Trump, Musk, and the War on Government
The Supreme Court will decide whether Trump can turn the federal government into his personal staffing agency.
Donald Trump, the man who never met a federal agency he didn’t want to firebomb, is now facing a judicial roadblock in his latest attempt to turn the U.S. government into a temp agency for “loyalists only.”
A federal judge ruled on Saturday that the White House’s February dismissal of Hampton Dellinger, head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), was unlawful. Why? Because the firing came via an email that essentially boiled down to: “You’re fired. No reason. Just vibes.”
Judge Amy Berman Jackson, known for her sharp legal reasoning and even sharper intolerance for executive overreach, made it clear that the OSC’s independence isn’t just a suggestion—it’s baked into the law.
That means Trump, despite his “I alone can fix it” approach to governance, can’t just boot independent watchdogs without following the rules.
The Supreme Court’s Inevitable Cameo
Of course, this case is heading straight to the Supreme Court, where three of Trump’s own appointees will weigh in. And if recent history is any guide, the conservative-dominated bench is likely debating whether to rubber-stamp Trump’s power grab now or just wait until he asks again in a more aggressive font.
Even before this ruling, the Supreme Court signaled its hesitance by refusing to block Jackson’s temporary reinstatement of Dellinger. That alone suggests at least some justices aren’t entirely convinced by Team Trump’s argument that “checks and balances” are an outdated concept.
Trump and Musk’s “Lean Government” Fantasy
This isn’t just about one firing. It’s part of a much bigger Trump-led (or Musk-enabled) push to gut the so-called Deep State.
Trump has teamed up with the world’s richest man to fast-track their shared vision: a federal government that looks less like a functioning democracy and more like a startup run by insecure billionaires.
The plan? Mass firings. Entire agencies slashed. Career civil servants—those pesky experts—replaced with handpicked Trump loyalists whose primary qualifications are Twitter activity and an ability to say “Yes, sir” without blinking.
This “Project 2025” vision is the libertarian fever dream where government agencies are treated like failed Twitter acquisitions—trim the workforce, break things, and claim it’s “innovation.”
Make It Make Sense
Here’s the thing: A president absolutely has the power to shape his administration. But what Trump (and now Musk, apparently) want is something more radical—the ability to strip away the checks and balances that prevent the U.S. from becoming a playground for executive whims.
The Supreme Court now faces a test: Will it uphold the legal precedent that guarantees independence for federal watchdogs? Or will it rubber-stamp the notion that any agency Trump dislikes can be dissolved faster than one of Musk’s AI projects?
Either way, this ruling is just a warm-up. The real fight? It’s coming.
That’s the point.
Zahead, Chaos Analyst.