President Trump has created a “deep state” of his own by installing loyalists throughout his administration, according to author David Rohde.

“I don’t know if, you know, this is a calculated thing by Trump or if he’s just reacting to the political maelstrom around him, but he’s — sort of under the guise of stopping a coup that doesn’t exist — Trump is steadily upending the checks and balances that have really protected American democracy for centuries now. He’s politicizing the Justice Department and other parts of the government to protect his friends and attack his enemies. And he’s basically creating a parallel shadow government filled with loyalists,” Rohde told NPR in a recent interview.