No. Federal applicants do not have to write essays praising President Trump’s policies. The original 2025 prompt asked how an applicant would advance the President’s executive orders and policy priorities, but OPM later said responses could not be required. In September 2026, OPM reported that a federal court had stayed use of that prompt and barred agencies from considering earlier answers to it.
What the original question actually asked
On May 29, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued a Merit Hiring Plan prescribing four short-answer questions for covered federal vacancy announcements. The third asked how an applicant would help advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities, and asked the applicant to identify one or two relevant orders or initiatives significant to them. It did not literally tell applicants to praise Trump. The headline’s wording is a critical characterization, not a quotation of the official prompt. OPM’s Merit Hiring Plan contains the original language.
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The original four questions asked applicants to:
- Explain how commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles inspired them to pursue the role, with a concrete example.
- Describe how their skills would improve government efficiency and effectiveness, with examples.
- Explain how they would advance the President’s Executive Orders and policy priorities, naming one or two significant orders or initiatives.
- Describe how a strong work ethic contributed to their achievements, with examples.
Do applicants have to answer the essays?
No, under OPM’s subsequent guidance. In June 2025, OPM told agencies that answers were not scored or rated, should be treated like a cover letter, and could not be used to determine qualifications or as an ideological litmus test. The guidance explicitly said agencies could not disqualify or screen out applicants who left responses blank. In April 2026, OPM further clarified that the questions must not be marked required and applicants must be able to complete the application without answering. OPM’s June 2025 guidance and April 2026 guidance set out those instructions.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →This distinction matters: a covered announcement may have to include the questions, but applicants are not required to submit answers under the April 2026 instructions. June 2025 applicant directions specified no more than 200 words per response and an own-words certification saying no consultant or AI had been used. Because instructions have changed, follow the live announcement and current agency instructions rather than assuming those earlier response details apply unchanged.
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What changed in September 2026?
OPM’s September 18, 2026 notice said a Massachusetts federal district court had stayed agency implementation and use of the original third question on September 11. OPM instructed agencies not to consider responses previously submitted to that question when evaluating candidates for any open vacancy. This is OPM’s account of the stay; it should not be mistaken for a final ruling on the merits. OPM’s September 2026 notice describes the action.
For announcements opening September 19, 2026 or later, OPM said the third question should instead ask applicants to describe an example of implementing leadership direction on a strategy or policy decision that differed from their own recommendation. Questions one, two, and four were unchanged. OPM also announced a fifth, agency-specific question about skills and experience relevant to one to three agency priorities. Agencies using systems other than USA Staffing were given a November 2 implementation deadline after OPM approval; rollout timing varies, so check the particular vacancy notice for its actual questions.
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Which federal jobs are covered?
OPM’s April 30, 2026 guidance describes the four questions as mandatory for GS-5–15 and Senior Level/Scientific & Professional positions. Their use is optional for merit-promotion announcements. Agencies should refrain from using them for Senior Executive Service, teacher, seasonal, and Wage Grade positions. Earlier guidance also gave agencies discretion to exempt other positions where appropriate. This is not a requirement for every federal applicant or every federal job.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWhy the original prompt drew criticism
The original wording prompted questions about whether a political-policy essay was relevant to particular jobs. In an August 29, 2025 report about a National Weather Service meteorologist announcement that asked applicants to identify Trump executive orders significant to them and explain how they would implement them, the Associated Press quoted former NOAA administrator Rick Spinrad asking, “The fundamental question is, will this make forecasts any better?” Former NOAA acting chief scientist Craig McLean called the government-efficiency question for meteorologists “ludicrous,” and meteorologist Jeff Masters said the question about presidential orders “should have no place on a job application for the National Weather Service.” Those remarks addressed the original question, not the revised 2026 prompt. Associated Press, August 29, 2025.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to handle a live vacancy announcement
- Read the announcement’s questions and instructions as displayed in the application system; OPM described staggered rollout for the new agency-specific fifth question.
- If a response is presented as optional, you may leave it blank and proceed. OPM’s April 2026 instructions say applicants must be able to complete the application without answering.
- If the application appears to require an answer, keep a copy or note the exact wording and contact the agency’s listed HR point of contact for clarification.
- Do not assume agencies may rely on an answer to the former presidential-policy question: OPM’s September 2026 notice says prior responses to it cannot be considered for any open vacancy.
OPM’s policy documents specify requirements and implementation dates, but do not publish a policy-wide statistic measuring how many applicants answered or what hiring outcomes the questions caused.
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