Is Trump Running the Eisenhower Playbook? Derek Johnson Weighs In

Is Trump Running the Eisenhower Playbook? Derek Johnson Weighs In

Is Trump Running the Eisenhower Playbook? Lewis Herms and Derek Johnson Break It Down

Four years ago, Lewis Herms and Derek Johnson were crisscrossing the country on the Truth Tour. Back then, some well-connected people warned Lewis not to go. Things were about to "blow up," they said. He trusted his discernment and went anyway.

Now, heading into the 2026 midterms, Lewis says he's hearing the exact same warnings.

On the latest episode of ScrewBigGov, **"Is This Another Eisenhower Repeat?"**, Lewis reunites with Derek Johnson, better known as **RattleTrap1776**, to cut through the black pilling and look at what Derek calls the real roadmap: the laws, the executive orders, and a Cold War era plan that he believes reads like a script for what's happening today.

Who Is Derek Johnson?

Derek Johnson, known online as RattleTrap1776 or DJ, is a researcher and author who focuses on presidential executive orders, national emergencies, and military law. His work centers on one idea: if you want to understand what's going on, stop chasing rumors and start reading the documents.

Why Lewis Thinks So Much Black Pilling Is Intentional

Lewis opened with a reality check. Some of the doom out there, he believes, comes from paid operatives. Some comes from frustrated patriots who expected everything to happen overnight. But in his view, we're taking down thousands of years of tyranny, not just a century of it. Expecting it to wrap up in a news cycle isn't realistic.

Derek added that a lot of the anxiety comes from what we feed our minds. Most people spend hours a day on their phones, and the timeline floods in with noise. Block out the noise, he says, and look at the laws and orders.

Key Takeaways From the Episode

1. "Where Is the Deep State?"

Derek's challenge to the doomers is straightforward. If you look strictly at President Trump's laws and orders, where is the deep state operating, and who is it now? He compares it to cutting off a dragon's head: the tail keeps flailing for a while, but the operation runs top down. In Derek's view, the paperwork is solid. The problem has always been the people executing it.

2. Executive Order 13848 and the National Guard

Derek points to **Executive Order 13848**, signed September 12, 2018, which addresses foreign interference in U.S. elections. He argues that since then, the National Guard has been present around elections in 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024, and he says Trump cited 27 or more states as activated in his July 16th address.

His question for skeptics: if the previous administration truly opposed Trump, why were the Guard deployments still happening in 2022 and 2024?

3. Why Were Trump's Executive Orders Continued?

This is one of Derek's strongest points. A national emergency declared by executive order automatically expires after one year unless it's renewed. So if the Biden administration believed Trump was destroying the country, why did it keep renewing key Trump-era emergency orders? And why did the 2018 tariffs stay in place from 2021 to 2025?

If you thought your opponent might return, Derek says, you'd revoke everything and make him start over. Instead, Trump picked up right where he left off.

4. The Foreign Interference Message

Lewis, who works in election investigations, noted that in his experience most election problems are domestic, not foreign. But he finds it significant that Trump keeps publicly emphasizing foreign interference from countries like China, Iran, and Venezuela. That messaging, both hosts suggest, lays public groundwork for stronger action if it's ever needed.

Derek believes much of that authority is already in place, citing military government references, the Alien Enemies Act ruling, and **Executive Order 13919**, which he says remains open.

5. Cybersecurity at the Polls

Both hosts see Pete Hegseth's decision to put cybersecurity front and center for the elections as a major signal. Derek explained that cyber teams don't have to be visible at polling places to do their job. They monitor what comes in digitally.

He also pointed out that Gavin Newsom has publicly complained about federal agents possibly showing up at California polls, which Derek reads as a deterrent more than anything else.

6. The Corporate "Capitulations"

Derek walked through a series of events he connects to **Executive Order 13959**, signed shortly after the 2020 election: Jeff Bezos stepping down at Amazon, Warren Buffett leaving the Gates Foundation, the Gates divorce announcement, and Mark Zuckerberg's months of daily stock sales. Then waves of Fortune 500 CEO departures.

Today, he notes, many of those same tech leaders are sitting at the table with President Trump. He calls those capitulations.

7. Israel, Iran, and Getting Our Investment Back

Derek offered a different take on Israel. The U.S. has sent billions under agreements going back decades, he says, so using Israel's equipment and resources in the Iran operation is a way of getting a return on taxpayer money, while Trump keeps pressure on Netanyahu himself. Lewis made a key distinction: the Israeli people are not the same thing as their government.

Lewis also noted that oil is flowing at roughly 98% of normal levels even with the Strait of Hormuz closed. And Derek highlighted the hypocrisy of critics who stayed silent when the U.S. was bombing in Yemen last year but object now.

So What Is the Eisenhower Playbook?

Here's the heart of the episode. Derek believes Trump is following a plan laid out under President Eisenhower for how the country would be run after a catastrophic event. In Derek's view, the 2020 bioweapon was that event.

His evidence: look at who Trump endorses. Derek says they're almost all businessmen and women, judges, veterans, Navy SEALs, and special operations people. That, he says, matches the Eisenhower plan nearly word for word.

That's why his advice on voting is so simple. When friends in Florida text him asking who to vote for, he answers with a question: **who did President Trump endorse?** You can't go with your gut right now, Derek says, because we're still in the operation.

Don't Wait for One Big Day

Lewis offered a useful reality check. Many people expect a single day when the whole world stops and everything is revealed. He doesn't see it that way. It took centuries to condition people into where we are, and he believes they'll be brought out of it gradually, with the drips getting bigger over time.

Derek agreed and added a mindset shift worth repeating: stop worrying about the timeline. Stop trying to be right or wrong. "Let's get something right."

He also encouraged a more minimalist approach to life. A lot of stress, he says, comes from people trying to keep up with the Joneses on a paycheck that can't support it.

We the People Are the Plan

Lewis closed with the message that runs through every ScrewBigGov episode. If patriots shut down and check out, they're not helping. The work happens in local communities. The micro fixes the macro.

Derek's parting words came from his dad: keep doing. Stay positive. Keep showing up.

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