WASHINGTON—Job seekers hoping to join the new Trump administration are facing a series of intense loyalty tests, with White House screening teams tasked with vetting government agencies to “Make America Great Again” and Said to carefully parsing the applicants’ politics and social. Media post.
President Donald Trump has long said that he believes the biggest mistake he made during his first term was to hire the wrong type of people. Now, the government is working aggressively to ensure that the government is filled only with loyalists.
Negative social media posts have been enough to derail applications. Those seeking jobs have been told they must prove their “enthusiasm” to implement Trump’s agenda and asked when their moment of “MAGA revelation” occurred. A federal employee said he briefly considered buying Trump’s crypto meme coin after the president’s team asked about his voting record.
The intense screening has led some federal workers to question whether Trump’s team cares more about loyalty than competence. There are concerns that his team is crowding out foreign policy and national security diplomats and others who could offer the administration expertise and institutional knowledge in times of conflict around the world.
Trump officials have made no secret of their intention to fill the administration with people who share the president’s vision. They began vetting potential staffers shortly after Trump launched his campaign and have continued since he won.
For example, an application form on the Trump transition website asks candidates, “What part of President Trump’s campaign message is most appealing to you and why?” According to a link obtained by The Associated Press.
It also asks how they supported Trump in the 2024 election—with options including volunteering, fundraising, door-knocking and making phone calls, and submitting a list of their social media handles.
“We are interviewing every one of these individuals. If you’re working in a political appointee position in the federal government, it now comes through the White House,” White House Director of Personnel Sergio Gore said on Fox News on Thursday.
Trump, he said, “has been very clear about who he does not want to include in this administration. And so those are clear guidelines that we follow. And we bring the best people to the White House and to every department in the land. ,
Screening teams deployed across federal agencies
Some officials have referred to newcomers sent by the White House to federal agencies as “MAGA commissars”, a reference to Communist Party officials of the former Soviet Union.
They are generally young and many do not show particular expertise or background in the portfolios of the agencies they are working for, according to three U.S. officials who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprimand. But they used to talk.
He said the screeners are looking for the slightest deviation between the candidates and Trump’s MAGA movement and “America First” policies. One negative social media post or a photo with a Trump opponent is enough to get some applications rejected or put on hold for further review.
One officer said that he and several colleagues at various agencies were told that even if they passed the initial vetting process to be admitted to the applicant pool, they still had to convince interviewers of their “enthusiasm” and demonstrate their “enthusiasm.” There will be a need to explain this to the interviewers. Keep Trump’s policies in place, including providing references from people whose loyalty had already been established.
This officer said that a colleague who made it to the interview stage was asked when the man’s “MAGA revelation” moment occurred.
At the State Department, which has been a particular Trump target since his first term, current officials have described the atmosphere as “tense” and “gloom”, with career civil and foreign service officials at odds over policy or personnel matters. For voicing opinions on, let alone politics, fearing retribution from their new political masters.
Two longtime department officials said there is always a period of uncertainty with any change of administration, but that the current transition to a group intended to make sweeping changes to the department’s management and function was in contrast to what they had expected. Have experienced in the past.
Checking for Maga Alignment
Trump administration officials had made clear plans for a robust screening process that would ensure all officials inside the administration – and especially those who can help shape policy – are not subject to U.S. government officials and people familiar with their planning. According to, was aligned with Trump’s agenda.
A longtime government employee said he ran into a senior Trump administration official in December who told him Trump’s team would be more thoughtful about how they were hiring and even Were also expanding. They are non-political, career experts on topics that range from terrorism to global climate policy who are loaned to the White House from other agencies for extended assignments.
All appointees, the person said, will be issued questionnaires to ensure they are fully committed to Trump’s agenda.
The AP has reported that career civil servants who work on the White House National Security Council have been questioned by senior Trump administration officials about which candidates they voted for in the election, their political contributions and whether they made social media posts. Which can be considered as growing by Trump’s team.
On Wednesday, about 160 NSC details working in the Biden administration were told they were being sent home so Trump’s team could conduct a review to ensure its personnel are aligned with Trump’s agenda. Is.
“Every president is entitled to have a staff and the advisors he needs to implement the goals that the American people elected him to pursue,” Brian McCormack, chief of national security adviser Mike Waltz, said in a two-minute phone call. ” Brian McCormack, chief of staff to National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, said in a two-minute phone call. , according to a recording obtained by the AP.
An NSC director learned that every detail would need to be screened and attention would be paid to who they voted for, who they voted for, political contributions and social media postings, a person familiar with the matter said. According to.
White House officials defend their point of view
“No one should be surprised that the people being hired must align with the mission of the administration. White House spokesman Steven Cheung said that no one in private industry would ever hire someone who is not mission-focused, and the government should be no different.
“More than 1,300 individuals have been hired, while maintaining the highest standards of competency,” he said.
Each new president looks to fill the thousands of government jobs they control with political appointees — rewarding campaign aides, allies, supporters and donors with plum positions. The White House Office of Presidential Staff exists to recruit, screen, and manage those employees.
It is common to ask applicants their political affiliation. This is required in some cases, such as when filling jobs at agencies or commissions that require partisan balancing.
Trump’s White House is delving deeper into the political histories of potential appointees in part because he has carved out an ideological space that often differs from traditional Republican orthodoxy, making direct partisanship an unreliable indicator of commitment to his agenda. goes.
“The Trump administration’s conduct, and its conduct a political litmus or loyalty test, betrays the oath the President took on Monday to defend, protect and defend the Constitution,” Donald K. said Sherman, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics. Washington, a government watchdog group. “What this suggests to me is that demonstrating loyalty is as important or more important than meritocracy.”
Gore said in his Fox interview that in addition to hiring, the White House personnel office is also working to route workers to Trump.
“We are also cleaning the house. And so we began the process of eliminating a lot of positions,” he said. “It’s time for a new beginning.”