Washington, D.C. is never going to be the same. A new era of governance is dawning, creating exciting new opportunities for Americans from all walks of life.
The American people spoke with a clear voice on November 5, emphatically rejecting “business as usual” and awarding Republicans a mandate to effect a hard reset in the nation’s capital.
This isn’t just a change in policy. The incoming Trump administration is bringing with it an entirely new way of thinking. President-elect Donald Trump’s selections for Cabinet members, ambassadors, and agency heads have already sent shockwaves through the Beltway establishment, and this is just the beginning.
The new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a prime example of the disruption Trump is bringing. For decades, the leaders of both parties had tolerated mind-boggling levels of corruption, waste, and administrative bloat, enabling a culture of profligacy that subsidized the federal bureaucracy and crony capitalists at the expense of hard-working American taxpayers.
Washington insiders scoff at Elon Musk’s stated goal of trimming the federal budget by $2 trillion, but that attitude just shows how unprepared they are for what lies ahead.
Consider what’s in store for some of Washington’s most sclerotic agencies and departments, even without DOGE-instigated reforms.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), led by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., will end the notorious “revolving door” between Big Pharma and the federal health system. Instead of industry insiders cutting sweetheart deals with their former colleagues before returning to the private sector to claim their reward, the HHS will be led by a crusading reformer who has repeatedly shone a harsh spotlight on some of the health care industry’s most questionable practices.
When 77 Nobel laureates complain that Kennedy lacks the necessary “credentials” to lead the HHS, what they really mean is that he’s a threat to the health care establishment.
Establishment elites are similarly aghast at Trump’s nomination of Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. Even though Hegseth is a decorated veteran who has dedicated a substantial portion of his post-military career to advocating for veterans, they see him (rightfully) as a threat to the interventionist foreign policy that has propped up countless careers in both the private and public sectors since the Cold War.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 22: U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks during Turning Point USA”s AmericaFest at the Phoenix Convention Center on December 22, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The annual four-day conference geared toward energizing and connecting conservative youth hosts some of the country’s leading conservative politicians and activists.
Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
Hegseth will have an important ally in the incoming director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. A veteran herself, Gabbard has been a consistent critic of neoconservative foreign policy, even when it put her own political career at risk.
Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) leadership as secretary of state will prioritize Latin American foreign relations and put the Chinese Communist Party and its sympathizers on notice that they can’t run around our hemisphere unchecked any longer. His nomination also reflects the growing influence and importance of Hispanics in the Republican Party.
Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), meanwhile, will be tasked with advancing the America-first agenda at the U.N., where she will go toe to toe with some of our nation’s most determined foes. Gone are the days of groveling and accommodation. With Stefanik as U.N. ambassador, the United States will assert itself with pride and confidence.
On the home front, Pam Bondi will be a powerful disruptive force as our next attorney general. She brings to the role a perfect mixture of talent, experience, and determination to clean up a Department of Justice that has become unbearably corrupt and politicized. The era of political persecution by the U.S. justice system is over, which will bring some major changes to the business models of many Beltway law firms.
The appointment of former representative Sean Duffy as the next secretary of transportation is also a major victory, particularly at a time when there is substantial bipartisan support for infrastructure modernization. Duffy will ensure that our infrastructure and transportation investments are made according to sound principles that prioritize Americans, such as sourcing materials from American companies and using only legal American labor on projects.
The incoming Trump administration is bad news for the D.C. establishment, but great news for pretty much everybody else. The stock market is surging in the wake of Trump’s victory, small business optimism recorded the biggest one-month gain on record, and Bitcoin crossed the $100,000 mark for the first time.
Even Trump’s sharpest critics are adapting to the new normal. Contrary to Democrats’ predictions of American influence declining on the world stage, for instance, world leaders are enthusiastically embracing Trump. Meanwhile, corporations and elite universities are rushing to dismantle DEI programs that expose them to legal and reputational risk.
Those who embrace the creative disruption of the new Trump administration and the America First agenda are poised to thrive like never before. The old Washington is gone forever, and that’s great news for the American people.
Michael Glassner was a Senior Advisor to the 2024 Trump campaign and was Deputy Campaign Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the 2016 and 2020 Trump campaigns. John Pence was a senior advisor to the 2016 and 2020 Trump campaigns, and ran a pro-Trump super PAC in 2024.
The views expressed in this article are the writers’ own.
