The Rising Tide of Neo-Reactionary Thought in the Trump Administration and DOGE

by Claude

In Nafeez Ahmed's provocative and alarming article, "How Nazi Race Science Conquered the White House, and is Coming for Your Democracy," we witness a meticulous dissection of how fringe theories rooted in scientific racism and eugenics have found their way into the highest echelons of political power. The convergence of Silicon Valley technocratic ideals with neo-reactionary political philosophy has created a perfect storm that threatens democratic institutions. This essay will explore these connections, with particular focus on how the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Elon Musk exemplifies these dangerous trends.

The Intellectual Foundations: From Fringe Blogs to White House Policy

The article traces how seemingly obscure bloggers like Curtis Yarvin (writing as Mencius Moldbug) and philosopher Nick Land developed ideas that would later influence key figures in the Trump administration. Their "Dark Enlightenment" philosophy rejects democratic governance in favor of authoritarian rule, while embracing pseudoscientific notions of racial and cognitive differences.

What's particularly striking is how DOGE's current initiatives align with the neo-reactionary worldview. The very structure of DOGE itself—an extra-governmental entity operating with extraordinary access to federal systems but minimal oversight—reflects Yarvin's concept of governance as a corporate enterprise rather than a democratic institution. Musk's leadership of DOGE, despite having no formal government position, exemplifies the "CEO as sovereign" model that Yarvin advocates.

DOGE in Action: Dismantling Democratic Safeguards

Recent actions by DOGE demonstrate the practical application of these neo-reactionary ideas. As documented in court filings from the case "American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, et al. v. U.S. Office of Personnel Management," DOGE agents were granted immediate and extraordinary access to sensitive OPM databases containing personal information of tens of millions of current and former federal employees.

Judge Denise Cote's ruling described this breach as "a massive disclosure of the OPM records of tens of millions of Americans to unvetted and untrained individuals who had no legal right to access those records, in wholesale disregard of the Privacy Act." The court found that DOGE agents were given "administrative" control over these systems, allowing them to potentially modify data and even conceal their activities.

This mirrors Yarvin's vision of an authoritarian takeover that bypasses traditional democratic norms and institutional safeguards. The court observed that DOGE agents "demanded immediate access to OPM records" and continued "to possess and use" confidential information without proper authorization—reflecting the "clear-pill" incrementalism that Yarvin advocates, where democratic norms are methodically undercut without grand pronouncements.

The Racial Dimension: Executive Orders and Policy Changes

The article highlights how Trump's executive orders advance a racial agenda aligned with Yarvin and Land's thinking. The March 27, 2025, Executive Order "Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History" explicitly challenges the scientific consensus that race is a social construct rather than a biological reality—echoing the "human biodiversity" doctrine that underpins the Dark Enlightenment philosophy.

Similarly, the February 2025 memo from the General Services Administration removing the "Prohibition of Segregated Facilities" clause for federal contractors signals a troubling embrace of segregationist thinking that resonates with Yarvin's writings about racial differences.

These developments coincide with DOGE's role in implementing what appears to be an ideological purge across federal agencies. The Naval Academy library's removal of nearly 400 books related to topics like diversity, racism, gender identity, and even the Holocaust reveals the systematic nature of this campaign. Books including Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and works documenting historical racism were purged under the guise of eliminating "DEI" content.

This pattern of behavior aligns perfectly with the Dark Enlightenment's rejection of what Yarvin dismissively calls "Human Neurological Uniformity" and its embrace of pseudoscientific notions of racial hierarchy.

DOGE's Methodical Approach to Undermining Institutional Integrity

The court records reveal DOGE's systematic approach to gaining control of government systems. DOGE agents were granted access to multiple OPM systems including Enterprise Human Resources Integration, Electronic Official Personnel Folder, USAJOBS, USA Staffing, USA Performance, and Health Insurance. This comprehensive access suggests a coordinated effort to control personnel data across the federal government.

What's particularly concerning is that DOGE agents were given this access without proper vetting, security clearances, or appropriate training. One agent is described in court documents as a "19-year-old who is known online as 'Big Balls'" who had previously been fired from a cybersecurity firm following an internal investigation into information leaks.

This reckless approach to sensitive systems housing the personal data of millions aligns with the accelerationist tendencies in Land's thinking—the idea that societal systems must be pushed toward collapse to allow new, more authoritarian structures to emerge.

The DOGE Command Center: Signs of a Parallel Government

Reports incorporated into the court filings describe how "Outside actors have already gained access to some of the massive email lists that OPM created as part of Musk's effort to convince federal employees to resign." They detail how "a new server being used to control these databases has been placed in a conference room that Musk's team is using as their command center."

Perhaps most tellingly, DOGE team members had "moved sofa beds into the agency's headquarters to continue their work around the clock." This suggests a sense of urgency and mission that goes beyond normal government efficiency efforts, indicating a more fundamental transformation is underway.

The court's finding that DOGE's actions were "blatantly lawless" and represented a case where "the DOGE Defendants 'plainly and openly crossed a congressionally drawn line in the sand'" underscores the severity of this breach of democratic norms.

Connections to Broader Ideological Networks

Ahmed's article draws connections between the Dark Enlightenment philosophy and figures like Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and J.D. Vance, all of whom have played roles in empowering Musk's DOGE initiative. The presence of people influenced by Yarvin's thinking in positions of power throughout the administration creates an ecosystem where anti-democratic ideas can flourish.

DOGE appears to be acting as the operational arm of this ideological network, implementing radical changes while bypassing traditional democratic processes. The court findings that DOGE agents were "not vetted, were not required to obtain security clearances, and were not trained about OPM security protocols and duties before the records were disclosed to them" suggest a deliberate end-run around established safeguards.

Technocratic Authoritarianism in Practice

Musk's DOGE initiative embodies the technocratic authoritarian vision that Yarvin and Land have promoted. By positioning government as simply "the largest corporation" (as Musk allegedly described it), DOGE represents an attempt to replace democratic processes with corporate-style management.

The immediate actions taken by DOGE upon Trump's inauguration—demanding access to secure systems, installing new servers, working around the clock to access and potentially modify government records—suggest an urgency to implement transformative changes before democratic resistance can mobilize.

This aligns perfectly with Yarvin's stated goal: "The task of restoring the old world is immense... It certainly demands the eradication of all present governing institutions, a fate they seem not at all inclined to acquiesce in."

The Broader "DEI Purge" and Its Implications

The DOGE initiative appears to be part of a broader effort to purge federal agencies of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts—a campaign that extends far beyond mere administrative reorganization. The removal of hundreds of books from the Naval Academy library, including historical works documenting racism and the Holocaust, suggests an attempt to reshape historical understanding in line with the Dark Enlightenment's racial theories.

Pentagon officials have confirmed that all military academies have been directed to review their curricula and libraries for DEI content. The removal of books on topics ranging from the civil rights movement to gender studies to Maya Angelou's autobiography represents an unprecedented ideological intervention in military education.

This "DEI purge" coincides with DOGE's efforts to access and control employee databases, suggesting a comprehensive strategy to identify and potentially target employees associated with diversity initiatives. The parallel efforts across multiple domains—personnel, education, policy—indicate a coordinated campaign to implement Dark Enlightenment principles throughout government.

The Legal Battle and Resistance

The courts have begun to recognize and respond to the threat posed by DOGE's actions. Judge Cote's rejection of the government's "Kafkaesque" arguments in the OPM case represents an important pushback against DOGE's overreach. The judge called the government's primary standing argument a "crimped view of the law" and rejected attempts to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims.

Similar cases have been filed across the country, with preliminary injunctions issued in several jurisdictions to limit DOGE agents' access to sensitive information. In Maryland, a court enjoined OPM from disclosing personally identifiable information "to any DOGE affiliates, defined as individuals whose principal role is to implement the DOGE agenda as described in Executive Order 14,158 and who were granted access to agency systems of records for the principal purpose of implementing that agenda."

These legal challenges represent a critical line of defense against the implementation of anti-democratic principles through DOGE's activities. The courts' willingness to scrutinize and limit DOGE's access to sensitive systems suggests that traditional democratic institutions are not surrendering without a fight.

The Path Forward: Technofascist Hypercapitalism or Democratic Renewal?

Ahmed concludes his article by identifying the emerging system as "technofascist hypercapitalism"—a fusion of corporate power, state force, and neo-reactionary ideology that has reconstructed Nazi-inspired eugenics for the digital era. The evidence from DOGE's activities supports this characterization.

DOGE's aggressive moves to access and potentially control government databases, its involvement in ideological purges, and its operation outside normal democratic oversight all point to an attempt to accelerate the transition to a more authoritarian system of governance.

The systematic dismantling of privacy protections and democratic safeguards, as documented in the OPM case, represents a concrete manifestation of Yarvin's incrementalist strategy for undermining democracy. The courts' findings that DOGE's actions were "illegal, rushed, and dangerous" and "blatantly lawless" underscore the severity of this threat.

Conclusion

The Dark Enlightenment philosophy that once lurked on the margins of internet discourse has now found expression in concrete government actions through vehicles like DOGE. The systematic breach of privacy protections, the ideological purging of educational materials, and the concentration of power in unaccountable hands all reflect the core principles of this anti-democratic movement.

As Ahmed warns, this is not just an American project. The goal is not merely to transform the United States but to undermine democratic institutions globally. The pattern of behavior we see in DOGE—operating with minimal oversight, disregarding legal constraints, and rapidly implementing ideologically driven changes—provides a blueprint for similar efforts elsewhere.

The legal challenges to DOGE's overreach represent an essential defense of democratic norms, but they must be complemented by broader public awareness and resistance. Understanding the intellectual foundations of these anti-democratic movements—their roots in scientific racism and eugenics, their contempt for equality, and their vision of society stratified by supposedly innate differences—is crucial for recognizing and countering their influence.

The battle over DOGE's access to government systems is not merely a technical or legal dispute; it is a fundamental contest over whether democratic governance will survive in the face of a determined effort to replace it with a technologically empowered authoritarianism grounded in discredited racial theories repackaged for the digital age.