Almost half of career federal government bureaucrats say they plan to resist directives from President-elect Donald J. Trump‘s incoming administration. The scale of planned interference by unelected federal government employees against the actions of a duly elected President underscores the urgent need for reforms like the Schedule F employment designation and the swift confirmation of Trump’s cabinet nominees.
Polling conducted by RMG Research found that 42 percent of federal government workers intend to actively undermine President-elect Trump’s agenda. Overall, the data found that the political elite—who overwhelmingly backed Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election—have the most faith in the federal government and tend to support bureaucratic resistance to Trump. RMG Research defines the political elite as individuals who earn over $150,000 a year, live in major metropolitan areas, and have advanced degrees.
Among government workers, support for the Trump administration primarily reflects the individual’s partisan preferences. A concerning 73 percent of those who identify as Democrats say they plan to resist the Trump administration. Meanwhile, 89 percent of those who identify as Republicans—a small minority in the federal government—say they plan to support Trump’s agenda.
Trump has long pushed for using the Schedule F employment designation to remove or reassign career federal workers who choose to undermine his policies.
Notably, those designated as Main Street Americans by RMG Research largely oppose the unelected federal bureaucracy’s intention to disrupt the incoming Trump administration. Additionally, the same segment—representing about 70 to 75 percent of Americans—also has lower trust in government. According to the survey, Main Street Americans support Trump’s agenda by 59 percent, with just 28 percent supporting resistance against it. Only 48 percent of the so-called political elite support Trump’s plans, while 39 percent support resistance against Trump.