Possibility of a Second Trump Term Sets Intelligence Community On Edge

The US has not had a good time with presidents recently, but many people would hate seeing Donald Trump get a second term. Surprisingly, one of the groups who would really hate the former president recovering his position is the intelligence community. What could have caused this animosity? Let’s see.

Overhauling The Nation’s Spy Apparatus

Why does the intelligence community hate Trump so much? Well, the former president’s first term in office was marked by several sweeping changes to how the US intelligence community works.

Naturally, this has led many members of the country’s intelligence apparatus to despise the former president’s approach to intelligence reform.

No Consideration For Established Practices

One of the sticking points for the intelligence community is that Trump’s reforms don’t necessarily make anything better for operatives. They could actively make things worse.

The former president has never been one to stand on ceremony. The term could easily describe a lot of his procedures and practices in the office: “Move fast and break things.”

Replacing People Who Are Hostile To His Politics

The intelligence community has also seen some unsavory moves by the former president when it comes to the people closest to the Oval Office. He has previously removed a few members who he found may be hostile to his policies.

As the president, he was within his rights to hire or fire whoever he wanted. However, by removing people because of their politics, he created a divide that could cause issues in intelligence policy.

Politics Is Never Divorced From Intelligence

In the US, the intelligence community is uniquely tied to the politics of the nation. Having members of different political representations allows for unique takes on international policies.

Replacing the politically diverse intelligence advisors with many of them who are politically aligned with the president could lead to bad decisions due to a lack of insight.

Undermining The Ability of Intelligence Offices to Operate

Overhauls of the intelligence apparatus are necessary from time to time. However, one that is so sweeping in scope as the type Trump is likely to implement could cause severe repercussions.

It also sets the stage for many of these newly appointed intelligence officials to shield the former president from information contradicting his political desires through rewording releases.

Alarming Insight From Close Advisors

Several close advisors to the former president have kept in touch with him after he left office. They were privy to a lot of information about what he intended to do were he to be re-elected.

Knowing Trump’s need to control information, his revamping of the intelligence community in Washington could lead to a lack of critical information coming to key decision-makers. This could lead to global problems if decisions are made without the proper data.

Hiding Facts to Suit a Political Slant

Trump is known for trying to twist narratives to suit his politics. In the intelligence community, information is ammunition, just as much as a Patriot Missile. Currently, the focus is on delivering good information to the stakeholders so they can make the best decisions.

If Trump manages to change the look of the intelligence community, it could lead to some information being omitted because it disagrees with the president’s politics. Nothing could be more disastrous for a decisionmaker.

A 360-degree View Is Necessary

What Trump and a lot of other people in political circles don’t realize is that having a proper view of things from all angles is crucial to ensuring the right decisions are always made. Omitting information isn’t only dangerous; it’s also costly.

Without the balance of other politically aligned intelligence personnel, missions that leave out critical details could be planned and executed. It could lead to failure of the missions and compromising assets on the ground.

Loyalty Could Break The Intelligence Apparatus

In several of the former president’s speeches, he calls for loyalty from those who support him. Unfortunately, his version of loyalty could lead to the intelligence apparatus falling apart and becoming inefficient.

For Donald Trump, loyalty means not saying anything that points out the glaring inaccuracies, falsehoods, and outright lies that he spouts for political benefit. While this might work on the campaign trail, it could lead to disaster in the intelligence community.

No Care For Classified Material

Trump has set a precedent for how he sees classified information. In the intelligence community, classified information could mean a life-or-death situation for an operative or the success or failure of a mission.

The former president treats classified information like it’s more a suggestion than a fact that it shouldn’t be shared. His approach to these guidelines shows that he doesn’t care if he gets operatives killed in the line of duty as long as he can justify his position politically. It’s an unsustainable approach to intelligence.

Trump’s Supporters Push Back

As expected, supporters of the former president were not taking this accusation of his reforms lying down. Many of them stated that the intelligence community had persecuted the former president.

They cite a now-discredited dossier that linked Trump to Russia being embraced by the intelligence community unquestioningly. They also noted that the intelligence apparatus was already politicized before Trump entered power.

Politically Bloated And Prone to Miscalculation

Another close advisor to former president Trump noted that his reforms were undertaken because he saw the US intelligence community as being bloated with people who didn’t contribute.

Trump noted that the intelligence community was also prone to miscalculation, and his “cleanup” was designed to “cut the fat” from the operation. Many people were unhappy with the cuts he made.

A Strained Relationship

Whether or not Trump replaces more of the intelligence community with his handpicked officials remains to be seen. It’s far from a foregone conclusion that he would be elected, but intelligence officials are wary since his reelection could cause irreparable damage to their industry.

Currently, the US is one of the best intelligence networks in the world. This has come as a result of on-the-ground work and well-established techniques that span decades. It would be a shame if a president could destroy all of this just because he sees the intelligence community as a group conspiring against him.