In light of the partnership between businessman “Elon Musk,” responsible for government efficiency, and American President “Donald Trump” to reduce federal agency expenditures, official statements are escalating regarding the new administration’s intention to dissolve numerous institutions, including the Department of Education and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). There is also a general tendency from “Trump” and his team to encourage several officials to resign from various federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, after “Musk” requested sensitive information related to the payment system linked to Social Security, healthcare, and taxes, despite the confidentiality of this information concerning millions of Americans.
These retaliatory moves by “Trump” may lead to the dismissal of up to 20,000 federal employees, warning of significant job losses for many individuals within established American institutions in the coming months. In this context, it’s essential to highlight the targeting of American institutions and the implications this targeting may have on the future of these long-standing entities.
Aspects of targeting
The aspects of “Trump” and his ally “Elon Musk” targeting America’s long-established institutions since “Trump’s” return to the White House are evident in their attempts to dismantle them and strip them of their employees. Here are the main features:
- Continuous criticism of the U.S. federal judiciary: Both “Donald Trump” and “Elon Musk” are active in criticizing U.S. federal judicial institutions, asserting that the judiciary needs a purging. This rhetoric intensified following federal court decisions that opposed many executive orders issued by “Trump.” Among these decisions was the employment of over 20,000 federal agency employees through their voluntary resignations while continuing to receive their salaries and benefits until September 2025.
Furthermore, a federal court decision denied the Treasury Department permission for efficiency government employees to access certain payment systems containing sensitive information, arguing that such actions violate the privacy of American citizens. This prompted “Musk” to state on his social media platform “X” that 1% of unqualified federal judges should be dismissed annually to preserve American institutions.
- Relentless efforts to halt funding for American agencies: President “Trump” has signed multiple executive orders, including one to stop funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development and to transfer its oversight to the State Department, temporarily appointing Secretary of State “Marco Rubio” as the acting head of the agency, resulting in the layoff of thousands of employees. The employee count was reduced from over 10,000 to about 300, indicating that the agency is now seen as unhelpful to the U.S., despite its active role in over 120 countries worldwide, allocating billions annually for development efforts as part of Washington’s strategies to safeguard its vital interests across the globe.
This step stems from a view that this agency contradicts “America First” agenda, which prioritizes domestic interests over foreign ones. There are also intentions to eliminate the Department of Education and halt the federal emergency management agency, as “Trump” and his team believe local authorities should control disaster funding and responses, while the agency is seen as receiving significant funding with questionable expenditure practices.
On another note, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, “Russell Vought,” sees the need to limit funds granted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, stating in a social media post dated February 8, 2025, that the bureau’s current balance of $711.6 million is excessive in the current financial environment, and this funding source has now been shut off, which long contributed to a lack of accountability for the bureau.
- Dismissing employees appointed under previous administrations: “Trump” is dismissing several high-ranking officials from various key federal positions in his desire to install individuals of his own choosing, despite the fact that many of those dismissed have not reached the end of their terms, and not all were appointed during former President “Joe Biden’s” administration. Among those dismissed by “Trump” was the head of the Office of Whistleblower Protection, “Hampton Dellinger,” who was appointed by former President “Biden.” Furthermore, in February 2025, “Trump” removed the chair of the Federal Election Commission, “Ellen Weintraub,” who was appointed by former President “George W. Bush” in 2002.
Implications of dismantling
The movements of “Trump” and “Musk” to enact radical changes within American institutions are expected to lead to several implications, which can be highlighted as follows:
- Appointment of federal employees based on political loyalty: “Trump” and “Musk’s” interventions in shaping the employee composition of American federal institutions are likely to result in a fundamental shift within these entities, with appointments that may focus more on political loyalty than on professional competence for some positions. These appointments usually hinge on personal relationships and previous acquaintance with individuals, leading “Trump” to appoint people from commercial or unconventional backgrounds, rather than selecting officials with traditional diplomatic or governmental experience. This tendency is evident in certain nominations for roles such as U.S. ambassadors in various countries.
- Absence of institutions capable of regulating presidential conduct: With “Trump” and his supporters intervening in the policies and regulations governing various American institutions, there is a noticeable lack of institutions capable of overseeing the behavior of the American president. This scenario suggests that “Trump” may act more erratically during this term compared to his first, relying on the premise that he is a businessman negotiating with rivals for maximum gains rather than being the leader of a significant nation like the United States, which remains one of the principal founding countries of the post-Cold War international order. This approach undermines Washington’s reputation on one hand and creates international security disruptions on the other.
- Emergence of a constitutional crisis threatening American democracy: Various analyses indicate that “Trump” and his team’s continued defiance of American institutions, U.S. law, and the Constitution, alongside their blurring of the powers granted to him with those associated with legislative authority, could lead to a constitutional crisis in the United States that threatens the stability of the democracy built on institutions and the Constitution for centuries. This crisis is expected to arise not in the long term but in the foreseeable future if the administration continues to override the Constitution and the law, as seen when “Trump” signed an executive order prohibiting American citizenship for individuals born on U.S. soil to parents without legal residency papers in the country.
Moreover, his attempts to close and restructure the U.S. Agency for International Development, established by the late President “John F. Kennedy” in 1961, face legal challenges, as this agency is under Congress’s authority as an independent entity not subject to presidential control. This notion is reinforced by the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998, which supported the agency’s independence and limited presidential powers over it. Thus any new action from “Trump” will lead to confrontations first with Congress and then with federal courts and the Supreme Court, as he lacks the constitutional authority to shut down the agency.
Institutional analysis
In conclusion, while some entities in the U.S. can potentially obstruct “Trump’s” moves, such as Congress, federal courts, the Supreme Court, and other federal institutions, the current Republican control over Congress and their desire to align with “Trump’s” ambitions, coupled with their fear of opposing him at this time, may weaken Congress’s ability to counter him.
Regarding the Supreme Court, the conservative composition that “Trump” helped shape may further contribute to undermining American institutions, given that it may align with “Trump’s” agenda. Even if some institutions resist “Trump’s” decisions in the short term, the structural changes he seeks to introduce within various institutions could push the next president to also act based on personal whims, potentially leading to further institutional decay in the United States.
