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1 big thing: Food that defines families

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1 big thing: The need for speed

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Axios CEO Jim VandeHei is here with his weekly column on life and leadership. Let him know what you think: jim@axios.com.

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1 big thing: A day for generosity

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Welcome back! We hope you had a peaceful holiday weekend. Tonight's newsletter — on the spirit of giving back — comes from Axios chief financial correspondent Felix Salmon.

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1 big thing: The power of adventures

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Nearly every high-level Washington meeting, star-studded conference and story about AI centers on one epic question: Can this awesome new power be constrained?

It cannot, experts repeatedly and emphatically told us.

Why it matters: Lots of people want to roll artificial intelligence out slowly, use it ethically, regulate it wisely. But everyone gets the joke: It defies all human logic and experience to think ethics will trump profit, power, prestige. Never has. Never will.

Practically speaking, there's no way to truly do any of this once a competition of this size and import is unleashed. And unleashed it is — at breathtaking scale.

AI pioneer Mustafa Suleyman — co-founder and CEO of Inflection AI, and co-founder of AI giant DeepMind, now part of Google — sounds the alarm in his new book "The Coming Wave," with the sobering Chapter 1: "Containment Is Not Possible." 

That's why Sam Altman getting sacked — suddenly and shockingly — should grab your attention. OpenAI — creator of the most popular generative AI tool, ChatGPT — became a battlefield between ethical true believers, who control the board, and the profit-and-progress activators like Altman who ran the company.

Altman was quickly scooped up by Microsoft, OpenAI's main sugar daddy, to move faster with a "new advanced AI research team."

Open AI's interim CEO is a doom-fearing advocate for slowing the AI race — Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear, who recently warned there's a 5% to 50% chance this new tech ends humanity.

What we're hearing: Few in Silicon Valley think the Shears of the world will win this battle. The dynamics they're battling are too powerful:

Competition between technologists and technology companies to create something with superhuman power inevitably leads to speed and high risk. It's why free competition exists and works.

Even if individuals and companies magically showed never-before-seen restraint and humility, competitive governments and nations won't. China will force us to throw caution to the wind: The only thing worse than superhuman power in our hands is it being in China's ... or Iran's ... or Russia's.

Even if other nations stumbled and America's innovators paused, there are still open-source models that bad actors could exploit.

Top AI architects tell us there'll likely be no serious regulation of generative AI, which one day soon could spawn artificial general intelligence (AGI) — the one that could outthink our species.

Corporations won't do it: They're pouring trillions of dollars into the race of our lifetime.

Government can't do it: Congress is too divided to tackle the complexities of AI regulation in an election year.

Individuals can't do it: A fractured AI safety movement will persist. But the technology will solve so many big problems in the short term that most people won't bother worrying about a future that might never materialize.

Congress isn't giving up. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) — a former tech entrepreneur who has been a leader in the Capitol Hill conversation on AI — told us he sees more need than ever "for Congress to establish some rules of the road when it comes to the risks posed by these technologies."

But lawmakers have always had trouble regulating tech companies. Axios reporters on the Hill tell us there are so many conflicting AI proposals that it's hard to see any one of them getting traction.

Reality check: Global nuclear agreements did slow proliferation. Global agreements on fluorocarbons did rescue the ozone layer. Aviation has guardrails.

With AI, though, there's no time to build consensus or constituencies. The reality is now.

The bottom line: There's never been such fast consumer adoption of a new technology. Cars took decades. The internet didn't get critical mass until the smartphone. But ChatGPT was a hit overnight — 100 million users in a matter of weeks.

"Behind the Curtain" is a column by Axios CEO Jim VandeHei and co-founder Mike Allen, based on regular conversations with White House and congressional leaders, CEOs and top technologists.

Go deeper: Axios' Dan Primack writes that there's a decent chance Microsoft's new "research lab" is a ruse to force OpenAI to rehire Altman.

Behind the Curtain: Myth of AI restraint

Can AI's power be restrained? No, it can't.

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Artificial intelligence

Column / Behind the Curtain

Technology

Sam Altman, CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, nailed an Axios obsession in a blog post on being successful: "Focus is a force multiplier on work."

"Once you have figured out what to do, be unstoppable about getting your small handful of priorities accomplished quickly," Altman wrote. "I have yet to meet a slow-moving person who is very successful."

Why it matters: This is the era of speed, indeed. Technology is changing every job, company and industry. The winners will narrow their focus to the tasks that truly matter — and activate.

You need to marry the two: Focus + speed = quick wins or quick corrections.

Axios executives like to tease that I ask, "Where are we on that?" seconds after floating a new idea. Many Axios leaders get ribbed for our hyperactive "activator" genes. To me, these are badges of honor.

You don't want to activate just for the sake of action — too many people confuse motion with movement. But once you settle on the two or three most important things to do, hit overdrive and execute.

It sets the tempo. In this era, most people in most jobs in most industries are facing change at a velocity never before witnessed. You need a new gear to keep pace with it.

It creates an action bias. It's so easy to deliberate things to death. You're better off attacking big things fast with a mix of data and intuition, then adjusting.

It's contagious. You want others to notice this action bias so it spreads organization-wide. Lots of people aren't born activators — but everyone can learn to move and course-correct more quickly. You can move the needle on organizational speed if it's practiced and preached from the top.

You'll fail faster. You want to know what works or doesn't work as fast as possible so you can calibrate. Rarely does something work flawlessly, regardless of how long you deliberate. You'll get to a good place faster by starting imperfectly and correcting quickly.

You'll meet the AI moment. Everything is about to change faster than many want or feel capable of matching. All of us will need to grow more comfortable with an up-tempo, improvisational dimension to work and life.

It saves time. Your task absolutely will fill however much time you mentally allot. Knock it out and move on — or dilly-dally and fret for hours or days.

The bottom line: Act like today is your last day on the job, and then you're off to the Bahamas. It clarifies priorities — and you'll get everything done.

Go deeper with an earlier column, "Do more by doing less."

Axios Finish Line: The need for speed

Focus + speed = quick wins or quick corrections

Leadership

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Sam Altman" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/22/sam-altman-return-open-ai" data-vars-content-id="3ec19877-9046-4e0b-94ba-54cc01198d33" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: The need for speed" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/22/sam-altman-return-open-ai" target="_self">Sam Altman</a>, CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, nailed an Axios obsession in a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="blog post" data-vars-click-url="https://blog.samaltman.com/how-to-be-successful" data-vars-content-id="3ec19877-9046-4e0b-94ba-54cc01198d33" data-vars-headline="Axios Finish Line: The need for speed" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://blog.samaltman.com/how-to-be-successful" target="_blank">blog post</a> on being successful: &quot;Focus is a force multiplier on work.&quot;<ul><li>&quot;Once you have figured out what to do, be unstoppable about getting your small handful of priorities accomplished quickly,&quot; Altman wrote. &quot;I have yet to meet a slow-moving person who is very successful.&quot;</li></ul>Why it matters: This is the era of speed, indeed. Technology is changing every job, company and industry. The winners will narrow their focus to the tasks that truly matter — and activate.

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

A parlor game I play with my kids and their friends: Set aside insecurity and explain your gravest weakness.

One friend of my daughter didn't flinch: She worries constantly about what others think of her.

I told her I had good news: Most people are so focused on themselves that they don't bother to think of you at all. So it's 100% wasted energy.

Why it matters: We all spend way too much time stewing about what other people are thinking about us — when they're not thinking about us at all. We get spooled up over things that no one is paying a lick of attention to.

Arthur Brooks is the high priest of happiness. The author and professor has written 165 columns for The Atlantic about how to build a happy life, and teaches one of the most popular courses at Harvard Business School — "Leadership and Happiness," which always has a waiting list.

He and Oprah Winfrey are out with a bestseller, "Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier," which makes the game-changing point that as you get happier, you can bring greater happiness to others. Plus you'll be less of a drag to be around.

My favorite chapter is about focusing less on yourself — stop caring what they think, as Arthur and Oprah put it.

Caring about "and paying attention to others is very different from worrying about what others think about you," they write. "The first is helpful and good; the second is often egocentric and destructive."

We can blame Mother Nature for this trap, Arthur and Oprah explain: "We are wired to care about what others think about us, and we obsess about it."

That made sense when survival depended on acceptance by the tribe. Now it holds us back.

Things to remember about what they think:

1. They're wrong: In the unlikely event people are thinking about you, they're probably wrong. Very few people know us intimately enough to make appraisals about our true character and beliefs.

If I had listened to a high school guidance counselor who told me to steer clear of college after graduating in the bottom third of my class, I might still be delivering pizzas. You've surely heard a hundred stories like this.

2. They're the wrong people: The only opinions you should really seek out and care about are from those who love you and know you, and would visit you if you had a stroke. Most of us are lucky to have a few of these people.  Spend your energy here. (See our earlier column: Have an Autumn.)

3. You're wrong: We often worry about the wrong people. We're worried about jealous peers or loudly judgmental underachievers or people just popping off. The person to care about is the person who's the best at what they do or best at knowing you — and they'll pay zero attention to the superficial nonsense that fascinates others.

4. You're wasting time: Think how much time you wasted worrying about cool kids in high school or college, some of whom are now losers or long forgotten. Don't waste the bandwidth on people you're going to leave in your rearview mirror — or forget.

5. Eye on the prize: If your energy and attention go into mastering your personal and professional game, you need to measure yourself against your own expectations — not those you believe others are imposing on you.

The bottom line: Every minute you stress about what others think about you is a minute spent not becoming a better you.

This article appeared in Axios Finish Line, our nightly newsletter on life, leadership and wellness. Sign up here.

Axios Finish Line: A happiness hack... Stop listening

We all spend way too much time stewing about what other people are thinking.

Illustration of a lightbulb with a filament lit in the shape of a smiley face

Mental health

Oprah Winfrey with author Arthur Brooks with their  bestseller, "Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier." 

A parlor game I play with my kids and their friends: Set aside insecurity and explain your gravest weakness.<ul><li>One friend of my daughter didn&#x27;t flinch: She worries constantly about what others think of her.</li><li>I told her I had good news: Most people are so focused on themselves that they don&#x27;t bother to think of you at all. So it&#x27;s 100% wasted energy.</li></ul>

Former President Trump's allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential foot soldiers, as part of an unprecedented operation to centralize and expand his power at every level of the U.S. government if he wins in 2024, officials involved in the effort tell Axios.

Why it matters: Hundreds of people are spending tens of millions of dollars to install a pre-vetted, pro-Trump army of up to 54,000 loyalists across government to rip off the restraints imposed on the previous 46 presidents. 

The screening for ready-to-serve loyalists has already begun, driven in part by artificial intelligence from tech giant Oracle, contracted for the project.

Social media histories are already being plumbed.

What's happening: When Trump took office in 2017, he included many conventional Republicans in his Cabinet and key positions. Those officials often curtailed his behavior and power.

Trump himself spends little time plotting governing plans. But he is well aware of a highly coordinated campaign to be ready to jam government offices with loyalists willing to stretch traditional boundaries.

If Trump were to win, thousands of Trump-first loyalists would be ready for legal, judicial, defense, regulatory and domestic policy jobs. His inner circle plans to purge anyone viewed as hostile to the hard-edged, authoritarian-sounding plans he calls "Agenda 47."

The people leading these efforts aren't figures like Rudy Giuliani. They're smart, experienced people, many with very unconventional and elastic views of presidential power and traditional rule of law. 

Behind the scenes: The government-in-waiting is being orchestrated by the Heritage Foundation's well-funded Project 2025, which already has published a 920-page policy book from 400+ contributors. Think of it as a transition team set in motion years in advance. 

Heritage president Kevin Roberts tells us his apparatus is "orders of magnitude" bigger than anything ever assembled for a party out of power.

The policy series, "Mandate for Leadership," dates back to the 1980s. But Paul Dans, director of Project 2025, told us: "Never before has the entire movement ... banded together to construct a comprehensive plan to deconstruct the out-of-touch and weaponized administrative state." 

Project 2025 gets muscle from 80 partners, including Turning Point USA, led by MAGA star Charlie Kirk; the Center for Renewing America, headed by former Trump budget director Russ Vought; and American Moment, focused on young believers for junior positions.

A separate group of former Trump officials — the America First Policy Institute, led by Brooke Rollins — has a Pathway to 2025 laying groundwork for what it calls "the next America First administration."

Trump insiders relish rebuilding the team with purists. But the truth is, they have no choice: Many more-traditional Republicans quit the first administration in frustration or were fired by tweet. And some former advisers are talking to prosecutors or are charged with crimes.

The Trump campaign tells us no outside group speaks for him: "The campaign's Agenda47 is the only official comprehensive and detailed look at what President Trump will do when he returns to the White House. ... While the campaign is appreciative of any effort to provide suggestions about a second term, the campaign is not collaborating with them."

Questions for Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 applicants. Screenshot via Project 2025 website

How it works: The most elaborate part of the pre-transition machine is a résumé-collection project that drills down more on political philosophy than on experience, education or other credentials.

Applicants are asked to "name one person, past or present, who has most influenced the development of your political philosophy" — and to do the same with a book.

Another query: "Name one living public policy figure whom you greatly admire and why."

Details: Heritage's "Presidential Personnel Database" already has 4,000+ entries, we're told.

We're told immense, intense attention will be given to the social-media histories of anyone being considered for top jobs. Those queasy about testing the limits of Trump's power will get flagged and rejected.

The massive headhunting quest aims to recruit 20,000 people to serve in the next administration, as a down payment on 4,000 presidential appointments + potential replacements for as many as 50,000 federal workers who are "policy-adjacent," as Trumpers put it. 

Reality check: Technically, this apparatus will be inherited by any Republican nominee — Heritage officials tell us they've briefed the campaigns of Trump, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley.

But this is undeniably a Trump-driven operation. The biggest tell: Johnny McEntee — one of Trump's closest White House aides, and his most fervent internal loyalty enforcer — is a senior adviser to Project 2025. 

One of the most powerful architects is Stephen Miller, a top West Wing adviser for the Trump administration. Miller is charting an even harder line on legal and immigration policy than last time. While he maps a White House return, he's president of America First Legal, which vows to fight "lawless executive actions and the Radical Left."

Between the lines: Trump doesn't hide his intentions. It's important to tune out the theatrical language that drives social media and cable TV, and focus intently on the directional guidance of his second term.

He's telling us exactly what he intends to do — like it or loathe it. And this time, he'll have prefabbed institutional muscle to turn pugilistic words into policies and action from the get-go.

Here's what the early days of a second Trump presidency would look like, based on his words and our conversations with Trump insiders:

His top obsession will be the Justice Department, the FBI and the intelligence community — all of which he thinks conspired to investigate him, thwart him, screw him. He's been very clear that he's willing to unleash these agencies against political enemies.

The next priority will be the Department of Homeland Security and the border, with plans to erect sprawling detention camps, "scour the country for unauthorized immigrants," and "deport people by the millions per year," The New York Times reports. We're told Trump's top criterion for immigration officials will be whoever promises to be most aggressive. Trump has told allies he's confident the Supreme Court will back his most draconian moves.

As first reported by Jonathan Swan for Axios last year, a key tool for Trump's "revenge term" would be the use of Schedule F personnel powers to wipe out employment protections for tens of thousands of civil servants across the federal government. Trump allies want a deep and wide purge of the professional staff that often serves across new administrations.

Officials close to the Pentagon tell us they're worried about a plan, articulated by former Trump official Russ Vought in the Heritage document, to direct the National Security Council to "rigorously review all general and flag officer promotions to prioritize the core roles and responsibilities of the military over social engineering and non-defense related matters, including climate change, critical race theory [and] manufactured extremism." Indeed, the Trump allies see obstacles to remove at every level of every agency.

The bottom line: This Trump-allied machine has the most power over the formation of a potential future government of any group in U.S. history. Trump, if elected, will leverage it to do things with government that none of us has seen in our lifetime.

Go deeper: These themes have been explored in a great, deeply reported series by The New York Times' Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman and Charlie Savage. Read their pieces about Trump plans for the Justice Department, federal agencies, federal workers, Mexico, radical lawyers, legal gatekeepers and immigration.

Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab

Illustration of Donald Trump's silhouette within a spotlight flanked by two empty spotlights.

Donald Trump

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Former President Trump&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" data-vars-content-id="cd8263ad-b2d5-4535-8e25-61d1b5c09829" data-vars-headline="Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">Former President Trump&#x27;s</a> allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential foot soldiers, as part of an unprecedented operation to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="centralize and expand" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/22/trump-2025-radical-plan-second-term" data-vars-content-id="cd8263ad-b2d5-4535-8e25-61d1b5c09829" data-vars-headline="Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/22/trump-2025-radical-plan-second-term" target="_self">centralize and expand</a> his power at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="every level" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/23/donald-trump-news-schedule-f-executive-order" data-vars-content-id="cd8263ad-b2d5-4535-8e25-61d1b5c09829" data-vars-headline="Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/23/donald-trump-news-schedule-f-executive-order" target="_self">every level</a> of the U.S. government if he <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="wins in 2024" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/us-presidential-house-senate-elections" data-vars-content-id="cd8263ad-b2d5-4535-8e25-61d1b5c09829" data-vars-headline="Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/us-presidential-house-senate-elections" target="_self">wins in 2024</a>, officials involved in the effort tell Axios.Why it matters: Hundreds of people are spending tens of millions of dollars to install a pre-vetted, pro-Trump army of up to 54,000 loyalists across government to rip off the restraints imposed on the previous 46 presidents.

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

We told you in a "Behind the Curtain" column last month that Trump allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential appointees and employees in case he wins back the White House. Now we have copies of the exact questionnaires Trump allies are using — and that then-President Trump used himself during his final days in office.

Why it matters: These future Trumpers would staff an unprecedented effort to centralize and expand presidential power at every level of the administration.

Trump insiders are planning a far more targeted and sophisticated sequel to his haphazard first term, when internal feuding deterred policy wins or permanent changes to government.

The 2020 questionnaire — paired with the application the Heritage Foundation is currently collecting from job prospects for a future administration — points to a top-down government-in-waiting that would be driven more by ideology than by policy expertise or innovation.

Trump, the overwhelming favorite for the Republican nomination, is being explicit about his plans for retribution and disruption if he wins the 2024 election. So how he would staff his government is of immense consequence.

Driving the news: The 2020 "Research Questionnaire," which we obtained from a Trump administration alumnus, was used in the administration's final days — when most moderates and establishment figures had been fired or quit, and loyalists were flexing their muscles. Questions include:

"What part of Candidate Trump's campaign message most appealed to you and why?"

"Briefly describe your political evolution. What thinkers, authors, books, or political leaders influenced you and led you to your current beliefs? What political commentator, thinker or politician best reflects your views?"

"Have you ever appeared in the media to comment on Candidate Trump, President Trump or other personnel or policies of the Trump Administration?"

The big picture: Similar questions are being asked for the Talent Database being assembled by the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 — the most sophisticated, expensive pre-transition planning ever undertaken for either party: 

"Name one person, past or present, who has most influenced the development of your political philosophy."

"Name a book that has most significantly shaped your political philosophy, and please explain its influence on your thinking."

"Name one living public policy figure whom you greatly admire and why."

Between the lines: An alumnus of the Trump White House told us both documents are designed to test the sincerity of someone's MAGA credentials and determine "when you got red-pilled," or became a true believer.

"They want to see that you're listening to Tucker, and not pointing to the Reagan revolution or any George W. Bush stuff," this person said.

See for yourself: As an exclusive for Axios readers, at the bottom of this story you can read both the Trump questionnaire and 2025 application in full.

Both documents are striking for their emphasis on what you believe rather than your credentials or accomplishments.

They reflect a vision for a centralized administration where people throughout the administration would pick up the phone and say: "Yes, sir."

Details: The Heritage Foundation told us Project 2025 officials have collected more than 5,000 applications — months before a Republican nominee is locked in.

Heritage president Kevin Roberts said recently that Project 2025's mission is to get the next conservative president "ready to govern in the most aggressive, ambitious, audacious way to destroy the Deep State and devolve power back to the individual Americans."

The groundwork by Heritage, which is nonpartisan in its tax designation, is technically available to any future conservative nominee. We're told Project 2025 officials have briefed the Republican campaigns of Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Halley and Vivek Ramaswamy — and even the independent campaign of Robert Kennedy Jr.

But the presence of Johnny McEntee, former director of Trump's White House Presidential Personnel Office, as a senior adviser to Project 2025 reflects the Trump-centric planning.

Behind the scenes: We hear Trump has been irritated by all the attention Heritage and other outside allies have gotten for the prefab administration that's being assembled.

The Trump campaign's top two officials, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, issued a statement in mid-November saying that "none of these groups or individuals speak for President Trump or his campaign. We will have an official transition effort to be announced at a later date."

"Unless a second term priority is articulated by President Trump himself, or is officially communicated by the campaign," they added, "it is not authorized in any way."

Go deeper: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab

Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab

Behind the Curtain — Scoop: The Trump job applications revealed

Trump insiders are planning a far more targeted and sophisticated sequel to his haphazard first term.

Illustration of a curtain with a tassel in the shape of the Axios logo

Donald Trump campaign

2024 Elections

We told you in a &quot;Behind the Curtain&quot; <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="column last month" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/13/trump-loyalists-2024-presidential-election" data-vars-content-id="f2a32d1d-4a36-474b-bff9-42a58c1e0b52" data-vars-headline="Behind the Curtain — Scoop: The Trump job applications revealed" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/13/trump-loyalists-2024-presidential-election" target="_self">column last month</a> that Trump allies are pre-screening the ideologies of thousands of potential appointees and employees in case he wins back the White House. Now we have copies of the exact questionnaires Trump allies are using — and that then-President Trump used himself during his final days in office.Why it matters: These future Trumpers would staff an unprecedented effort to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="centralize and expand" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/22/trump-2025-radical-plan-second-term" data-vars-content-id="f2a32d1d-4a36-474b-bff9-42a58c1e0b52" data-vars-headline="Behind the Curtain — Scoop: The Trump job applications revealed" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/22/trump-2025-radical-plan-second-term" target="_self">centralize and expand</a> presidential power at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="every level" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/23/donald-trump-news-schedule-f-executive-order" data-vars-content-id="f2a32d1d-4a36-474b-bff9-42a58c1e0b52" data-vars-headline="Behind the Curtain — Scoop: The Trump job applications revealed" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/23/donald-trump-news-schedule-f-executive-order" target="_self">every level</a> of the administration.

Jim VandeHei

Stories

Behind the Curtain — Scoop: The Trump job applications revealed

Axios Finish Line: The need for speed

Behind the Curtain: Myth of AI restraint

Axios Finish Line: A happiness hack... Stop listening

Behind the Curtain: Trump allies pre-screen loyalists for unprecedented power grab

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