Trump Wastes No Time in Shaking Up Washington
Barely a week into his presidency, Donald Trump has launched a campaign of retribution and political score-settling on an unprecedented scale.
At the forefront of this purge is the Department of Justice, the first to feel the weight of Trump’s aggressive “drain the swamp” agenda. His administration has swiftly moved to root out officials deemed insufficiently loyal—an effort his supporters claim is a necessary cleanup of corruption that has long stifled the nation’s progress.
With loyalty as the new currency in Washington, Trump’s presidency is already proving to be one defined by power plays, ideological battles, and a relentless push to reshape the federal government in his image.
Trump’s DOJ Purge: Loyalty Over Law
The Department of Justice has quickly become ground zero for President Trump’s sweeping purge, with officials who worked against him over the past eight years now facing the axe.
Like the all-seeing Eye of Sauron, Trump’s administration has honed in on those deemed disloyal, ensuring they don’t get a second chance to stand in his way. His representatives may frame these firings as necessary for the integrity of his presidency, but the reality appears far more personal—this is about settling scores, especially with those who refused to stand by him on January 6.
Democrats argue that these DOJ prosecutors were simply doing their jobs, handling cases based on merit rather than political bias. Yet Trump and his supporters see it differently, accusing them of orchestrating politically motivated cases against him. The fallout? Around a dozen officials allegedly lost their jobs overnight, their only apparent crime being their role in prosecuting Trump over his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.
An internal email from interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin attempted to justify the firings, stating these individuals were “improperly hired” under the Biden administration. But to critics, this is nothing short of a loyalty test—one that proves, in Trump’s Washington, allegiance trumps everything else.
The Silent Purge: Trump’s DOJ Firings
The Trump administration justifies its latest wave of DOJ firings by claiming that the Biden administration improperly converted certain positions into “permanent” roles to shield officials from future dismissals. In their view, this maneuver was an attempt to entrench anti-Trump forces within the system.
However, these officials didn’t sign up for a personal vendetta against Trump—they were simply assigned cases as part of their duties. It just so happened that those cases involved the former president, and in Trump’s world, that’s a career-ending offense.
For those caught in the crosshairs, there was no warning—just an abrupt removal. The message is clear: prosecuting Trump comes with consequences. And given his track record, this purge is likely just the beginning.
Yet, despite the gravity of these firings, media coverage has been remarkably subdued. A quiet cleanup, executed without much fanfare—just the way Trump seems to prefer it.
Few in positions of power dare to say it outright, but Democratic and liberal leaders argue that Trump’s presidency has kicked off with a blatant disregard for the law—bending, twisting, and outright ignoring rules that would have sparked national outrage if committed by anyone else.
From the moment he took office, his administration has set a tone of defiance, pushing boundaries that once seemed unbreakable. While his supporters call it bold leadership, his critics see it as a dangerous unraveling of democratic norms. Yet, in true Trump fashion, the controversy doesn’t slow him down—it fuels him.
And yet, this is Donald Trump we’re talking about—so few have the courage to openly challenge him (well, aside from Pope Francis, who did call Trump a ‘disgrace’ for his deportation policies—but he’s, you know, in Italy, not in the U.S.). It’s almost as though many Democrats are still reeling from their loss in the last election. One of the rare voices to speak out was Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of UC Berkeley’s School of Law, who didn’t mince words about Trump’s blatant reshaping of Washington.
“I think that Trump has issued many executive orders that are clearly illegal,” Chemerinsky told the Huffington Post. “Some of it is political, some of it is to test the bounds of the law. He really wants to push executive power further than it’s ever been before.”
And if this is just the beginning, it’s clear that we’re in for a chaotic, unpredictable ride under Trump’s leadership.
It’s as if no official is now safe. The shield of the law is slipping away, and Trump is moving swiftly to settle scores and clean house. Inspectors general, who were supposed to be above party lines, are suddenly under fire—labeled threats to Trump’s control, just like the officials who were involved in cases against him. The administration defends this purge by arguing that these inspectors were never truly independent to begin with.
It seems now that if you don’t show loyalty to the current president, you might be out of a job in an instant!
These are truly precarious times for anyone holding an official position in U.S. government agencies, especially if even the federal laws can’t seem to protect those working under them.
For Republicans, though, this will likely be seen as a positive shift. These officials are often viewed as having been biased against Trump, and a “cleaning of the house” after a new administration takes office is nothing new. After all, who wants employees whose values don’t align with your own? Now, the unspoken question on everyone’s mind is—who’s next? Which department or agency will fall prey to Trump’s ‘draining the swamp’ strategy? The anticipation is high. For Trump supporters, the future is looking more promising than ever.
