Reshaping the Deep State: Trump’s Buyouts & Reforms | 2.22.25

Summary

Morning Wire Podcast Summary: "Reshaping the Deep State: Trump’s Buyouts & Reforms" | February 22, 2025

Hosted by Georgia Howe and John Bickley, the "Morning Wire" podcast from The Daily Wire delivers incisive analysis on current political and cultural developments. In the February 22, 2025 episode titled "Reshaping the Deep State: Trump’s Buyouts & Reforms," Howe engages in a deep discussion with Tyler O'Neill, author of "Woketopus," about President Trump's initiatives to overhaul the federal government and confront the entrenched Deep State.

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1. Introduction and Context

The episode opens with an announcement from White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt regarding President Trump’s significant federal employee buyout program:

“We are saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars with this buyout. In fact, I can confirm that more than 77,000 federal employees accepted this very generous buyout offer from the Trump administration.” [00:03]

Georgia Howe introduces the topic, emphasizing the strategic reduction of the federal workforce as part of Trump's broader agenda to realign the executive branch with his "America First" policies.

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2. Federal Buyout Program and Its Impact

Georgia Howe brings in Tyler O'Neill to discuss the implications of the buyout program. O'Neill highlights the success and scale of the initiative:

“More than 77,000 federal employees accepted this very generous buyout offer from the Trump administration.” [00:03]

He further elaborates on a concerning poll:

“64% of Washington, D.C. based federal bureaucrats who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the last election said that they would not follow a lawful order from Trump if they considered it to be bad policy.” [01:26]

This statistic underscores the resistance within the federal workforce to Trump's directives, signaling a significant shift in the bureaucratic landscape.

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3. The Deep State: Definition and Origins

The conversation delves into the concept of the Deep State, with O'Neill defining it as a network of entrenched bureaucrats and activist groups within the federal government:

“The Deep State acts as a government in exile right now. And so what you see is this threat doesn't go away.” [08:06]

He traces the origins of this phenomenon to previous administrations, noting its growth during the Obama and Biden years, where left-wing networks increasingly influenced federal policies and staffing.

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4. Left-Wing Influence and Manipulation within the Federal Government

O'Neill discusses the pervasive influence of left-wing groups and dark money networks in shaping federal policies:

“The left's vast influence campaign that's propped up by a dark money network led by people like George Soros... Now his son Alex is heading the Open Society Foundations.” [02:25]

He cites specific instances, such as the Human Rights Campaign's pressure on the White House leading to shifts in policy stances:

“The Human Rights Campaign created a pressure campaign on the White House. The White House changed its messaging just a few hours later.” [04:41]

These actions illustrate the Deep State's ability to manipulate federal policies to align with their progressive agendas.

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5. Trump's Strategies to Counter the Deep State

The discussion shifts to the measures President Trump is taking to dismantle the Deep State's influence. O'Neill praises Trump's decisive actions, such as revoking security clearances:

“When Trump did this, it sent the message loud and clear that the Deep State should not be meddling in our elections like this.” [06:38]

He also commends Trump's appointments of individuals like Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence and Cash Patel at the FBI, viewing these as strategic moves to ensure loyalty and counteract Deep State activities.

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6. Challenges in Dismantling the Deep State

Despite Trump's efforts, O'Neill acknowledges the formidable challenges in eradicating the Deep State:

“Dismantling the Deep State is a really difficult problem and not gonna disappear.” [08:06]

He highlights the "revolving door" phenomenon, where bureaucrats move between activist groups and federal positions, perpetuating Deep State influence:

“Like these activists are not giving up, and some of them are staying inside of the administrative state.” [08:06]

To effectively combat this, O'Neill advocates for structural reforms, particularly targeting public sector unions that he believes foster adversarial relationships between public servants and elected officials:

“I think Congress needs to reexamine these rules and say whether or not public sector unions can represent federal workers. I think the answer should be no.” [08:06]

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7. Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Caroline Levitt: “We are saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars with this buyout. In fact, I can confirm that more than 77,000 federal employees accepted this very generous buyout offer from the Trump administration.” [00:03]

• Tyler O'Neill: “64% of Washington, D.C. based federal bureaucrats who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the last election said that they would not follow a lawful order from Trump if they considered it to be bad policy.” [01:26]

• Tyler O'Neill: “Dismantling the Deep State is a really difficult problem and not gonna disappear.” [08:06]

• Tyler O'Neill: “I think Congress needs to reexamine these rules and say whether or not public sector unions can represent federal workers. I think the answer should be no.” [08:06]

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8. Future Outlook and Recommendations

O'Neill remains optimistic about the Trump administration's initiatives but emphasizes the need for ongoing efforts and legislative support:

“I have confidence in them [Trump’s appointees]. But I also think you need structural reforms.” [08:06]

He calls for Congress to take decisive action on public sector unions and other structural changes to ensure the Deep State's influence is curtailed in the long term.

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9. Conclusion

In this episode of "Morning Wire," Tyler O'Neill provides a comprehensive analysis of President Trump's strategies to reshape the federal government and confront the Deep State. Through substantial buyouts, strategic appointments, and advocating for structural reforms, the administration seeks to align the executive branch with its policy objectives. However, O'Neill cautions that dismantling the Deep State is a complex and ongoing challenge that requires persistent effort and legislative action.

For listeners interested in further exploring these topics, O'Neill recommends his book "Woketopus" and directs them to his Substack at woktopus.com for more in-depth discussions.

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This summary encapsulates the key points, discussions, insights, and conclusions from the "Reshaping the Deep State: Trump’s Buyouts & Reforms" episode of Morning Wire, providing a comprehensive overview for those who have not listened to the podcast.

Transcript

[Caroline Levitt]

We are saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars with this buyout. In fact, I can confirm that more than 77,000 federal employees accepted this very generous buyout offer from the Trump administration.

[Unnamed Reporter]

That was White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt announcing the number of federal employees who have accepted the Trump Doge buyout. Thirty days into his second term, President Trump has taken aggressive steps to reshape the executive AGENC by forcing out tens of thousands of federal workers, part of a personnel is policy approach designed to remove those who'd block his America first agenda.

[Georgia Howe]

In this episode, we speak to daily signals Tyler O'Neill about the deeply entrenched Washington bureaucrats that he documents in his new book and what it's going to take to fully revamp the federal government. I'm Georgia Howe with Daily Wire Editor in Chief John Bickley. It's Saturday, February 22nd, and this is a weekend edition of Morning Wire. Joining us now is the Daily Signals Tyler O'Neill, author of the Woketopus. Tyler, thanks so much for coming on.

[Tyler O'Neill]

Hey, my pleasure. Thanks for having me.

[Georgia Howe]

So I wanted to start by noting an article that you wrote for the New York Post discussing a concerning poll of federal employees. Can you tell us a little bit about what that poll found?

[Tyler O'Neill]

Yeah. So this was a really shocking poll. It found that 64% of Washington, D.C. based federal bureaucrats who voted for Vice President Kamala Harris in the last election said that they would not follow a lawful order from Trump if they considered it to be bad policy. I think back in the first administration, you had some Republicans or some who identified as Republicans who would still oppose Trump from within. Thankfully, that seems to be less of the case. But the fact that anybody who works in the executive branch would decide and really gear up, up for not following the legal orders of the sitting president is a really shocking development.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, did this ever exist in the reverse? So, for example, do we know if Republican partisans engage in this kind of obstructionist behavior or is this culturally more entrenched on the left?

[Tyler O'Neill]

It's definitely more entrenched on the left wing side. This broader phenomenon dovetails very much with my new book, which is called the Woke the Dark Money Cabal Manipulating the Federal Government. And in my book, I talk about, you know, the left's vast influence campaign that's propped up by a dark money network led by people like George Soros, who now his son Alex is heading the Open Society Foundations. So in the Biden administration, the influence of this left wing network really exploded. And we saw what I call the Woke to Puss revealing itself in its true form, showing how far its tentacles had reached into the federal government when it came to staffing and advice, and really brainwashing and weaponizing the government to achieve its woke purposes. But even under Biden, we saw many bureaucrats gear up against the sitting president. And these were left wing bureaucrats gearing up against a left wing president because they didn't support his rhetorical stance on Israel. And many of us who know the issue of Israel and the Middle east and Iran in general will know that Biden was by far not the most reliable president when it comes to standing for Israel. He loosened the sanctions on Iran that enabled the rogue state to fund Hamas and likely led to the October 7th terrorist attack. But as soon as that attack happened, Biden came out and said to Israel, we will never fail to have your back. And that messaging didn't comport well with some of the activist groups. And so you saw this gearing Deep State move against a Democratic president from the left because they wanted him to focus on securing a ceasefire deal and essentially not allowing Israel to protect itself and prevent another October 7th terrorist pogrom.

[Georgia Howe]

How long has this been an issue in the federal government? I mean, did you track when the deep State became a real player in national politics?

[Tyler O'Neill]

Yeah, that's an excellent question. We know that there was a large influence in the Obama administration as well. I think the phenomenon I describe as the Woktopus came into its full flower in the Biden administration, but it had been growing over years. But only recently did some of the more aggressive woke groups, I'm thinking like the Human Rights Campaign and of course, the Southern Poverty Law center had a little bit of an advising role years and years ago, but only under Biden. Their access tripled, quadrupled, expanded in this administration. There was this one moment where the Human Rights Campaign, you know, the Biden White House released a statement, and this was just last year, they released a statement weakening their stance, supporting sex change operations for children. And they had language that suggested, oh, we're not actually going to go full bore into this. We think that maybe, maybe it could be a good idea sometimes, but we want to withdraw our full support. The Human Rights Campaign created a pressure campaign on the White House. The White House changed its messaging just a few hours later. And then the head of the Human Rights Campaign went to her donors and said, look, this is tremendous impact and we have to keep doing this. So I don't have the receipts on every way that these activist groups achieved their goals in the Biden administration. But there are moments like that that really peel the curtain back and show that, yes, this vast influence campaign achieved many of its goals and in sometimes shocking degrees.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, what do you make of Trump's decision to cut off security clearances for the people who signed that letter, that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation? Is that an effective start or is that more of a symbolic move?

[Tyler O'Neill]

Yeah, I think it's a very effective, mostly symbolic move. Some of the people have already lost their security clearances and some of them have passed away. But I think it really, it sends the message that it will not be tolerated for current or former government officials who have these security clearances to weaponize their security clearances. That example was exhibit A of Big Tech and the Deep State colluding in order to suppress a very true news story that, you know, we now know the Hunter Biden laptop was real. The New York Post was correct. All of this rhetoric about it being a Russian influence campaign was itself disinformation and of the worst sort. So when Trump did this, it sent the message loud and clear that the Deep State should not be meddling in our elections like this. It's really important for Trump to send this message. And by choosing Tulsi Gabbard as his Director of National Intelligence, by putting Cash Patel at the FBI, by putting Ratcliffe at the CIA, Trump is sending very clear messages that he is going to bring the Deep State to heel.

[Georgia Howe]

Now, do you think that the people he's putting in his cabinet now have the capacity to really turn this around in a four year period?

[Tyler O'Neill]

Yeah, I have great confidence in them and I have great confidence in Russ Vote over at omb. But actually, dismantling the Deep State is a really difficult problem and not gonna disappear. So when Trump won, a lot of these activists in the Biden administration, they had gone to many of these activist groups, like they'd worked at an activist group like the Natural Resources Defense Council, and then gone to the Biden administration and then gone back to a similar sort of activist group. So what you have is a revolving door, and the Woktapus acts as a government in exile right now. And so what you see is this threat doesn't go away. Like these activists are not giving up, and some of them are staying inside of the administrative state. As we noted in that poll, 64% of those who voted for Kamala Harris, who are Federal bureaucrats in D.C. said they would oppose a Trump order. These people are hunkering down. And we've seen people change their job titles to hide the fact that they were hired for DEI reasons. So there's a deep state and then there's a government in exile. And preventing them from undermining the president's agenda is a really tall order. And so I have confidence in the people that Trump has picked. But I also think you need structural reforms. One of the things that I constantly talk about is public sector unions, especially in the federal government, because they pit public servants against the people's elected representatives. And what that does is it creates an adversarial relationship that makes government less accountable to the people. I mean, you have the American Federation of Government Employees that represents federal bureaucrats across the administration, and it's because the rules were changed. I think it was under the Jimmy Carter, Carter administration. But we need to have Congress reexamine these rules and say whether or not public sector unions can represent federal workers. I think the answer should be no. And I really hope that in the current round of reconciliation, they consider this sort of reform, because if you have these public sector unions, I mean, they are part of the infrastructure that is fighting back against the people's elected president. I think Congress needs to do it. I think Trump's administration, administration is off to a really excellent start. But some of these things have to be structural and they have to be long term to defang this threat.

[Georgia Howe]

All right, well, Tyler, thanks so much for coming on today.

[Tyler O'Neill]

Hey, my pleasure. You can find the Woketopus on Amazon. You can also go to woktopus.com, my substack, where I have the news about all of these important issues.

[Georgia Howe]

That was the Daily Signals, Tyler O'Neill. And this has been a weekend edition of Morning Wire.