Trump Promised to Drain the Swamp. Instead, He’s Firing You.

Donald Trump promised to “drain the swamp.” Instead, he’s firing working-class Americans while keeping the real swamp creatures—lobbyists, billionaires, and cronies—right where they are. He’s not eliminating corruption. He’s eliminating you.

His supporters were led to believe that the deep state was full of corrupt Washington insiders pulling the strings of government. And let’s be fair—there is corruption in Washington. There are entrenched power structures that put corporate interests over ordinary people. That’s why so many Americans resonated with Trump’s populist message. But the reality? Trump isn’t firing the people making policy—he’s firing the people processing paperwork. The men and women answering the phones, keeping our skies safe, helping veterans access their benefits, and ensuring Social Security checks go out on time. The quiet professionals who don’t set the rules but who make sure government works for the people.

This isn’t a war on corruption. It’s a mass layoff of middle-class, blue-collar government workers—the very people who, in many cases, voted for him.

Who’s Really Losing Their Jobs?

The latest wave of mass layoffs under Trump and Musk’s federal cost-cutting strategy has further intensified this crisis. Beyond the FAA and nuclear security staff, entire divisions within the Department of Education, FEMA, and the Veterans Administration have been gutted. These layoffs disproportionately impact rank-and-file employees—the very people responsible for processing student loans, managing disaster response, and ensuring veterans receive medical care.

Moreover, the administration has specifically targeted employees working on climate change, equity, and diversity initiatives, making it clear that these firings aren’t just about budget cuts—they’re about reshaping the government to fit Trump’s political agenda. These mass terminations further prove that he isn’t “draining the swamp” but deliberately weakening the government’s ability to function for the people—while keeping the real swamp creatures firmly in place.

The Real Consequences for Working Americans

Trump’s administration claims these cuts are about efficiency, but here’s the truth: These layoffs are disproportionately affecting working-class Americans—many of whom supported him in 2016, 2020, and 2024—while leaving the real power brokers untouched. The very people who cheered his promises of job security and economic revival are now the ones being shown the door. The jobs being eliminated aren’t the high-level bureaucrats controlling policy; they are the frontline workers ensuring vital services function. By gutting agencies focused on public safety, accountability, and essential services that everyday Americans rely on, Trump is effectively kneecapping the government’s ability to serve its people.

The reality of Trump’s “drain the swamp” campaign is playing out across the federal government, where mass firings are sweeping through key agencies:

• Air Traffic Controllers: Hundreds of FAA employees were fired weeks after a deadly D.C. plane crash. Trump’s administration framed it as a necessary shake-up, but these were not corrupt bureaucrats. They were safety inspectors, engineers, and air traffic controllers—the people who keep our skies safe.

• Nuclear Security Experts: Up to 300 employees from the National Nuclear Security Administration were suddenly terminated. After realizing they were gutting essential safety roles, Trump’s team scrambled to rehire them.

• Clean Energy Staff: The Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, which helps fund American energy independence and innovation, saw a quarter of its staff axed overnight.

• Veterans Affairs Employees: Thousands of VA workers are bracing for layoffs. These aren’t policymakers. They’re the people processing disability claims, helping veterans access medical care, and ensuring their benefits arrive on time. So when Trump says he's getting rid of "the deep state," ask yourself: Do VA clerks sound like deep-state operatives to you?

Who Isn’t Getting Fired?

Trump’s real swamp—the lobbyists, corporate donors, and personal cronies who benefit from his presidency. The ones getting sweetheart deals and deregulations. The oil executives writing their own environmental policies. The defense contractors who see government as an ATM.

Think about it: Trump fired air traffic controllers but kept the billionaires who run private jet companies. He cut nuclear security staff but made sure lobbyists for the coal industry keep their direct line to the White House. This isn’t “draining the swamp.” This is draining the lifeblood of government while letting the real corruption thrive.

Why Is Trump Doing This?

Because the biggest obstacle to authoritarianism isn’t Congress or the courts—it’s the working-class Americans who keep the government running, the same people Trump claims to fight for. Civil servants follow the law, not the whims of a leader. That’s a problem for Trump, because he wants a government that obeys him, not the Constitution.

His plan is simple: fire the neutral professionals, many of whom voted for him, and replace them with loyalists. These are not deep-state insiders or Washington elites—they’re working-class Americans who believed his promises and are now paying the price. He’s not just firing people. He’s installing a personal army inside the government.

The latest example? Trump’s Department of Justice has begun firing U.S. attorneys appointed during the previous administration. These purges, which have been framed as standard transitions, are actually part of a broader loyalty test—one that ensures federal prosecutors and investigators will act in Trump’s interest, rather than according to the law.

This isn’t just mass layoffs—it’s a political bait-and-switch, where the very Americans who trusted Trump to protect their jobs are the ones he’s pushing into unemployment.

Trump’s Power Grab Through Job Cuts

Every time Trump has faced obstacles in office—both in his first term and now after his 2024 election— he has worked to remove independent checks on his power. Whether it was pressuring the DOJ to overturn election results, forcing out FBI directors who wouldn’t protect him, or purging Pentagon officials resistant to his agenda, the goal has always been the same: to fill every position of influence with absolute loyalists.

This isn’t just mass layoffs—it’s a calculated effort to replace neutral public servants with Trump loyalists who will serve his interests at the expense of the American people.

How Do Democrats Expose This Lie?

It’s not enough to say “Trump is bad.” His supporters have heard it a thousand times. Democrats need to show them exactly how Trump is screwing over the people who trust him most. Here’s how:

1. Tell Their Stories – Find the FAA employee who just lost his job and now can’t pay his mortgage. The VA worker who processed veterans' benefits for 20 years and got laid off because Trump said she was “the deep state.” Put their faces on TV. Let America hear their voices.

2. Ask the Right Question – “Did you vote for Trump to fire your neighbor who works at the VA? Did you vote for Trump to fire the people who keep your flights safe? Or did you vote for Trump because he said he’d get rid of corrupt insiders? Because guess what—he’s keeping the insiders and firing your neighbor.”

3. Hammer the Replacement Angle – Trump isn’t just firing people. He’s systematically removing those who serve the public in favor of those who serve only him. That’s the message. That’s the truth.

The Bottom Line

Trump said he’d drain the swamp. Instead, he’s draining the government of the very workers who keep it running. He’s draining the pockets of the middle class. He’s draining democracy itself.

And if you don’t wake up, he’ll drain your country too.