A new poll by the Napolitan Institute has found that 76% of Democrat-voting federal employees who supported Kamala Harris said they plan to “resist” President Trump’s administration over the next four years.
Among them, 41% said they would “strongly resist,” and 35% said they would “somehow resist.” Furthermore, 75% stated they would disobey a lawful order from Trump if they personally disagreed with the policy, compared to just 18% of Republican-voting bureaucrats. The poll, which surveyed 500 federal managers in the National Capital Region, reflects deep partisan divides in the federal workforce. Researchers noted that similar resistance could occur under a Democratic president, but Trump has historically faced strong opposition within the bureaucracy. Acts of defiance are also reportedly growing within the military, with several officers allegedly disciplined or removed for failing to show proper support for the administration. These findings raise concerns about politicization in federal institutions and challenges to the civilian chain of command. Trump’s executive order on federal workforce accountability warned of the risks posed by partisanship undermining lawful governance.