The White House’s new federal hiring guidelines, issued last week, reek of a loyalty test, according to Axios.
It’s the clearest sign yet that the Trump administration is moving to fully politicize the civil service—bulldozing more than a century of legal protections and norms meant to keep career government work nonpartisan.
Notably, these new tests aren’t just for appointees or senior officials, either. Engineers, nurses, lawyers, surgeons—even janitors—just about anyone interviewing for a job within the federal government will now be asked to prove their patriotism and show they support President Donald Trump’s agenda before they’re allowed to serve.
According to Axios, one of the mandatory questions applicants must answer, in 200 words or fewer:
How would you help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role?
Another asks:
Identify one or two relevant Executive Orders or policy initiatives that are significant to you, and explain how you would help implement them if hired.
Applicants also have to certify that their answers weren’t generated with the help of artificial intelligence, because apparently, what really matters is that your suck-up essay is written authentically.
Experts say these questions have nothing to do with qualifications or merit. They’re political, plain and simple. And they’ll also likely slow the hiring process. But that’s the point.
This is all part of Trump’s game. He’s been stacking the government with diehards since before Day One, often picking people laughably unqualified for the jobs they’re given. These days, the best way to land a Cabinet seat is to be a billionaire, an election denier, a Fox News pundit, one of Trump’s personal defense attorneys, or a podcaster.
But this goes beyond installing MAGA cronies. It’s about purging the rest. Trump isn’t just looking for yes-men—he wants only yes-men.
One official from the Office of Personnel Management defended the move to Axios, saying, “The President has the power of superintendence over the Executive Branch and clear statutory authority to ask these questions of prospective employees. He is not imposing a loyalty test by doing so.”
They also claimed it’s reasonable to ask candidates what they’re excited about, given that their job is to advance the president’s agenda. Apparently, that includes janitors.
Technically, agencies have discretion over how—or whether—to use these questions. The pattern, however, is unmistakable. And this isn’t the first loyalty screening of Trump’s second term.
In January, civil servants at the National Security Council were reportedly grilled over their political donations, social media activity, and who they voted for in 2024.
And back in December, The New York Times reported that Trump appointees were asked whether they thought the 2020 election was stolen and what they believed about the events of Jan. 6. According to the report, those who said former President Joe Biden won legitimately—or who disavowed the Capitol riot—were rejected for roles.
Related | Wanna work for Trump? There’s a loyalty test for that
“The sense they got was that there was only one right answer to each question,” the Times noted.
This latest move comes after the administration has already pushed out swaths of the federal workforce through attrition, threats, and outright cuts. Since Trump took office, the Times found roughly 59,000 workers have been fired, while 76,000 accepted buyouts. (Some were later reinstated by court order.)
Now, it looks like the White House wants to fill the gaps with ideological loyalists.
The message is clear: In Trump’s government, there’s no room for neutrality, professionalism, or nonpartisan public service. You’re either with him or you’re out.
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