A surprising number of federal government employees admit they are gearing up to act like a deep state, opposing the incoming second administration of Donald Trump.
Most Americans, even many of the elites who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris, are willing to support Trump’s administration, according to an RMG Research survey commissioned by the Napolitan Institute. Yet 42% of federal government managers who work in the Washington, D.C., swamp intend to work against the administration.
RMG Research conducted three surveys in mid-December to study three different segments of the population. The polling firm focused on what it calls the Elite 1% who have postgraduate degrees, earn more than $150,000 annually, and live in densely populated areas; Main Street Americans who meet none of these three criteria and who represent between 70% and 75% of the U.S. population; and Federal Government Managers—federal employees who live in the National Capitol Region 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. Main Street Americans tend to look down on the idea of a deep state opposing the people’s elected president.
Favorable Headwinds for Trump, With One Exception
The poll found that many Americans are willing to support the new administration, even among the elites and even among those who voted for Harris.
The survey asked, “Looking ahead to the next four years, will your political efforts be primarily to support the Trump administration or resist the Trump administration?”
Most Main Street Americans (59%) said they would support the new administration, while only 28% said they would resist it. Even the Elite 1% proved more likely to say they would support (48%) than resist (39%) the administration.
Even some of those who said they voted for Harris in November said they would support the new administration. Twelve percent of Harris voters said they will work to at least somewhat support the new administration.
On Election Day, 64% of the Elite 1% voted for Harris while only 34% voted for Trump. Yet among the Elite 1% who voted for Harris, a quarter (26%) said they are working to support the new administration.
Federal Government Managers, however, proved evenly split, with only 44% saying they would support the administration and 42% saying they would resist it.
Government Employees Joining the Resistance
Unsurprisingly, Federal Government Managers proved more gung-ho about resistance when they identified as Democrats.
While the vast majority of government employees who identify as Republicans plan to support the administration (89% “somewhat support” or “strongly support”), almost three quarters of Democrat bureaucrats plan to resist (73% “somewhat resist” or “strongly resist”). More than half of Republican managers (52%) said they would “strongly support” the administration, while 40% of Democrats said they will “strongly resist” it.
A quarter of all managers (26%), whether Democrat or Republican, plan to “strongly support” the administration, and only a slightly smaller portion (23%) say they will “strongly resist” it.
The survey also asked Federal Government Managers what they would do if Trump gave them a lawful order that they considered to be bad policy. Only 17% of Democratic managers who voted for Harris would follow Trump’s order. Three times as many (64%) said they would ignore the order and do what they thought was best. This amounts to a declaration that they plan to act like a deep state, opposing the people’s elected president.
Voters did not look kindly on the idea of bureaucrats refusing to follow orders, however.
More than half (54%) of Main Street Voters said that a bureaucrat who refuses to follow a lawful order from the president should be fired, and even most of the Elite 1% (52%) agreed.
Most Republican managers (74%) say a bureaucrat should be fired for refusing a presidential order, while only 23% of Democratic managers agree.
A Yawning Gulf
When asked about the most important political issue at the moment, Federal Government Managers had different priorities than Main Street Americans and voters as a whole. (The survey asked an open-ended question, rather than giving a list.)
Main Street Americans proved more likely to mention some version of the economy (40%) or immigration (18%) as the top issues, as did voters overall (39% chose the economy and 17% chose immigration). Fewer Main Street Americans named some version of America’s politics (4%), abortion (6%), or Trump (4%).
Even the Elite 1% seemed closer to Main Street Americans than the Federal Government Managers. The elites named the economy (26%), America’s politics (11%), and immigration (7%) as their top issues.
While the economy proved the top issue for bureaucrats, as well, only 18% chose it. Another 11% chose immigration.
Many of the Federal Government Managers selected issues that didn’t register for most other Americans, such as guns and crime (10%), climate change (6%), education (5%), equality (5%), and cybersecurity (5%).
While these are important issues—and I’d like to see how many bureaucrats named some version of gun control and how many named increasing crime rates—they reveal a gap in priorities between bureaucrats and the people for whom they write the rules.
RMG Research surveyed 1,000 registered voters between Dec. 12 and Dec. 13; 1,000 Elite 1% voters between Dec. 9 and Dec. 19, and 500 federal government managers between Dec. 9 and Dec. 23. The margin of error for the Elite 1% is plus or minus 3.1% and the margin of error for federal government managers is plus or minus 4.4%.
What Does This Mean?
This survey confirms that bureaucrats in the administrative state are planning 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 pledged to fight it aggressively in the new one.
My forthcoming book, “The Woketopus: The Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government,” reveals how major left-wing donors prop up a vast network of woke activist groups that staff and advise the federal government. This vast influence network held sway in the Biden administration but will not end on Jan. 20.
Congress can help Trump combat this deep state phenomenon by passing laws preventing public sector unions in the federal government, restraining regulations, and reining in agencies that have been insulated from Congress and the president, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
