Trump reinstated Schedule F, a policy that allowed the White House to reclassify tens of thousands of federal workers as at-will employees—and fire them without normal protections.
“If these government workers refuse to advance the policy interests of the President… they should no longer have a job.” — Donald Trump on Truth Social (AP News)
For supporters, it was exactly what they had voted for: cleaning out a bureaucracy they saw as hostile to change.
But others warned that government wasn’t just losing “the swamp” — it was losing neutral expertise.
Career scientists, economists, and national security planners — people who had kept the country running no matter who was in office — could now be removed for political reasons.
Inside agencies, loyalty became a survival skill.
At the Department of Veterans Affairs, Pride flags were taken down.
At the Department of Education, diversity programs were canceled overnight.
Longstanding civil rights protections were revoked quietly, without announcement.
Critics said it wasn’t about efficiency.
It was about enforcing a particular version of America from the top down.
The Economy Hits Turbulence
Then came the market shock.
Trump announced sweeping tariffs:
• 10% on all imports,
• Up to 125% on goods from China,
• 25% against any country trading with Venezuela.
Global markets reacted immediately.
The S&P 500 lost $2.4 trillion in value — the worst single-day drop in five years. (Reuters)
Trump downplayed it:
“Markets are going to boom,” he said, smiling from behind a podium. (Reuters)
Some investors haven’t agreed.
Goldman Sachs has projected that the U.S. economy, which had been growing at 2.4%, would shrink to negative growth, -0.2%, in the first quarter. (NPR, Goldman Sachs via AP)
If that negative growth continues for two quarters, it would officially mark a recession. With recession comes job loss, multiplying the job losses from shortages caused by tariffs.
And with prices still rising, economists have warned of stagflation — an ugly combination of inflation and economic slowdown that can take years to fix. (Brookings, Reuters)
“Recession is bad. Recession plus inflation is worse. That’s where we’re headed,” one analyst warned. (Reuters)