CThe boy in red Baseball caps, draped in the American flag and cheering for Donald Trump Maga The movement can be quite bold. However, one of the people driving it forward is not. It’s almost easy at first to overlook Russell Foote (pronounced “vote”), with his tortoiseshell glasses, neatly trimmed beard and scholarly demeanor. That would be a mistake. Mr. Foote’s calm exterior belies a fiery streak fueled by his personality Religious beliefs. He will be a pivotal player in the Trump administration, as he aims only to destroy the status quo in American governance.
If this sounds like an exaggeration, consider Mr. Foot’s own words. “I want to be the person who crushes the deep state. I think there are a lot of different ways to do it.” Characteristically, Mr. Vaught was neither angry nor evasive when the secret recording of his comments was made public; one actor even thanked reporters for “broadcasting our perfect conversation.”
Mr. Foote’s plans will become more familiar to America and the world in the coming months. Of the more than 50 people Trump has nominated so far to senior positions that require Senate confirmation, only a few are returning from his first term. Of these, only Mr. Vaught has been tapped to return to the job he previously held, a sign of Trump’s respect for his abilities. He will once again serve as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. the Office of Management and Budget It claims to be the most powerful agency in Washington that few people have ever heard of: it helps write the president’s budget and coordinates the regulatory activities of other agencies. In some ways, Mr. Foote never left her. In the four years since the last elections, he has been formulating his strategy for what he would do at the helm of power if given a second chance, pledging to “break the bureaucracy before the presidential will.”
Mr. Foote has come a long way from his small-town Connecticut upbringing. His father was an electrician and his mother was a teacher. They instilled in him an amazing work ethic that his teammates have commented on over the years. He graduated from Wheaton College, an evangelical Christian school in Illinois, and spent more than a decade working on budget issues on Capitol Hill. His faith remains the core of his life and politics. Mr. Foot calls himself a Christian nationalist. In 2021, he founded the Center for Renewing America, an organization whose mission is to “renew the consensus on America as a nation under God.”
His religious views have sparked controversy. At Vought’s confirmation hearing in 2017 — in which he received one vote — Senator Bernie Sanders pointed to an article by Mr. Vaught in which he described Muslims as “condemned” for rejecting Jesus Christ. Mr Foote responded that he respects everyone’s right to express their religious beliefs. In the secretly recorded meeting last year, he said elected leaders should discuss whether Christian immigrants should be prioritized over immigrants of other faiths. He has called for the complete abolition of abortion, a position too extreme even for most American conservatives.
But Foote’s religiosity brings a fervor to his criticism of politics and society, which appeals to the Republican base. He regularly describes the federal government as “woke and armed,” and warns that the Democratic Party is “increasingly evil” as it imposes secularism on families. He has also been an early fighter against diversity policies, which have become a strong theme of Trump’s campaign: In 2020, he wrote a formal memo in which he said anti-racism training in the federal government was divisive and anti-American.
Trump turned to Vaught not because of his religious teachings, but because of his mastery of the budget process as well as his extreme political ideas. Mr. Foote was one of the architects of Project 2025, A.J A controversial set of proposals On how Trump should reform the federal government. (During the campaign, Trump assured voters that he had “nothing to do” with the 2025 project.) In his contribution to the document, Foote said there was an “existential” need for the president to use his powers aggressively. He wants the White House to halt or withhold expenditures approved by Congress in order to reduce overall federal spending, and he also wants to end employment protections for thousands of career civil servants.
These proposals, if implemented by Trump, could significantly enhance the White House’s ability to control the bureaucracy and dictate policy. However, they will face fierce resistance on Capitol Hill and in the courts. Legal scholars question the constitutionality of sequestration, and the targeting of civil servants raises the specter of Cold War-style political loyalty tests. For his part, Foote has no doubt that he is on the right track. “Storm clouds are hanging over us,” he said in a recent interview on a Christian program. “We must trust that our duty and the results are with God.” ■
