Trump Accused Of Running 'Illegal' MAGA Loyalty Test For Top Fed Job

Donald Trump’s second term kicked off with sweeping federal layoffs and a tough hiring freeze—but now a fresh hiring window has opened, and it’s already triggering a firestorm. A new memo from the Office of Personnel Management outlines the “Merit Hiring Plan,” which tosses out traditional degrees and DEI-focused hiring, prioritizing skill and ideological alignment instead. What’s setting the internet ablaze? Applicants must now write four essays, including one controversial question asking them to pick a Trump policy and explain how they’d personally help implement it. Critics are slamming the move as “illegal,” “dangerous,” and a blatant loyalty test. With hiring still limited to one employee per every four laid off, many are calling this a push to reshape the federal workforce into a MAGA-first machine.