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A surprising number of federal bureaucrats working in Washington, D.C., plan to oppose President Donald Trump from within the government—a deep state is emerging in his second term.
In a refreshing change from Trump’s first term, Republicans in the government largely plan to support the president, a survey finds. This means the Trump 47 deep state phenomenon falls along partisan lines, as opposed to the Trump 45 deep state, in which many Republicans joined Democrats. resisted him.
While this partisan divide reflects the polarization in the electorate, it remains remarkable that individuals working within the government plan to undermine the president from within their own administration.
Be informed, not misled.
Who Are the Federal Government Managers?
RMG Research, a firm led by Scott Rasmussen, conducted three surveys in mid-March to study three different segments of the population. The polling firm focuses on what it calls the Elite 1%, who have postgraduate degrees, earn more than $150,000 annually, and live in densely populated areas. This group represents the top 1% of the U.S. population. In contrast, Main Street Americans, who meet none of these three criteria, represent between 70% and 75% of the U.S. population. Federal Government Managers are employees who reside in the National Capital Region, primarily around Washington, and earn at least $75,000 annually.
Main Street Americans tend to have less faith in government and want more freedom for Americans, while the Elite 1% tend to have more faith in government and say Americans have too much freedom. Federal Government Managers tend to favor more government, regardless of party.
A new deep state is forming against the President.
The Daily Signal says, "RMG Research surveyed bureaucrats in December, asking a very important question: 'Imagine that you were the head of a federal government agency. Suppose that President Trump gave you an order that was legal but you believed was bad policy. Would you follow the president’s order or do what you thought was best?'” the survey asked.
Only 17% of Democratic managers who voted for Harris said they would follow Trump’s order, while three times as many (64%) said they would ignore it. This amounts to a declaration that they plan to act like a deep state, opposing the people’s elected president.
In March, the numbers grew even more stark.
This time, only 16% of Harris-voting bureaucrats said they would follow Trump’s order, while three-quarters (75%) said they would ignore it. This means that even while Trump has been culling the bureaucracy, many federal employees have become more brazen in their desire to join the deep state.
Meanwhile, most federal managers who voted for Trump (80%) said they would follow the order, while 18% said they would do what they thought was best.
RMG Research also asked bureaucrats whether they would support or resist the administration.
Not surprisingly, bureaucrats who voted for Trump overwhelmingly said they would support the administration (92%), with 47% saying they plan to “strongly support” it and 45% saying they plan to “somewhat support” it. The remaining 8% said they would “neither support nor resist” it.
Meanwhile, no Harris-voting bureaucrat said he or she would “strongly support” the administration, and only 7% said they would “somewhat support it.” The vast majority (76%) said they would either “somewhat” (35%) or “strongly” (41%) resist.
The Elite 1%.
Nearly half (48%) of respondents in the Elite 1% said in December that they would work on supporting Trump. In the March survey, only 41% said they plan on supporting the new administration. Meanwhile, 39% said they would resist Trump in December, while that number ticked up to 45% in March.
RMG Research asked the Elite 1% what they would do if they were the head of a federal agency and faced with a lawful Trump order they considered bad policy. In December, 49% of them said they would follow the president’s order, while only 38% said they would ignore it. In March, only 43% said they would follow the order, and 45% said they would oppose it.
While the elites are moving away from Trump, a wide gender gap has emerged among them.
Most elite men (61%) approved of the president, while most elite women (71%) disapproved. Elite men proved more likely to say they will support the administration (55%) than oppose it (36%). The opposite is true among elite women, who were more likely to oppose (56%) than support it (26%).
Quick summary
This survey confirms that bureaucrats in the administrative state plan to oppose Trump from within, whether that means by refusing lawful orders or by engaging in political activism against Trump outside of work hours.
This deep state phenomenon undermined the first Trump administration, and the president has begun efforts to oppose it in this new one.
Many of the same groups that influenced the Biden administration—such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for American Progress—are now suing Trump to block his policies. The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union within the federal government and part of the AFL-CIO, has filed multiple lawsuits to hamstring Trump’s efforts.
Congress can help Trump, if they will.
The spirit of lawlessness is growing in our world.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:7, the Bible uses the phrase "the mystery of iniquity" to describe the "spirit of lawlessness." This refers to the ongoing operation of wickedness and rebellion against God, even before the full revelation of the "man of lawlessness" (Antichrist). The phrase highlights that this force of lawlessness is already at work in the world, subtly undermining God's order and authority.
Paul’s intent in this passage is to correct a false teaching that was being propagated, namely, that the Day of the Lord (the end times’ judgment) had already come and the Christians of Thessalonica had been left behind to endure it. Paul wants to set the record straight about Christ’s return and our gathering together to Him—the rapture. Paul states that the two events that go before the Day of the Lord are the apostasy (or “the rebellion”) and the revelation of the man of lawlessness (the Antichrist). The “mystery of iniquity” that will one day culminate in the appearance of the Antichrist is already at work in the world, but it is being restrained for now so that the world is not as evil as it could be (but will be, once the Restrainer is removed from the world).
The Restrainer is the Holy Spirit.
Believers have the privilege of helping to restrain the mystery of iniquity even as they await their blessed hope, the Savior, Jesus Christ. At His second coming, Jesus will reign as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. By the breath of His mouth, He will destroy the works of the enemy. The Antichrist will have “his power... taken away and completely destroyed forever” (Daniel 7:26).
Be Informed. Be Encouraged. Be Faithful. Be Hopeful. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.
