There are many suspicions about a Deep State in America, and several conspiracies to support these suspicions. Deep State refers to a second form of control that manipulates the true government of a country. One conspiracy about this idea is that a Deep State does not exist, but the idea is used to have somewhere to place blame for government decisions a person does not agree with. Another conspiracy, which shows doubt in the United States’ leaders, is that there are powerful people using their resources to manipulate the United States government and keeping it hidden from the public (Michaels 1). These opposing opinions are extreme, but there is rarely any middle ground in this debate. In this essay, both sides of the argument will be explained, as well as what is most likely the truth behind the American Deep State.  

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           The first theory proposes there is no Deep State in America, but that the concept was created to explain suspicious activity in the government and used as a way for individuals to place blame on political parties that oppose their own. People who argue a Deep State exists say there must be a second form of control to explain national security leaks and other suspicious activity in the government (Scott 1). This argument has many holes because every individual will have differing opinions on what is suspicious and what is right for the government to do. The Deep State is difficult to be proven real for many reasons, one being that American citizens cannot even agree on what it is. Ideas on what the American Deep State is changes depending on political beliefs. For example, in an article by David Rohde, when talking about an Executive Order from Donald Trump, he says “Democrats have decried the order as a return to Civil-War-era cronyism. Some conservatives, however, have praised it as a brave attempt to tame the ‘deep state,’” showing how the term “Deep State” is used in opinionated political arguments (Rohde 1). Such opinionated positions lead to biased research and sources, making the American Deep State a confusing topic to find information on and a difficult theory to prove. Because of the varying viewpoints, it is logical to say that the existence of an American Deep State is simply a theoretical idea in politics that changes according to opinion and is not yet proven as fact. 

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          The second belief about the American Deep State is that powerful individuals in the United States government, military, or corporations use their power and money to manipulate the decisions made and information released by the United States government (Michaels 1). The largest argument against a Deep State comes from American citizens who want to have a sense of trust in their government. While it would be comforting to trust your own government, there is plenty of evidence to conclude that there is secrecy in the system (1). The existence of an American Deep State explains America’s increased militarization and interest in war, income disparity, and restrictions on constitutional rights (Scott 1). Violent events in the United States such as 9/11 and the assassination of JFK have proven to be explained falsely on public news and government documents, causing suspicion to arise in anyone who takes the time to research these events (1). These mysterious law-breaking and terroristic acts can be referred to as deep events (1). When these deep events occur, they cause changes in the United States’ government and law enforcement. Author Peter Dale Scott says that “a significant role in this historic reversal was the intervention of a series of structural deep events,” which supports the idea that these incidents were not mere accident but planned strategically by people in high positions in the United States (1). This proves that, in one way or another, the government has connections to the acts that have shocked and harmed American citizens. It is also important to know that these deep events have overlapping details, such as the people involved and the changes they prompted in government policies (1). Information about the related details between deep events and the United States government can be read in Peter Dale Scott’s book, “The American Deep State: Wall Street, Big Oil, and the Attack on U.S. Democracy.”  

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          With social media being so prevalent today, it is easier than ever for anyone to release and access information. Because of this, social media is not always a reliable source of information—every individual can post whatever they want and label it as fact. Every move a person makes on social media platforms is tracked by data companies and can be used to alter the information an individual sees on their apps (The Great Hack). These data companies are not shy to talk about the information they collect, “Cambridge Analytica claimed to have 5,000 data points on every American voter—but it was invisible,” statistics on American citizens are heavily used during elections (1). Data companies such as Cambridge Analytica collect data through online activity and attempt to use it as a tactic to sway people’s opinions (1). They do this by pushing personalized ads, campaigns, and opinions to people on social media based on what that person has been interacting with on their apps (1). This type of data manipulation is especially apparent in politics and was even called “The Data That Turned the World Upside Down” when Donald Trump was put into office in 2017 because of the impact social media was believed to have on the election (1). This is just one example of an outside factor manipulating government elections and actions. Like Cambridge Analytica, other large corporations use their resources to meddle in the government, creating a deep state in the United States. 

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          With the amount of evidence that points to secrecy in the United States Government, it is most plausible to conclude that there are hidden factors influencing government officials and policies. A Deep State exists in the United States, but it may look different than what many think. The Deep State is not a group of individuals who work together and plot their next steps. It is rather many different powers who are separately using resources to sway the government in a way that is beneficial to themselves. Dominant people in the military may use their close relations to the government to persuade military-related decisions, while successful social media companies may use their data to sway opinions of the public to change the direction of popular political ideas and voting trends (Scott 1; The Great Hack). The government we see is not the only thing controlling the United States.