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'Blatant cronyism': Trump's gutting of the civil service has historic parallels to 'spoils system' - Velshi - MSNBC
The “spoils system” of the 19th century filled the government with party loyalists and increased corruption across the country, until a popular political movement created appetite for reform.
Historian and Yale professor Joanne Freeman says the Trump Administration’s gutting of the civil service and the ascension of his top campaign donors to cabinet positions parallel the spoils system. “What we’re seeing now is a blatant cronyism,” Freeman says. “Things are not going to be as safe because the people with the expertise to keep things safe are being moved away.” - Aired on 03/08/2025.