked power structure devastates economies, stifles free speech, gags and defaces the media, imposes curbs on the internet and social media, and undermines the democratic aspirations of the people.
The deep state in these countries has established a parallel government structure that exerts control over nearly every aspect of governance, from the lowest levels to the highest. This shadow system overrides decisions made by the civilian government, imposing its own policies and directives. Additionally, a parallel industrial network has been created, operated by serving military officials who use illicit funds, tax revenues, and illegally diverted national resources to sustain and shield their operations from taxation or legal scrutiny.
Any business entity posing a challenge to their financial interests is swiftly eliminated through coercion, intimidation, or outright force. Business leaders and industrialists are frequently blackmailed, while legislators are pressured into passing laws that further consolidate deep state influence, and the judiciary is given written orders to issue. These tactics ensure that the deep state remains beyond accountability, leveraging illegal and unethical methods to maintain and expand its power.
By challenging these entrenched power structures, Trump has positioning himself as a force against global deep state influences and a role model for other democratically elected leaders around the world. His actions have the potential to inspire movements in other nations to resist undemocratic rule and reclaim their sovereignty. If successful, his reforms could mark a significant shift in the governance of not only the United States but also serve as a beacon of hope for oppressed populations around the world.
By: Qamar Bashir
Press Secretary to the President (Rtd)
Former Press Minister at Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former MD, SRBC
