Donald Trump’s declared war on the federal government has so far met with less resistance than expected — and produced favorable poll numbers that has the president planning to forge ahead, Politico reported Tuesday.
But his next moves could be devastating to his base.
The outlet reported that agencies Trump has already trained crosshairs on — the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — are historically unpopular with conservatives.
Sources close to Trump told Politico they were specifically chosen because they were considered to carry little political risk, being largely unknown and seen as aiding foreign countries and promoting non-MAGA policies.
“You gotta light things on fire that burn the brightest and have the most distinctive smell of waste fraud and abuse,” said a White House insider.
But the administration’s next moves are considerably more risky.
Next up is likely to be the Department of Education, the Department of Defense and the Department of Health and Human Services, according to Politico’s sources — agencies much better known and more popular.
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“They risk destabilizing an administration that until now has spoken with one voice, creating tension within the MAGA coalition, and jeopardizing poll numbers that showed over the weekend that Trump, for the first time as president, is enjoying majority support,” Politico reported.
“Any of those outcomes could, in turn, threaten Trump’s commitment to dismantling the so-called deep state, as the targets grow bigger and more Americans are affected by a lack of services.”
Many Republicans view these agencies as important for the nation, and vital employers in their constituencies. Tackling them could create opposition from within the GOP, which Trump has so far largely avoided, Politico reported.
And, sources said, Elon Musk could end up a casualty.
“Elon is going to have to be very careful,” an ex-White House official said. “As we all know, it takes just one tweet for a relationship to go sideways.”