Trump Administration Makes New Federal Employees Write Essays to Prove MAGA Loyalty

While the first four months of President Donald Trump’s second term have been characterized by mass layoffs and hiring freezes, the government is about to start accepting new employees — with one major new requirement.

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management laid out the guidelines for hopeful applicants in a May 29 memo. In keeping with Trump’s rejection of diversity, equity and inclusion hiring practices, the memo stresses that the “Merit Hiring Plan” focuses on “skills-based hiring, eliminating unnecessary degree requirements, and requiring the use of rigorous, job-related assessments to ensure candidates are selected based on their merit and competence, not their skin color or academic pedigree.”

One of those "assessments," the memo explains, is four 200-word essay questions each applicant must answer in order to prove that they would be a good fit for the Trump administration.