Former President Trump’s MAGA loyalists delineate ‘vengeance’ schemes that weaponize the DoJ against political opponents and civil servants, should he win a second term.

The presentiment of the 2024 election looms grim across Democrats as Trump once again creeps into political light subsequent to his speech on Veterans Day.

Trump denigrated domestic opponents, branding foes as a “vermin”, concurrent to his Make America Great Again (MAGA) followers' plans to curb the Department of Justice (DoJ) and federal agencies.

The DoJ would conduct an investigation of “every Marxist prosecutor in America” to ensure retribution for the GOP.

Furthermore, Republicans are riding high, with Trump leading by 47.2% to 44.9%, while President Biden is underwater across approval polls.

Biden’s approval remained negative over the past two years – a mere 24% consider the country on course for success.

However, the true clogs behind the upcoming election are a team of trusted conservative organizations – hosting senior officials from Trump’s administration onto their payroll.

The robust, trained inner circle of loyalists provide an array of projects from personnel, legal to policy implementation in advance to the prospective 2025 election.

Support transcends personal advisors as even high-profile to civil MAGA loyalists aim to tighten restraints and shrink agencies that ‘harbor’ deep-state critics.

Moreover, scholars worry Trump is employing the ‘Proud Boy’ rhetoric; the exclusively male far-right militant organization that promotes the notion of political violence, and ‘glorifying’ the January 6 insurrection.

The January 6th insurrection stands as one of the numerous loopholes Trump manipulates in the US constitutional system to assemble power.

Efforts to bar Trump from the ballot in Colorado, Minnesota, and others declared a sporadically-used constitutional prohibition against holding office for those who engaged in insurrection during the presidency.

Clear evidence was presented; Trump spread false claims of vote fraud between Biden’s administration, while summoning supporters to a rally in Washington and convincing others to protest at the US Capitol.

However, lawyers argued that since there was an indefinite relationship between Trump and the far-right extremist groups in the attack, engagement in insurrection could not be proved.

Furthermore, the definition of ‘insurrection’ is within the eye of the beholder – there are no case laws elucidating its terms and requirements.

The case stands as a testament to Trump’s sheer dedication and preparation to achieve the presidency once more.

The centerpiece that glues all factions together is an unofficially outsourced handbook dubbed ‘Project 2025’ which essentially serves as a guide to a second Trump term.

Within this book are plans in departments that MAGA allies champion to decrease the highly politicized ‘deep state’; this includes cutting funds for the DoJ and decimating the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

Additionally, it contains draft executive orders invoking domestic military deployment under the Insurrection Act (1871) on his first day in office.

It would deploy under the name of law enforcement against civil demonstrations.

The plan was inspired from the executive order ‘Schedule F’, a policy granting presidents the power to reclassify federal employees in policy decision-making as at-will employees.

Although developed covertly during and launched 13 days before the 2020 election, it is a central topic in Project 2025.

If passed, new presidents can replace more than 4,000 appointees to oversee their administration.

Additionally, tens of thousands of civil workers would lose employment protections while beneath the mass of appointees, sits government workers who possess strong employment protections.

They would provide service to the administration of the current president regardless of their party affiliation.

Analysts stated this would pervert paths and eviscerate the restraints implemented into the US democratic system.

It would upend modern civil service, with politicization threatening the continuity of service to taxpayers, executive power, and aspects of traditional bureaucracy.

However, supporters state Schedule F signals the end to nonpartisan civil service flowing with activist liberals eroding GOP presidents.

If Trump is a nominee in 2024, the prospects of an authoritarian society await the US, fear striked into those in relation to the federal government under the pressure of not evoking Trump’s ire.

Stella Kim

Year 12

North London Collegiate School Jeju