It’s been long known that the vast majority of federal workers in the nation’s capital are Democrats — after all, Washington, D.C., and the surrounding suburbs are something like 90-92 percent registered Democrats. But a shocking new report reveals the depth of the problem President Donald Trump faces in implementing his agenda despite the fact that he was elected by a majority of the country to do the very specific things he ran on.
A new poll indicates that most federal employees who once voted Democrat are prepared to act against Trump’s agenda. Data released Thursday by the Napolitan Institute shows that 76% of those who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris say they will “resist” Trump’s plans, and 75% would hypothetically disobey—or “do what [they] thought was best”—when faced with a legal order they opposed. The institute said these results reveal a “deep partisan divide in the Administrative State” as Trump seeks to align federal agencies with his agenda.
“Our research confirms that the Administrative State is not composed of thoughtful, nonpartisan experts who are making neutral decisions for voters,” Napolitan Institute founder Scott Rasmussen said in a press release. “The deep partisan divide within the federal bureaucracy and the shifting public opinion present significant challenges for the current administration.”
The survey asked respondents to “imagine that you were the head of a federal government agency” and “President Trump gave you an order that was legal but you believed was bad policy.” The questionnaire asked, “Would you follow the president’s order or do what you thought was best?”
The results indicated that 75% of bureaucrats who voted for Harris in the presidential election stated they would “do what they thought was best” regarding Trump’s orders. Meanwhile, 9% were unsure, and the remaining individuals would comply with his directives. In contrast, 80% of officials who voted for Trump reported that they would follow the president’s orders despite any disagreements, with 2% expressing uncertainty and 18% stating they would not comply.
The Napolitan Institute founder had some good news: “The silver lining is that with such high levels of chaos in this bureaucratic ‘civil war’, there may be an opening for the common sense voice of the American people to rise above the political noise and once again become the shaping force of the nation’s dialogue,” said Rasmussen. That said, if you still wonder why Trump and DOGE leader Elon Musk want to trip the federal bureaucracy, this is one glaring example of why it must be done.
