A Think Tank with ‘Discretion’ Prepares Over 300 Executive Orders for Potential Trump Presidency

A relatively new but influential right-wing think tank, the America First Policy Institute, has become a central force behind plans for a potential second term of former President Donald Trump. According to a recent report from The New York Times, the organization has prepared nearly 300 executive orders that would allow Trump to initiate sweeping policy changes if he returns to the White House.

Established at the end of 2020, the institute was founded by three affluent Texans and has quickly positioned itself as an essential element in Trump’s political network. The America First Policy Institute’s extensive policy agenda, part of a larger transition framework, appears designed to set a fiercely loyal administration in motion.

Their objective includes “staffing and setting the policy agenda for every federal agency,” with a focus on “loyalty to Mr. Trump and aggressive flexing of executive power from Day 1,” as reported by the Times. This level of planning bears similarities to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 initiative. However, there is one notable difference: the America First Policy Institute’s approach to transition planning reportedly includes an element of “discretion” that distinguishes it from its predecessor.

Heath-Brown, a public policy professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and an expert on presidential transitions, highlighted this distinction: “It understood what Heritage didn’t: Transition work is always best kept very quiet.” This discreet approach, aimed at preventing public scrutiny and reducing opposition during the transition phase, aligns with the group’s highly focused and loyalist-driven agenda for Trump’s potential administration.

The policy framework developed by the America First Policy Institute is extensive and aims to reshape many aspects of federal governance. If implemented, their proposals would seek to halt federal funding for Planned Parenthood and mandate ultrasounds before abortions, including those conducted with medication.

The policies extend to reciprocal concealed weapons permits across all 50 states, encouraging the expansion of petroleum production, and advocating for the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. The institute also proposes imposing work requirements on Medicaid recipients and defining only two legally recognized genders, an agenda that reflects the group’s conservative stance on social and environmental issues.

One of the most significant and contentious aspects of the institute’s proposals is its stance on federal employment. The Times report highlights that the America First Policy Institute goes “significantly further” in this area than other think tanks, pushing for nearly all civil service protections for federal employees to be dismantled.

By advocating for federal workers to become at-will employees, the institute seeks to enable a Trump administration to “root out career staff members who they believe stood in his way in his first administration.” This measure, if enacted, could allow for the removal of federal employees who may not align with the administration’s goals, thus consolidating control over the executive branch.

Since its inception, the America First Policy Institute has maintained a strong influence within Trump’s political network, with the Times noting that it “has quickly inserted itself into nearly every corner of Mr. Trump’s political machine.” Its founders, three wealthy Texans, strategically positioned the institute to serve as a well-organized mechanism to support Trump’s policy ambitions, illustrating the extent of preparation for a potential Trump return to power.

As the America First Policy Institute continues to develop its policy agenda and shape its organizational structure, its plans reveal an approach designed to secure Trump’s objectives from day one of a possible second term. By combining policy loyalty with strategic discretion, the institute signals its intent to bring radical changes to the federal government and redefine executive power if Trump reclaims the Oval Office.