"There is a risk that judges may determine that some of the dismissals were illegal, but any rulings in the president’s favor would establish precedents that would expand presidential power to control the federal government."

Between this and the forced reversal of the funding freeze, the idea that this administration is better planned and organized than in 2017 is fading away.

"Legal experts inside and outside the government strongly criticized the approach, arguing it almost certainly violates federal law and offers few protections for workers."

“Trump is back, and so is the blowback,” said Matthew Bartlett, a Trump appointee to the State Department during the first term. “You didn’t know what was coming in 2017. You absolutely knew this was coming in 2025.”

In just eight days on the job, Trump has taken a wrecking ball to the federal government, and he and his aides apparently couldn’t be bothered to give any thought to the damage and chaos that would ensue.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) argued that Trump’s offer to federal employees overstepped his authority.

“The President has no authority to make that offer. There’s no budget line item to pay people who are not showing up for work,” Kaine said. “If you accept that offer and resign, he’ll stiff you.”

He's shown us he can break things. The real question is if he can fix anything.