Have you ever heard of the term “malicious compliance”?

It’s defined in Wikipedia as “the behavior of strictly following the orders of a superior despite knowing that compliance with the orders will have an unintended or negative result. It usually implies following an order in such a way that ignores or otherwise undermines the order's intent, but follows it to the letter.”

And over the last month, Google searches for the term have nearly doubled:

Why?

Simply put, the term is being used to excuse the negative impact of numerous Trump executive orders.

Like when Trump’s executive order demanded that service academies stop teaching about racial history, so the Air Force stopped teaching recruits about the Tuskegee Airmen:

Or when Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth banned Black History Month, rendering National Guard regiments unable to participate in local parades:

Or when Elon Musk’s DOGE team fired senior staff at National Parks, rendering remaining staff unable to adequately serve guests:

Since Trump’s inauguration and subsequent flurry of executive orders, the term “malicious compliance” has served as a cop-out for many on the right. Rather than considering the consequences of their actions, members of the Trump administration leap before looking and then point the finger when they step on a rake.

It’s not wise, it’s not prudent, and it’s certainly not conservative.

Chesterton’s revenge

In his 1929 book The Thing, famed conservative author G.K. Chesterton presented a parable:

This parable and concept, known as Chesterton’s Fence, has come to dictate much of modern conservative thought. Drawing on Chesterton’s influence, National Review founder and arch-conservative William F. Buckley once said that “A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.”

Conservatism is about preserving the usefulness of existing institutions, structures, and norms that exist in our world. It’s not about preventing all reform, but about standing against the tide and calling for patience. To be conservative is to have a loud, booming voice in your head at all times demanding you look before you leap.

That is the opposite of how the current administration works. And the result is poorly thought-out, sloppily written executive orders that create significant negative outcomes.

It’s not malicious compliance that creates these bad outcomes, but fear of legal prosecution. It’s not malicious compliance that makes doctors hesitant to abort an ectopic pregnancy; it’s the fear of being thrown in jail due to legislation that doesn’t contain carve-outs for non-viable fetuses/the health of the mother. It’s not malicious compliance that makes the Air Force stop teaching about the Tuskegee Airmen; it’s the fear of being punished under military law for insubordination.

As Jane Coaston put it:

When you write a legislation or sign an executive order, you should follow the conservative practice of considering all of the worst possible outcomes and adjusting for them,

Incompetence can be dangerous

Incompetent, hastily executed reforms often throw out the bathwater without even checking if there’s a baby in the tub.

This is dangerous.

Incompetently written abortion laws have unnecessarily risked the lives of mothers in many red states. Incompetently freezing PEPFAR funding has already killed over 14,000 people. And incompetently managing our alliances has pushed out allies into China’s arms and set Europe on a path toward war in our lifetime.

None of these is due to malicious compliance.

They are the product of aggressive, unchained populism that wields “reform” like a hammer and only sees nails.

When you hear a talking head or a politician complaining about “malicious compliance,” it’s easy to shrug your shoulders. But that phrase should instead set off alarm bells. Because that phrase is perhaps the best way to tell if a supposed “leader” has given even a second of thought toward the consequences of their actions.

And if they haven’t they should be avoided like the plague.