Former Trump White House Staffer Tells Charlie Kirk Ending The Deep State Is Possible
Charlie Kirk Staff
07/26/2023

In an exclusive interview on Tuesday, Charlie Kirk sat down with James Bacon, former director of operations in the Trump White House, to shed light on the persistent issues plaguing federal agencies in the United States. Bacon proposed solutions to address the “deep state” phenomenon, a term used to describe the entrenched bureaucracy that wields considerable power despite lacking elected accountability.
“There’s been this idea going around that moving these federal agencies outside of Washington, DC would help eradicate the deep state,” Bacon said. “The problem with that is, it puts the bureaucrats further away from the president’s supervision.”
Former Trump admin official James Bacon joins @charliekirk11 to discuss his op-ed "Keep your friends close and your bureaucrats closer" pic.twitter.com/Wh91nrVjKi
— Human Events (@HumanEvents) July 25, 2023
Citing the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control as an example, Bacon expressed concern about the agency’s alleged corruption and its impact on the Trump administration. Instead of shifting agencies, Bacon advocated for a more hands-on approach, with the president exercising greater management authority over them.
He proposed appointing individuals like an attorney general over the FBI who would treat the agency as subordinate, aligning with the intended structure under the law. He further emphasized the importance of retaining DC as the focal point to prevent rural areas from leaning towards the Democratic party.
“Instead of moving the agencies away,” he continued, “the president needs to exert more management authority over them, keep a closer eye on them, appoint people like an attorney general over the FBI who treats the FBI as subordinate, which is how it’s supposed to work under the law.”
Drawing from various instances during the Trump administration, Bacon cautioned against relying solely on executive orders, emphasizing that many bureaucrats viewed them merely as “suggestions.”
Bacon clarified that the bureaucratic system had permeated all facets of the Executive branch, and he highlighted the abundance of unelected officials within the White House who had almost “usurped the president’s authority because of their location.”
“How do you potentially marshal control or command a multi-million person bureaucracy with maybe 3,000 appointed positions?” Kirk asked.
According to Bacon, achieving the objective is feasible, but it demands prompt action with reduced delegation of responsibilities and a greater focus on following up with those assigned to specific tasks.
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