Former President Trump, in remarks prepared for delivery in Florida on Saturday evening, plans to tout his "Schedule F" executive order — and call on Congress to give the president more power to fire federal employees, according to excerpts obtained by Axios.
- The former president's new blitz against federal employees follows a two-part Axios investigative series by Jonathan Swan, "Inside Trump '25," revealing his allies' plans to make the issue a centerpiece if he wins a second term.
Why it matters: By directly raising Schedule F, Trump is amplifying plans from well-funded outside allies to purge career civil service if he gets back into power.
- "To drain the swamp, we need to fire the swamp," Trump plans to tell a Turning Point event in Tampa, according to the excerpts.
- In the speech, Trump will say he wants new presidential powers to "ensure that any bureaucrat who is corrupt, incompetent or unnecessary can be told: 'You're fired!'"
Between the lines: Schedule F, which was repealed by President Biden on his second day in office, was virtually unknown to the general public. Now, Trump is trying to turn it into a key applause line as speculation rises that he'll announce a 2024 run.
Context: Trump's top allies, the Axios series reports, are preparing to radically reshape the federal government if he is re-elected. They plan to purge potentially thousands of civil servants, and fill career posts with loyalists to him and his "America First" ideology, people involved in the discussions tell Swan.
- Another expert from the speech reads: "With Schedule F, I took executive action to make it possible to fire federal employees who are bypassing our democracy to advance 'wokeism' and corruption."
- "We now need Congress to institute historic reforms to permanently empower the president to root out the 'deep state.'"
Read Jonathan Swan's series about the intricate planning for a second Trump term, including more intense use of Schedule F powers: Part 1 ... Part 2 ... Schedule F explainer.
