“All I want is what I have coming to me. All I want is my fair share.” – Sally Brown in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”

There is a large chunk of American history where the makeup of the federal government’s workforce was determined by what is known as the spoils system.

The name refers back to the well-worn phrase, “To the victor goes the spoils.” Under the spoils system, a president would stuff as many of his political supporters into government jobs as possible, some being more qualified to serve in those jobs than others.

Eventually, the Pendleton Act of 1883 established a merit-based system for the hiring and retention of the vast majority of federal government employees.

You can think of the spoils system as part of a larger idea known as political patronage where elected officials award jobs and government contracts to supporters and make official decisions to provide tangible rewards to supporters and sometimes to punish opponents.

I could not help but think of the spoils system last week when President Donald Trump, surrounded by Alabama’s Republican Congressional delegation, made the long-anticipated announcement that Huntsville will serve as the new headquarters for the U.S. military’s Space Command.

The decision is a boon for Huntsville’s continued growth and will hopefully end a tug of war between Alabama and Colorado that dates back to the end of Trump’s first term.

Just before Trump left office in 2021, the Air Force released the results of a study that found Huntsville to be the optimal location for Space Command.

As Trump does – and to be fair, as many politicians do – he claimed the credit for the Air Force study’s recommendation. This, unfortunately, backfired for Alabama as Colorado cried foul and used Trump’s boasts as evidence the Air Force study was tainted by politics and not in the best interest of the military.

Ultimately, the hubbub sparked by Trump’s social media posts provided President Joe Biden enough political cover to keep Space Command’s temporary headquarters in Colorado for the length of his term, delaying the benefits Alabama should receive from the relocation.

The holdup may have cost Huntsville a few years of even higher population growth and economic development. Yet, the politics worked out tremendously well for Trump.

He got to hold the press conference announcing the move to Huntsville while also implying it is happening because Alabama voters backed the right horse while Colorado voted for Trump’s Democratic opponent in the last three elections. Victors, meet your spoils.

“We love Alabama. I only won it by about 47 points,” Trump said at the press conference. “I don’t think that influenced my decision, though, right? That didn’t, right?” Trump asked with tongue firmly in cheek while looking around at those gathered with him at the podium.

Comments from several in the Alabama delegation – including Sen. Katie Britt, Rep. Mike Rogers and Rep. Dale Strong – thanked Trump for his decision but also highlighted the fact that Huntsville was the choice made in the Air Force’s nonpartisan study.

They were proud Alabama was chosen as the best location for Space Command based on merit by a group of military experts without a political agenda.

Trump only made a passing reference to the Air Force study when responding to a reporter’s pointed question about the strategic benefits of having Space Command in Huntsville.

This makes sense because he is very much a spoils system guy, believing government should reward winners and operate in complete deference to the person the public elected to run it. Other factors, such as expert studies on a topic, are less of a consideration.

Another example of this is the falling out between Trump and Elon Musk. Musk had a genuine desire to make the federal government more efficient through the use of technology combined with new, though sometimes misguided, personnel management strategies.

Trump viewed Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency as an opportunity to strike back against government workers holding civil service protections who were insufficiently loyal or unwilling to carry out some of what he wanted to do.

Going forward, Alabamians should hope Trump can stop telling us about how he rewarded us with the spoils of Space Command.

Colorado’s attorney general said he plans to challenge the move in court, claiming the Trump administration is playing “political games.” The more Trump talks about the decision as a political favor rather than a principled course of action, the more ammunition is provided to our friends in Colorado.

So please, Mr. President, for this one issue, listen to one of Gen Z’s favorite proverbs and, “Say less.”