President Donald Trump recently exposed bureaucrats who are reportedly engaging in leisurely activities, such as “playing tennis,” while they should be working. Trump’s criticisms of the civil service follow his initiative to bring government employees back to the office and improve productivity.
Trump stated that the hybrid or remote work schedules that government employees have enjoyed for the past five years have come to an end. The president pointed out that the private sector has already begun to beckon its employees back to a fully in-person schedule after years of productivity declines.“All federal employees must once again show up to work. is a new phenomena. you know, since covid show up to work in person, like the rest of us, it doesn’t work when you don’t show up,” he said. “And I see companies now we’re all going back to it, they’re all going back. It’s great. I watch some of the big business leaders saying we absolutely go back, you can’t work at home, they’re not working.”
Trump also called out some bureaucrats who have allegedly taken to tennis courts on the taxpayer’s dime, maintaining that a country cannot be run on such work habits. “They’re playing Tennis they’re playing golf or they have other jobs, but they’re not working, or they’re certainly not working hard, you could never build a company or a country with that. So we have a very strong policy and if they don’t show up to work, they get fired,” he said.
The White House also released a statement on Inauguration Day, titled “Return to In-Person Work.” The statement explained, “Heads of all departments and agencies in the executive branch of Government shall, as soon as practicable, take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis, provided that the department and agency heads shall make exemptions they deem necessary. This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law.”
Users reacted to the clip on X, cheering the idea of getting federal employees, paid for by the taxpayers, back into the office. “Resetting us back to normal life. Outstanding. Goto work and come home, some flexibility is great but 100% remote for multiple years invites complacency and ineffiency not to mention it isnt healthy to be in your house by yourself for so long and then sleep in the same space. Get RFK in to weigh in about the health benefits to socializing with other humans,” one person wrote.
One person joked about the leisure occurring on the taxpayer’s dime, commenting, “Our brave bureaucrats engage in strategic leisure activities to maintain the delicate balance of democracy! Every tennis match prevents populist chaos. Every golf swing strengthens institutional stability.”
Calling for meritocracy to be restored, another person wrote, “Not just show up be held accountable for the output of the job you’re supposed to do. They need to be reviews every 30 days if they failed three of these reviews they get laid off there are a lot of good people that work really hard that would love to do these jobs.”
