Deep state
The term "deep state" refers to a purported covert network within the U.S. government that is believed to exert significant influence over national policy and decision-making, despite lacking formal legislative power. Advocates of this concept suggest that its members operate behind the scenes, impacting various facets of governance such as the military and intelligence agencies. The idea has historical roots, originally coined in Turkey to describe a secret alliance between the military, intelligence, and organized crime, particularly during authoritarian regimes.
In the United States, the notion gained prominence during Donald Trump's presidency, with supporters alleging that a collective of government officials and media figures conspired to undermine the president's agenda. Critics argue that these claims reflect a misunderstanding of the government bureaucracy rather than a tangible conspiracy. The concept of the deep state has also been observed in other countries, notably Egypt, where military influence over civilian governance has been evident. Overall, the deep state remains a contentious and debated topic, attracting a range of interpretations and perspectives regarding its validity and impact on democracy.
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Deep state
The deep state is a rumored secret network within the government of the United States that is said to hold an undue amount of influence over the country. Members of the deep state do not hold any traditional legislative power. Instead, they may hold influence over the nation’s military, congressional leaders, or other aspects of governance. The members of the deep state are not typically well-known to the public, and their control is said to be applied in a subtle manner.
Confirmed deep states have existed in several nations with authoritarian governments, including Turkey and Egypt. In some circumstances, the deep states aligned to resist the powers of an authoritarian ruler, sometimes deposing the country’s government and openly claiming power. In the United States during the presidency of Donald Trump, many right-wing activists claimed that a deep state had aligned against President Trump. They claimed that the deep state sought to make it more difficult for the president to accomplish his goals and conspired with the media to portray the president in a negative manner.
Background
The concept of the deep state is tied to the structure of the American government. The government of the United States was designed to provide the average person with some say in how that government operates. This typically occurs through the election of politicians who represent the views of their constituents when writing governmental policy. For this reason, the government was structured with three coequal branches, each designed to check the powers of the other.
Congress, which consists of the Senate and House of Representatives, is the legislative branch responsible for writing the laws of the federal government. The Senate includes two members from each state, while the House of Representatives includes a number of representatives from each state proportionate to the size of that state’s population.
The executive branch of the government is responsible for enforcing the laws. It is composed of the president and the large number of appointed officials and agencies that assist the president in governing. The judicial branch is tasked with interpreting the laws. This branch includes all federal courts in the United States. It is headed by the US Supreme Court, the highest court in the nation. Members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
Overview
The concept of a deep state is not a new idea. Opposing factions and resistance movements have contended for power within existing governments for centuries. The idea of a shadowy conspiracy secretly pulling the strings of government is also not a recent invention. That idea has been an obsession for conspiracy theorists and the subject of fictional works for decades.
The term deep state itself was first coined outside the United States in reference to the government of Turkey. It comes from the Turkish derin devlet, which literally translates as “deep state.” Throughout its history, Turkey has had a reputation for authoritarian regimes and resistance factions battling for control of the government. The modern nation was founded in 1923 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk who relied on a secret military force to seize and maintain control in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.
Many experts contend the idea of the deep state originated when members of the authoritarian Turkish government were said to have conspired with organized crime to conduct violent attacks against the opposition Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in the 1990s. The incidents brought to light a rumored secret alliance between the military, Turkish intelligence, organized crime, and the business elite. It was this secret alliance, which acquired the nickname the deep state, that supposedly ruled the nation.
In another example, the modern Egyptian military has also been referred to as a deep state. The organization was insular, politically involved, and responsible for a significant portion of the nation’s economy. Although Egypt’s military leaders held little legislative power, the implicit threat inherent in their control of the armed forces gave them practical control over the government. In 2011, President Hosni Mubarak surrendered control of Egypt to the leaders of the Egyptian military. The military initially allowed a democratic government to develop, only to later depose the nation’s new leader and take control of the country.
After the election of US president Donald Trump in 2016, the Trump administration embraced the term deep state as a way to reference his political opponents. Trump and many of his supporters claimed that a cabal of governmental and nongovernmental officials had unified in secret opposition to the president. Among this unified group of conspirators were members of the legislative branch, government agencies, and the intelligence community. Some alleged that many members of the American deep state were loyal to Trump’s predecessor, President Barack Obama, or were working to stage a coup against the president.
Opponents of President Trump claimed that such conspiracy theories served as a convenient but fictional explanation for the president’s failings. Instead, they argued that the president’s frustrations with the supposed deep state were aimed at the federal bureaucracy, which they alleged the president struggled to navigate. Additionally, they argued that members of the federal bureaucracy have always played some role in the formulation of new government policy.
Many supporters of President Trump argued that media executives were also members of the conspiracy against his administration. They claimed that media conglomerates worked with members of the deep state in the government to embarrass the president, or to mislead the public about the administration’s successes. Among their claims were that members of the deep state within the government and the White House often leaked information or planted stories in the media. Reputable sources dismissed these accusations as unfounded conspiracy theories.
During his campaign in 2024, Trump made promises to demolish the deep state, a threat that worried many government officials. Some believe Trump’s war on the deep state will result in a push to demolish the independence of the intelligence community.
Bibliography
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Fukuyama, Francis. “American Democracy Depends on the ‘Deep State.’” Wall Street Journal, 20 Dec. 2019, www.wsj.com/articles/american-democracy-depends-on-the-deep-state-11576855549. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
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McElvein, Elizabeth. “Is the Deep State Donating to the Democrats?” Lawfare, 3 Nov. 2020, www.lawfareblog.com/deep-state-donating-democrats. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
Ortega, Bob, et al. “What Trump’s War on the ‘Deep State’ Could Mean: ‘An Army of Suck-Ups.’” CNN, 27 Apr. 2024, www.cnn.com/2024/04/27/politics/trump-federal-workers-2nd-term-invs/index.html. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.
“President Trump’s Allies Keep Talking About the ‘Deep State.’ What’s That?” Time, 8 Mar. 2017, time.com/4692178/donald-trump-deep-state-breitbart-barack-obama/. Accessed 3 Jan. 2025.