Trump completely changed the culture of the DC administrative state. For the first time in my career, I’ve heard government employees say things like “we work for the American people” and “we need to create value for our country” with sincerity instead of sarcasm and snark. The 47 transition team brought in a bunch of private-equity dealmakers and corporate executives at the cabinet deputy/under-secretary levels, and they’ve been cleaning house. These are people who are used to working long hours, being responsive to their stakeholders, and holding their teams accountable. People who care more about results and value creation than they do about years of tenure or where your MPA degree is from. People for whom the words “fiduciary duty” actually mean something. Almost overnight, they transformed the way work is done in DC. If you view a federal job as a way to just coast through a career and collect a pension (with an occasional pit stop at Booz Allen Hamilton or Accenture to top up your 401k), you’re not going to make it. If you want to just clock in 9-5 via Microsoft Teams and get paid as a GS-14, the American people no longer require your services. If you treat government funds as an infinite reservoir of Monopoly money, rather than as a finite pool of capital funded by hard-working taxpayers who deserve a return on their investment, you’re out. The difference has been night and day. As an investor, as a taxpayer, and—most importantly—as a citizen, I couldn’t be more excited or more grateful. Patriots really are in control 🇺🇸