In private speeches,Trump ally outlines drastic plans to reshape US government
Russell Vought, former Trump administration official, has privately shared plans to reshape government if Donald Trump is re-elected, advocating measures including deploying military forces domestically, defunding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and undermining protections for federal workers.
Molly Redden and Andy Kroll report for ProPublica; Nick Surgey reports for Documented.
In short:
- Vought suggests using the military to quell domestic protests, framing this as a response to a perceived "Marxist takeover."
- His proposed agenda includes defunding federal agencies and stripping protections for career civil servants to discourage resistance to Trump policies.
- The "Project 2025" initiative, directed by Vought, is preparing a conservative workforce to execute this agenda immediately if Trump takes office.
Key quote:
“When they wake up in the morning, we want them to not want to go to work because they are increasingly viewed as the villains. We want their funding to be shut down so that the EPA can't do all of the rules against our energy industry because they have no bandwidth financially to do so. We want to put them in trauma.”
— Russell Vought, Center for Renewing America
Why this matters:
Vought’s vision for a second Trump administration involves unprecedented efforts to sideline career government officials and roll back regulatory oversight. His statements reveal a commitment to weakening institutional checks on presidential power, setting up a potential confrontation with federal agencies and civil service protections.
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