--:-- [Upbeat music fades out, and the host, John Bickley, speaks]
--:-- John Bickley: This episode is brought to you by LifeLock. Between two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and a VPN, you try to be in control of how your info is protected. But many other places also have it, and they might not be as careful. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it. Guaranteed or your money back. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com slash podcast for 40% off. Terms apply.
--:-- [Music transitions to a more serious tone]
--:-- John Bickley: Influential voices in the corporate world signaled that they'd prefer a Trump win in November. What's driving the move away from Biden and the Democrats?
--:-- John Bickley: He was kind of right about NATO, kind of right about immigration. He grew the economy quite well. Tax reform worked. He was right about some of China. I don't like how he said things about Mexico. But he wasn't wrong about some of these critical issues. And that's why they voted for him. I'm Daily Wire editor-in-chief John Bickley. Georgia Howe is off this week. It's April 20th, and this is a Saturday edition of Morning Wire. President Biden takes steps to make more federal bureaucrats harder to fire as Trump vows to drain the swamp. I will shatter the deep state and restore government that is controlled by the people and for the people. And amid drops in donations and student applications, Harvard turns to a DEI advocate to help find its next president. Thanks for waking up with Morning Wire. Stay tuned. We have the news you need to know.
--:-- [Music continues to play in the background]
--:-- John Bickley: CEOs of major corporations may be coming around to the idea of a second Donald Trump presidency. According to a new piece in The New York Times, Jamie Dimon, the head honcho at the nation's largest bank, J.P. Morgan, tried to assure the economic leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January to keep an open mind.
--:-- [Guest, David Marcus, joins the conversation]
--:-- David Marcus: Hey Dave, so let's start with Diamond. What was his message?
--:-- David Marcus: Diamond basically tried to assure economic leaders at Davos that a second Trump administration was not something to be too fearful of. Essentially by pointing at the first Trump administration as an example of reasonable economic success, both for America and globally. Diamond told them of Trump, quote, be honest. He was kind of right about NATO, kind of right on immigration. He grew the economy quite well. Trade, tax reform worked. He was right about some of China, end quote.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, it seems telling that he opened that remark with be honest, which suggests that the crowd would have a predisposition against Trump. In the end, he said that he and his bank are prepared for either a Trump or a Biden presidency without suggesting much fear or favor regarding which one. And on some level, he may have also been sending a message to Trump himself that the global economic powers that be don't have to be his enemies.
--:-- David Marcus: Yeah. Why would they be fearful of a Trump presidency in the first place, especially given what Diamond pointed out about the relative normalcy and success these businesses experienced the first time around with him?
--:-- David Marcus: The general fear that a Davos attendee might have, aside from maybe where to park their private jet, is that Trump's anti-globalist, anti-free trade agreement rhetoric portends a very protectionist second Trump administration that could harm the global economy and their bottom lines. But this may fail to take into account the rather hyperbolic nature of Trump's negotiating and campaign style.
--:-- John Bickley: For example, while Trump did make some threats about leaving NATO prior to his presidency, in the end, obviously he didn't. But the pressure he exerted may well have led several nations to increasing their contributions, which is what he wanted in the first place. That could very well be the playbook here as well to demand the moon and stars, but settle for more reasonable compromises.
--:-- David Marcus: Now, there's also some CEOs and economic leaders with real trepidations about a potential Biden second term. What have we been hearing from them?
--:-- David Marcus: So an obvious and prominent example is Elon Musk, who owns X and Tesla and SpaceX. In recent months, he's grown incredibly critical of Biden on a host of issues, including the border crisis. He's not said that he will endorse Trump, but has said that he would have a hard time voting for Biden.
--:-- John Bickley: Meanwhile, former CEO of Goldman Sachs Lloyd Blankenfeld told The Times in regard to Biden's current administration and cabinet that, quote, nobody there is wired into the business world, even in seats where you would normally find them, like Treasury or Commerce. And they don't seem to want any, end quote.
--:-- David Marcus: It may just be that right at the moment, neither candidate or even political party is exactly where these Davos types would like them to be in terms of global economic policies.
--:-- John Bickley: In the midst of this debate, the stock market has remained at near all-time highs. How could that impact the way business leaders view this race?
--:-- David Marcus: This is a tricky issue because Trump incorrectly predicted that the stock market would go way down if Biden won. So you would think the Biden campaign would be pointing that out. But the president is very much running as Scranton Joe, who cares more about Main Street than Park Avenue. So boasting about the stock market doesn't really fit that image.
--:-- John Bickley: It looks to be a bit of a wash as it stands now. But then again, a lot can happen in seven months.
--:-- David Marcus: Yes, we've learned all too well.
--:-- John Bickley: Dave, thanks for joining us.
--:-- David Marcus: Thanks for having me.
--:-- [Music transitions to a new segment]
--:-- John Bickley: The Biden administration is implementing a new rule to strengthen job protections for federal bureaucrats, making them harder for a future president to fire. The decision comes as former President Trump vows to gut the federal bureaucracy if he's re-elected in November.
--:-- [Guest, Spencer Lindquist, joins the conversation]
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: Hey, Spencer. So first, tell us a bit about this new rule and its implications.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: So this new rule covers 2.2 million government workers, and it would strengthen civil service protections for members of the federal bureaucracy. The rule is being implemented by the Office of Personnel Management. effectively the federal government's Human Resources Department. It creates a number of procedural hurdles that a president would have to face if he were to try and fire bureaucrats.
--:-- John Bickley: Biden said that this rule is a step toward combating partisan interference. So partisan interference, the key there. Walk us through some of the strategy that seems to be at play here. Why is Biden implementing this new rule right now? And what does it have to do with Trump?
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: So it certainly appears that Biden is attempting to insulate the federal employees from the consequences of a new Trump presidency. Trump has been very vocal about his desire to gut the administrative state, which he and his allies say have worked to undermine and stonewall his policy agenda in the first term.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: There are a few tools at Trump's disposal. Most notably, he signed an executive order called Schedule F in October of 2020, which gave the executive more leeway to fire federal employees who are deemed to have a role in the policymaking process Trump pledged to reimplement Schedule F in a video detailing his plan to dismantle the deep state I will immediately reissue my 2020 executive order restoring the president's authority to remove rogue bureaucrats, and I will wield that power very aggressively.
--:-- John Bickley: The departments and agencies that have been weaponized will be completely overhauled overhauled so that faceless bureaucrats will never again be able to target and persecute conservatives, Christians, or the left's political enemies, which they're doing now at a level that nobody can believe even possible.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: All right, so vowing to clear out the deep state there. Tell us more about Schedule F. What specifically does it do, and would it still be possible under this new rule?
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: Federal employees are categorized into different classifications, some of which enjoy civil service protections, and that makes it harder to fire them. But Schedule F created a new classification that does not have civil service protections for federal employees who worked in certain roles that were deemed as, quote, confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating positions.
--:-- John Bickley: Schedule F could still be implemented under a new Trump administration, but it appears that they would have to clear some hurdles first. One Biden senior official explained that an executive order from a future administration would not be able to overturn Biden's new rule. And it would have to go through a new regulatory process to explain how that new approach was consistent with the law. This process would likely culminate in a legal battle.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: All right, so we've got this fight over control of the federal bureaucracy looming. What has Biden done so far in making changes, reshaping federal agencies? Has he made many changes?
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: He has. One of the most significant changes he's made is through a series of executive orders embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts throughout the federal agencies. Daily Wire investigations found that the Department of Defense, for example, spent as much as $270 million on DEI efforts over the course of three years. The State Department also spent at least $77 million taxpayer dollars on DEI initiatives in 2022 and 2023. Our intelligence agencies have also embraced this agenda under Biden. The Daily Wire obtained a glossary from the NSA that included terms like white fragility, queer theory, and settler colonialism.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah, certainly a battle brewing if Trump wins in November.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: Spencer, thanks for joining us.
--:-- Spencer Lindquist: Thank you for having me.
--:-- [Music transitions to a new segment]
--:-- John Bickley: After massive controversy that led to the resignation of Claudine Gay, Harvard University has enlisted the help of a DEI advocate to help pick its next president. Gay resigned in January amid allegations of dozens of instances of plagiarism in her scholarship. Now, the university has hired Vivian Hunt, who has previously authored an influential paper on the ideologically loaded topic of diversity, to a position that typically oversees the choosing of a new president.
--:-- [Guest, Ash Short, joins the conversation]
--:-- Ash Short: So, Ash, first, who is Vivian Hunt?
--:-- Ash Short: So, she's a former consultant who authored the influential 2015 paper, Why Diversity Matters, and argued that, quote, treating people evenly isn't good enough while urging companies to adopt diversity targets, according to the Washington Free Beacon. So she has made the case for uneven treatment of people for the sake of diversity So a true DEI advocate
--:-- John Bickley: How exactly is she being tasked to help pick Harvard next president
--:-- Ash Short: Hunt has been tapped to lead Harvard's board of overseers, and the head of that board also typically sits on the university's committees that search for a new president, in addition to 12 members of the school's governing body. But as an overseer, Hunt will have the ability to veto presidential appointments that have received a majority of the committee's votes, meaning Hunt could very well be the person who ultimately decides who Harvard's next president will be.
--:-- John Bickley: Yeah. Now, Harvard has seen its share of scandals recently from Claudine Gay to its discrimination case against white and Asian applicants. Is Hunt seen as someone who can actually change Harvard's reputation?
--:-- Ash Short: Doubtful. Harvard is facing a crisis with fewer donations and applicants, and it's unclear how someone who is ideologically aligned with those who are perceived by critics as having created these problems can improve the university's standing.
--:-- John Bickley: Earlier this year, the Harvard Crimson, the school's student-run newspaper, reported that six people who know about the university's fundraising efforts said the school expected a considerable drop in donations this year. Much of that drop comes from top donors who have publicly cut ties with the university over how it's responded to the Israel-Hamas war and anti-Semitism on campus.
--:-- Ash Short: Billionaire and former Harvard alum Bill Ackman famously highlighted that decline when the controversy was at its height.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, as listeners will remember, Gay first came under fire after she testified before Congress to say that context was required to determine if a student discussing Jewish genocide broke Harvard's student code.
--:-- Ash Short: Yeah, truly viral moment of congressional testimony there.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, you also mentioned that applications to Harvard are down, correct?
--:-- Ash Short: Yes. The same problem as I mentioned before regarding Harvard's response to the Israel-Hamas war appears to have caused a drop in admissions, reportedly a 5% decline this year. Also, the Supreme Court's decision last year finding that Harvard discriminated against white and Asian students as part of its affirmative action policies put a damper on admissions.
--:-- John Bickley: Now, as for Claudine Gay, even though she resigned, she still works for Harvard, correct?
--:-- Ash Short: Right. In fact, she's continuing to teach a graduate level course on reading and research.
--:-- John Bickley: Well, it's going to be interesting to see what lessons Harvard takes away from all these tough headlines over the last few months.
--:-- Ash Short: Ashley, thanks for reporting.
--:-- Ash Short: You're welcome. Thank you for listening this morning. We created this show to bring more ballots to the national conversation. If you love our show and stand with that mission, consider subscribing, giving us a five-star rating, and most importantly, sharing our podcast with a friend.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for waking up with us. We'll be back this afternoon with an extra edition of Morning Wire. Thank you.
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