I Used ChatGPT To Write a Presidential Executive Order
Wondering where all those executive orders came from? Welcome to the first AI presidency.
Just for grins, I decided to give ChatGPT, an AI text generator, a spin through the world of presidential decrees.
Why would I do such a thing, my ever astute reader wonders? Surely I have better things to do with my time.
Well, not really, but the motivation was simple:
The Trumpenfuehrer has issued 73 Executive Orders in one month, most of them in his first two weeks, 37 in the first week alone.
How is it possible for someone with, to put it charitably, a third-grade education, to research, write, and issue 73 executive orders (EOs) in this amount of time?
Project 20251 and AI to the rescue!
Past presidents not named Obama have most likely used legal beagles to help them craft their executive orders, but rest assured that the felonious bipedal mass of fecal matter has taken this process one very large step further.
This is a typical paragraph from one of his EOs2:
The U.S. attorney general, in collaboration with heads of executive departments and agencies, will investigate the federal government's activities over the last four years for any activity inconsistent with free speech protections and prepare a report to be submitted to the president with recommendations for appropriate remedial actions based on the findings of the report.
Imagining the Orange Puffaroon writing something like that is like imagining God appearing out of the clouds, pointing to the misanthrope’s puffy, poisoned soul, and saying, “This is my son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Although, in fairness, the Trumpenfuehrer’s most devoted followers are sure such an unholy event did, in fact, transpire years ago.
Anyhoo, how is it possible that someone who is nearly illiterate cranked out more than 37 of these things in his first week in office?
Well, thanks to a commenter,
, on one of my Substack Notes, I learned that CBS News discovered similarities between many of those 70+ Executive Orders and specific text in Project 2025.3If you watch the video (linked in the footnotes) you’ll see CBS make direct and unmistakable comparisons between the executive orders and Project 2025.
Paul had a great observation that seems to clear up the mystery behind the furious pace of Executive Orders that mirror Project 2025:
This gives rise to the possibility that the Executive Orders were actually drafted by a junior clerk using ChatGPT. They pointed the AI at Project 2025 and told the software what to focus on.
This seems like much more than a possibility. It feels like a certainty. It’s the only rational explanation for the furious pace at which these EOs were issued. A more adult presidency would have a team of lawyers do it.
But it’s simpler to imagine Musk speaking into his ear like Gríma Wormtongue: “My Liege, it is such a simple thing to have one of our AI chatbots execute the will of the Project 2025 authors. You can issue several per day, and the people will be at your mercy because nobody can keep up with the delightfully frenetic pace of activity.”
“Fine,” says the mad king. “Find an intern to do it. Make sure she’s wearing a short dress.”
Sadly, Gandalf isn’t around to save us from the dying king and his henchman because America’s growing gambling addiction has convinced the great wizard to sell Shadowfax to a Taylor Sheridan horse stud farm.4 Sigh. Everyone is corruptible these days.
If the executive orders are being written by AI, a fair and reasonable federal court system would force the Malevolence of Mar-a-Lago to testify in court about the meaning and intent of each of his Executive Orders in a class action lawsuit brought about by the People of the United States: You and me.
If he is unable to do that, the Executive Order should be declared invalid.
This should happen no matter what other entity is writing them: Human or AI. If he can’t explain what each one means, in his own words, any executive order he issues should be invalidated.
Charles Bastille is president for one day
As an experiment, I tried ChatGPT by asking it to write a Presidential executive order based on page 562 of Project 2025, which expresses its racist intent by freaking out over DEI. (see my Notes for the text of the freakout in Project 2025’s words).
My prompt was:
Please write a hypothetical presidential executive order for the United States that achieves the following objective from Project 2025 [followed by the objective from page 562 of Project 2025]:
ChatGPT responded with this, which has language alarmingly similar to the troll’s executive orders:
Executive Order on Reaffirming Equal Protection and Nondiscrimination in Government, Education, and the Private Sector
By the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy.
It is the policy of the United States to ensure equal protection for all Americans by vigorously enforcing applicable federal civil rights laws in government, education, and the private sector. The Federal Government shall serve as a model of nondiscrimination, ensuring that no segment of our society is unjustly favored or disadvantaged, and that every individual receives the protection guaranteed by our Constitution and federal law.Section 2. Reorganization and Refocusing of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
(a) The Attorney General shall immediately direct the reorganization of the Civil Rights Division to establish it as the vanguard for enforcing federal civil rights laws.
(b) The Division shall deploy the full spectrum of federal prosecutorial resources to investigate and, where warranted, prosecute state and local governments, institutions of higher education, corporations, and other private employers that engage in discrimination contrary to constitutional and legal mandates.
(c) The Attorney General shall ensure that the Civil Rights Division is provided with the necessary resources, leadership, and moral support to execute this mandate effectively.
Section 3. Whole-of-Government Recommitment to Nondiscrimination.
(a) All federal agencies, boards, and commissions are hereby directed to review and, as necessary, revise their policies and programs to ensure strict compliance with constitutional and federal legal requirements concerning nondiscrimination.
(b) Key agencies—including, but not limited to, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Departments of Defense, Education, and Housing and Urban Development; and the Securities and Exchange Commission—shall coordinate with the Department of Justice to leverage their regulatory and funding authorities in preventing unlawful discrimination at the state, local, and private-sector levels.
(c) Federal agencies shall use their oversight and funding mechanisms to ensure that entities receiving federal support or entering into federal contracts adhere to nondiscriminatory practices.
Section 4. Enforcement of Nondiscrimination in Federal Contracting.
(a) All federal contractors shall be required to comply with stringent nondiscrimination standards as stipulated by existing federal contractual provisions.
(b) The Department of Justice, in collaboration with the appropriate federal agencies, shall rigorously enforce these contractual requirements, initiating investigations and pursuing appropriate legal action against any contractor found to be engaging in unlawful discriminatory practices.
Section 5. Implementation and Reporting.
(a) Within 90 days of the issuance of this Order, the Attorney General, in consultation with the heads of relevant federal agencies, shall develop and implement a comprehensive plan outlining the measures to be taken to enforce the provisions of this Order.
(b) A detailed progress report, including an assessment of enforcement activities and measurable outcomes in reducing discrimination, shall be submitted to me within one year of the effective date of this Order.
(c) This Order shall be implemented as a whole-of-government initiative, and all federal agencies are directed to accord it the highest priority in their operations.
Section 6. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this Order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof.
(b) This Order is not intended to create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its agencies, its officers, or its employees.
(c) This Order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
Section 7. Effective Date.
This Order is effective immediately.IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ___ day of ________, 20.
[President’s Signature]
I knew the Trump minions wouldn’t be happy with this. They’d want it to be more draconian.
So I just told chatGTP to make it more draconian. Aren’t I clever?
Using “Reasoning” mode, ChatGPT obliged in 45 seconds.:
Considering more draconian approach:
The user wants to make the executive order more severe, which means tightening enforcement language, including stricter measures, and possibly introducing mandatory punishments. But, I need to be careful — it's a hypothetical document. I'll want to adjust the language to make it more heavy-handed but stay true to the user's context. That could involve more direct consequences, stricter penalties, and a focus on enforcement to make the order feel "draconian." I'll take care to respect the nature of the request without overstepping boundaries.
New, Improved Executive Order:
By the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy.
It is the policy of the United States that any act of discrimination—whether in government, education, or the private sector—is an intolerable affront to the constitutional guarantee of equal protection. Discriminatory practices will be met with immediate, uncompromising federal intervention, including severe sanctions, asset freezes, and, where appropriate, criminal prosecution. No institution, regardless of its public or private status, shall be permitted to deviate from these standards.Section 2. Reorganization and Empowerment of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
(a) The Attorney General is directed to restructure the Civil Rights Division into an aggressive enforcement body with expanded authority. This Division shall act as the principal arm of the federal government in the rapid investigation and prosecution of any and all discriminatory practices.
(b) The Division is hereby granted authority to issue subpoenas, freeze assets, and assume direct oversight of any governmental agency or private entity found violating federal nondiscrimination laws until full compliance is achieved.
(c) Any government official, administrator, or employee who obstructs or interferes with these enforcement efforts will be subject to immediate suspension, removal from office, and, if warranted, criminal charges.
Section 3. Whole-of-Government Mandate for Unyielding Nondiscrimination.
(a) Every federal agency, board, and commission shall immediately review and overhaul its policies to ensure they align with the strict requirements of the Constitution and federal law regarding nondiscrimination.
(b) Agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Departments of Defense, Education, and Housing and Urban Development; and the Securities and Exchange Commission, shall collaborate closely with the Department of Justice to monitor, investigate, and report any deviation from these nondiscriminatory standards.
(c) Any federal entity failing to enforce or actively obstructing these measures will be subject to immediate federal oversight, with potential revocation of funding, termination of contracts, and other severe administrative penalties.
Section 4. Enforcement in Federal Contracting and the Private Sector.
(a) All entities receiving federal funding or engaging in federal contracts must adhere to these nondiscrimination mandates without exception.
(b) Any violation will result in the immediate suspension or termination of federal contracts, prohibition from future federal engagements, and referral for both civil and criminal penalties.
(c) Private employers, academic institutions, and other non-governmental organizations that breach these requirements shall be aggressively prosecuted to the fullest extent of federal law.
Section 5. Implementation, Monitoring, and Reporting.
(a) A rapid-response task force within the Department of Justice is hereby established to ensure the swift implementation of this Order.
(b) The Attorney General shall, within 60 days, submit a comprehensive report detailing the number of investigations initiated, sanctions imposed, asset freezes executed, and prosecutions commenced.
c) All actions taken under this Order will be fully documented and publicly disclosed to ensure transparency and to serve as a deterrent to any entity contemplating discriminatory practices.
Section 6. General Provisions.
(a) This Order reaffirms that the equal protection of the laws is a non-negotiable right for all Americans, and any attempt to contravene this principle is an affront to the federal government and the Constitution.
(b) No public or private entity may claim exemption from this Order. Resistance to or obstruction of its mandates will be considered an act of defiance against the federal government and will be met with the most severe legal consequences.
(c) Nothing in this Order shall be construed to limit any law enforcement or prosecutorial authority provided under existing federal law.
Section 7. Effective Date.
This Order shall take effect immediately and remain in full force and effect until it is duly revoked or amended by subsequent executive action.IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ___ day of ________, 20.
[President’s Signature]
My favorite bit of draconia (how is that not a word?) from the executive order was this:
(c) Any government official, administrator, or employee who obstructs or interferes with these enforcement efforts will be subject to immediate suspension, removal from office, and, if warranted, criminal charges.
How about you?
And there you have it, folks. All that is needed now is for the moron to look it over quickly, shrug his shoulders and say, “I guess that works, put a post-it on it!” sign it, and these toadstools are off to the races.
What a country.
Notes
The executive order is based on one of the many authoritarian directives in Project 2025. Specifically, page 562, which reads:
Pursuing Equal Protection for All Americans by Vigorously Enforcing Applicable Federal Civil Rights Laws in Government, Education, and the Private Sector. Entities across the private and public sectors in the United States have been besieged in recent years by an unholy alliance of special interests, radicals in government, and the far Left. This unholy alliance speaks in platitudes about advancing the interests of certain segments of American society, but that advancement comes at the expense of other Americans and in nearly all cases violates long-standing federal law.
Even though numerous federal laws prohibit discrimination based on notable immutable characteristics such as race and sex, the Biden Administration — through the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and other federal entities—has enshrined affirmative discrimination in all aspects of its operations under the guise of “equity.” Federal agencies and their components have established so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices that have become the vehicles for this unlawful discrim- ination, and all departments and agencies have created “equity” plans to carry out these invidious schemes.74 To reverse this trend, the next conservative Administration should:
Ensure that the DOJ spearheads an initiative demonstrating the federal government’s commitment to nondiscrimination. The department should also lead a whole-of-government recommitment to nondiscrimination and should be working with all other federal agencies, boards, and commissions to ensure that they are both complying with constitutional and legal requirements and using their authorities and funding to prevent discrimination not only internally, but also at the state, local, and private-sector levels. This will require particularly close coordination with several key agencies, including such obvious candidates as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the Departments of Defense, Education, and Housing and Urban Development; and the Securities and Exchange Commission. It will also require enforcing contractual requirements that prohibit discrimination on federal contractors.
Reorganize and refocus the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division to serve as the vanguard for this return to lawfulness. The Attorney General and other DOJ political leadership should provide the resources and moral support needed for these efforts. The Civil Rights Division should spend its first year under the next Administration using the full force of federal prosecutorial resources to investigate and prosecute all state and local governments, institutions of higher education, corporations, and any other private employers who are engaged in discrimination in violation of constitutional and legal requirements.
For “progress” on the implementation of Project 2025 by the regime, check out this document, which is updated daily:
https://www.project2025.observer/
Thanks to for this idea. It is derived from a comment he made to a Substack Note I posted, reproduced here:
Trump’s Executive Orders are written competently, with smartly developed legal doctrine that was obviously not written by him.
As a tax paying citizen, I demand that since these are considered Presidential Executive Orders, that he read each one on live TV, without a teleprompter and with ONLY a copy of the order in hand, and then explain in his words what it means.
Else, they are invalid.
Paul’s Response
May I suggest an alternative scenario. CBS recently interviewed a commentator who drew sharp wording parallels between the Executive Orders and Project 2025. Some of the sentences were word-for-word. This gives rise to the possibility that the Executive Orders were actually drafted by a junior clerk, using ChatGPT. They pointed the AI at Project 2025 and told the software what to focus on.
It would explain their breadth of coverage and lack of specifics , as well as their quantity.
Footnotes
“Trump’s 2025 Executive Orders | Holland & Knight.” 2025. Hklaw.com. 2025. https://www.hklaw.com/en/general-pages/trumps-2025-executive-orders-chart.
Shadowfax is Gandalf’s horse, and also an obscure offbeat band from the suburbs of Chicago who sold approximately 7 albums to local stoners in the 1970s.