Resolution criteria

This market resolves to YES if Donald Trump takes actions during the final two years of his presidential term (January 20, 2027 to January 20, 2029) that meet an agreed-upon, objective benchmark of a "scorched earth" or "salting the earth" transition strategy, or if a consensus of credible reporting characterizes his administration's late-term actions as an intentional effort to dismantle institutional continuity.

Because "salting the earth" is a metaphor rather than a standardized legal or administrative term, this market resolves based on the following specific indicators:

• Issuing widespread preemptive executive orders specifically designed to restrict or sabotage the incoming administration's operations that are subsequently challenged in court as intentional structural disruption.

• Invoking mass reclassifications (e.g., Schedule F) across civil service positions within the final two years resulting in documented mass firings without standard administrative replacement.

• In the absence of an uncontested objective trigger, resolution will be determined by whether major news outlets (such as Reuters, The Associated Press, or The Wall Street Journal) widely and explicitly describe his final two years or transition conduct using terms such as "scorched earth" or "salting the earth."

Otherwise, if normal transitional protocols occur, standard executive actions proceed without widespread structural sabotage, or if Donald Trump leaves office prior to January 20, 2027, this market resolves to NO.

Note: The market creator should clarify or edit specific metric thresholds (such as specific legislative acts, mass declassifications, or pardon volume) before trading expands.

Background

"Salting the earth" typically refers to a scorched-earth policy: deliberately destroying resources, institutions, or administrative capacity so that political successors cannot easily govern. In executive politics, discussion around this concept often focuses on:

• Large-scale reclassification and dismissal of career federal employees (e.g., via Schedule F executive orders).

• Broad or unprecedented exercises of the pardon power.

• Declassification or destruction of sensitive executive branch records.

• Refusal to cooperate with federal transition mechanisms governed by the Presidential Transition Act.

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