‘Deep State’ Rising? Poll Finds Federal Employees Ready To Resist Trump’s Second Term
A significant portion of federal employees in Washington, D.C., are preparing to oppose the potential second administration of Donald Trump, a recent survey reveals. A possible internal struggle for the next administration is indicated by the fact that 42% of federal government managers in the nation’s capital plan to oppose Trump’s ideas, according to a survey by RMG Research that was covered by The Daily Signal.
Majority of Americans Supportive
The Napolitan Institute commissioned the poll, which looked at three different groups: Federal Government Managers, the Elite 1%, and Main Street Americans. Just 28% of Main Street Americans, who make up 70–75% of the population, intended to resist Trump’s administration, compared to 59% who said they supported it.
Support for Trump outstripped opposition even among the Elite 1%, a group characterized by postgraduate degrees, high incomes, and urban domicile. 39% of elites said they planned to oppose the government, while 48% said they supported it. It’s noteworthy that 12% of those who supported Kamala Harris in the November election stated they would back Trump’s government. A quarter (26%) of Harris voters in the Elite 1% said they would be inclined to support Trump.
Divisions in the Federal Workforce
One significant exception in the poll was Federal Government Managers. Just 44% of respondents stated they would back Trump’s government, whilst 42% intended to oppose it. Federal employees who live in the National Capitol Region and make at least $75,000 a year are included in this category.
There was a clear party gap among government workers. While 89% of Republican managers intended to back Trump, nearly three-quarters (73%) of Democratic managers stated they would oppose him. Twenty-six percent of managers overall stated they would “strongly support” Trump, while twenty-three percent said they would “strongly resist.”
Just 17% of Democratic managers responded that they would follow a legitimate presidential order that they believed to be bad policy. On the other hand, 64% of respondents stated that they would disregard such directives, choosing instead to follow their own judgment, a practice that detractors compare to “deep state” conduct.
Americans Oppose Bureaucratic Resistance
According to the study, the public generally disapproves of officials who defy legal mandates. The majority of Main Street Americans (54%) said that such workers need to be let go. 52% agreed, even within the Elite 1%. In such situations, 74% of Republican managers were in favor of termination, compared to 23% of Democratic managers.
Diverging Priorities
Differences in the groups’ political priorities were also brought to light by the poll. Both the general electorate and Main Street Americans cited immigration (18% and 17%) and the economy (40% and 39%, respectively) as their top worries.
However, a wider range of concerns were given priority by Federal Government Managers, such as the economy (18%), immigration (11%), crime and firearms (10%), and climate change (6%). These priorities were in stark contrast to those of the general electorate.
Survey Details
In mid-December, RMG Research polled 500 federal government managers, 1,000 registered voters, and 1,000 members of the Elite 1%. The Elite 1% group’s margin of error was ±3.1%, while federal managers’ was ±4.4%.
