Trump Is Creating A Lot Of Jobs — But Not For Everyday Americans

If you’re loyal to President Donald Trump and his democracy-testing agenda, then you just might land a job in the Trump administration. But if you’re extremely loyal, then you might land three or even four.

Last week, the president . Trump seems to like the idea of one person running these two particular agencies at the same time, as he had Mick Mulvaney do it during his first term.

Another two-way player, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, briefly served as the CFPB’s acting director before Vought stepped in.

Meanwhile, Secretary of the Army Daniel Driscoll is side-hustling as the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Federal Bureau of Investigations Director Kash Patel had briefly pinch-hit as the ATF acting director ahead of Driscoll.

And Richard Grenell is serving as Trump’s special missions envoy — working “in some of the hottest spots around the world,” in the president’s words — while also holding the title of president at the Kennedy Center.

Mattingley noted that wearing two or three hats could become more common in agency middle management if Trump succeeds in politicizing the civil service through his Schedule F scheme. Turning career positions into political appointments would lead to more turnover, with openings likely to be filled by loyalists.

On top of being less effective, officials with multiple roles also are more likely to create conflicts of interest. House Democrats noted in a letter to Greer that as the head of OSC and OGE, he could be tasked with investigating whistleblower and ethics cases at his primary agency, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

“Given these concerns, we do not have confidence in your ability to impartially or effectively fulfill the demanding responsibilities of each office,” the Democrats wrote.

But Trump almost certainly doesn’t want these officials fulfilling the missions of certain agencies. He does not believe USAID or the CFPB should exist, and has made clear his disdain for the National Archives, which played a central role in the classified documents case that included 40 felony indictments against him.

Nor would the president have any love for the OSC, whose previous leader tried to block Trump’s firing of tens of thousands of probationary federal employees, or the OGE, which is tasked with preventing the sort of ethical conflicts of interest Trump is famous for.

So handing an agency’s reins to a loyalist with a couple other jobs could be a great strategy for not doing anything at all.

“What better way to do it than name somebody but don’t expect them to do anything?” Tenpas said.