Washington D.C. Through an unexpected chain of political events President Donald Trump carries out strong dismantling operations against established presidential customs. Recent initiatives by President Trump transformed former presidential privileges and this has deepened the opposition between Washington D.C. stakeholders.
Access to daily intelligence briefings has become a standard practice in presidential transition since former presidents obtained this benefit in the past as a recognized tool for national security. President Trump initiated decisive changes to these standard practices thus establishing new policies regarding how previous presidents receive treatment.
Through public statements Trump declared his aim to fix what he believes were wrongs from the previous administration. The officials he names lack his confidence to safely handle classified data so he bases his most recent security-related policies on national protection measures.
The presidential actions reach multiple important personnel who worked in previous administrations. President Trump terminated security clearance access to two important political figures including former Secretary of State Antony Blinken and former National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
Security clearance has been taken from Lisa Monaco who served as Deputy Attorney General together with New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The officials who faced legal action with Trump appear to be targets of his potential political retribution.
The critics believe the security clearance terminations create a dangerous condition in which state officials use clearance privileges as political muscle. The standard practice of the intelligence community has been to avoid such restrictions since they believe lack of access for former officials makes institutions less knowledgeable.
The Trump administration underlines its agency restructuring initiative by conducting evaluations of retired military personnel. Pete Hegseth who serves as Defense Secretary conducted an investigation targeting Mark Milley because he previously held the position of chairman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The review evaluates previous actions by Milley while also considering whether to revoke his military rank status. The investigation reveals a conviction among Trump supporters to penalize government officials who dared to confront the former president.
The former president has unleashed his aggression against public figures who directly guided America through major national events. Dr. The loss of security clearance has been imposed on Dr. Anthony Fauci who served as chief medical adviser and key figure in COVID-19 pandemic management.
Defense officials sustain these actions by citing standard operating procedures even though opponents see them as components of Trump’s ongoing security leadership transformation. Removing clearances would have substantial effects on how future administrations execute their intelligence operations.
Trump insisted on both loyalty commitments and performance standards during his entire presidential term. His recent executive moves demonstrate his desire to eliminate personnel from government agencies who stand against him politically.
The recent broad changes implemented by Trump have generated serious concern among political analysts regarding an approaching more radical move. History reveals that his present action marks the very first such presidential move that no president has made while actively serving.
The former President Joe Biden lacks permission from Donald Trump to receive intelligence briefings. Biden loses an exclusive presidential benefit which tradition has afforded all previous presidents.
He announced the decision on his Truth Social platform, writing: “There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information.” The same phrase from The Apprentice that made Trump famous served to convey his “firing” of Joe Biden by adding “JOE, YOU’RE FIRED.”
Trump based his policy change on an assessment written in 2024 by Special Counsel Robert Hur. The report described Biden as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” which Trump claims proves Biden cannot be trusted with sensitive national intelligence.
History records this move by U.S. president Trump as the second documented occasion that a past American president has lost access to intelligence briefings. The denial of Trump’s intelligence access to classified briefings began during 2021 when Biden claimed his erratic behavior as the reason for the decision.
Biden justified his action by asking what purpose remained in briefing Trump. He maintains no impact on affairs after his potential accidental slip-up. Trump maintains that Biden initiated the procedure of denying presidential intelligence access.
Trump states his actions toward intelligence blocking are based on following Biden’s influential example to maintain secure intelligence handling. “I will always protect our National Security,” Trump declared, emphasizing that Biden’s mental state poses a risk to classified information.
Trump redirected former presidential privileges by making Biden lose access to intelligence briefings. This novel approach to past presidential treatment by Trump raises important questions about future intelligence use as political leverage.
The public reaction includes those who support retaliation as retribution along with people who foresee this as a risky pattern that could change future presidential handovers. The decision made by Trump established a new political period which denies former presidents the automatic rights they traditionally received.
Feature Image Credit: (CHIP SOMODEVILLA/POOL/AFP)
