In a move that has sent shockwaves through the national security community, the Trump administration is systematically dismantling the federal government’s efforts to combat foreign influence operations targeting U.S. elections.
This alarming trend comes at a time when authoritarian regimes like Russia, China, and Iran are ramping up their efforts to sow discord, spread disinformation, and undermine American democracy.
According to current and former government officials, the Trump administration has reassigned or forced out dozens of officials tasked with identifying and countering foreign interference.
These actions are consistent with Project 2025’s stated intention to hamstring federal agencies that address election falsehoods and punish social media companies correcting conservative lies broadcast on their platforms.
These cuts have targeted key personnel at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Department of Homeland Security’s frontline defense against cyberattacks and election meddling.
The implications are dire. These officials were not only combating online disinformation but also working to safeguard voting systems from cyberattacks and other disruptions.
Their work has been critical in exposing and mitigating influence operations by foreign adversaries, including Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and ongoing efforts by China and Iran to manipulate American voters.
A Dangerous Retreat from Election Security
Experts warn that these cuts could leave the United States dangerously exposed to covert foreign influence campaigns.
“Over the last month, the Trump tyranny has worked to destroy the government’s ability to fight foreign meddling in our elections or warn local election officials across the country about attacks on voting systems. This is like shutting down the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ahead of hurricane season,” said Lisa McCormick, a progressive New Jersey Democrat. “It makes no sense to undermine our election security at a time when our enemies are using online tools to push their agendas into our very homes.”
On July 13, 2018, a federal grand jury rurned an indictment against 12 Russian military intelligence officers for interfering with the 2016 United States elections.
The indictment charged 11 defendants with a hacking conspiracy to gain unauthorized access into the computers of American citizens and entities involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, stealing documents from them, and staging releases of the stolen documents to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Two defendants were charged with a separate conspiracy to commit crimes, related to into the computers of U.S. persons and entities responsible for the administration of 2016 U.S. elections, such as state boards of elections, secretaries of state, and U.S. companies that supplied software and other technology related to the administration of U.S. elections.
The administration’s actions are part of a broader pattern of undermining federal agencies tasked with protecting elections.
Acting on one of Trump’s first executive orders, on Attorney General Pam Bondi’s first day in office on Feb. 5, she disbanded the FBI task force that countered foreign operations originating from adversarial foreign governments like Russia, China and Iran to influence American politics.
Bondi disbanded the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force, a critical unit established after Russia’s 2016 election interference.
CISA has frozen all of its election security work and is reviewing everything it has done to help state and local officials secure their elections for the past eight years, in a move aimed at accommodating President Donald Trump’s false claims of election fraud and online censorship.
CISA has also cut funding to the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC), which provides state and local officials with tools to defend against cyber threats.
These moves align disturbingly with the recommendations of Project 2025, a blueprint for a second Trump term that advocates gutting federal election security efforts and weakening institutions like the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
The FEC, which regulates campaign finance, has already come under fire, with Trump attempting to oust its chair just as the agency prepares to adjudicate complaints from the 2024 election cycle.
Project 2025 also calls for using the Justice Department’s powers to investigate and persecute perceived political enemies to a conservative administration, adding the possible government persecution of citizens who criticize President Trump, Congress, or any other facet of society.
The Free Speech Smokescreen
The Trump administration has justified its actions by claiming that efforts to combat disinformation infringe on free speech rights.
Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at DHS, stated that CISA is “evaluating how it has executed its election security mission,” particularly its work on misinformation, disinformation and malinformation.
These are three main forms of activity providing knowledge that can cause minor or major harm:
- Misinformation refers to false information that is not intended to cause harm
- Disinformation refers to false information that is intended to manipulate, cause damage and guide people, organizations and countries in the wrong direction
- Malinformation refers to information that stems from the truth but is often exaggerated in a way that misleads and causes potential harm
At this time, government personnel involved in these efforts have been placed on administrative leave.
But this argument is a smokescreen. The real issue is not free speech—it’s the administration’s refusal to acknowledge the severity of foreign interference and its willingness to sacrifice election security for political gain. By dismantling these safeguards, Trump is emboldening foreign adversaries and leaving American democracy vulnerable to attack.
A Blueprint for Authoritarianism
The administration’s assault on election security is part of a larger strategy to consolidate power and undermine democratic institutions.
Project 2025 goes beyond dismantling CISA and the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force; it also targets public and private entities that study election lies and communicate accurate information to the public. The plan even suggests weaponizing civil rights laws to go after election officials and voting rights groups.
These actions are not just about weakening federal oversight—they’re about creating an environment where disinformation thrives, where foreign interference goes unchecked, and where the very foundations of democracy are eroded.
The Path Forward
The fight to protect American elections is far from over. Public pressure campaigns and legal challenges have already forced the Trump administration to reverse some of its most egregious policies. But even if these efforts succeed, the federal government’s role in safeguarding elections will likely be diminished.
This means that state and local governments, along with civil society, must step up to fill the void. Lawmakers, governors, and election officials must work together to secure voting infrastructure, defend against cyber threats, and protect voters’ rights.
The stakes could not be higher. As authoritarian regimes continue to target American democracy, the Trump administration’s retreat from election security is not just a failure of leadership—it’s a betrayal of the nation. The question is whether Americans will rise to the challenge or allow the foundations of their democracy to crumble.