Trump has Democrats in a panic.
According to reports, former President Donald Trump is allegedly devising a comprehensive strategy to expand presidential powers over the government’s machinery if he were to secure another term in the White House.
According to Newsmax, the New York Times, citing insights from campaign policy proposals and individuals close to Trump, disclosed that his plan involves bringing independent agencies, such as the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission, directly under presidential control.
Additionally, the report mentioned that Trump aims to resurrect the practice of “impounding” funds, which entails refusing to spend money allocated by Congress for certain programs, a practice banned during President Richard Nixon’s tenure.
It is reported that Trump also intends to remove employment protections for numerous career civil servants and undertake significant personnel changes within intelligence agencies, the State Department, and defense bureaucracies, targeting officials he perceives as part of a “sick political class that hates our country.”
John McEntee, a former White House personnel chief involved in shaping this new approach, stated that the president’s intention is to fundamentally restructure the federal government, akin to the significant changes brought about by FDR’s New Deal.
Trump has already discussed the broad outlines of this plan during rallies and on his campaign website, indicating his desire to identify areas of independence within the government and take control of them.
Russell Vought, who previously headed the Office of Management and Budget in the Trump administration and now runs the Center for Renewing America, expressed that the goal is to seize pockets of independence within the system.
A spokesperson for Trump’s campaign, Steven Cheung, emphasized that the former president has presented a clear and bold agenda for his potential second term, distinguishing it from other candidates’ platforms.
Certain elements of these plans had been considered during Trump’s time in office, but internal concerns had prevented their implementation.
John Kelly, Trump’s second White House chief of staff, raised concerns over potential chaos if these plans were executed, as they might exceed the president’s authority and face opposition from Congress and the courts.