The Danger Ahead (theatlantic.com)

đź”— https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/01/donald-trump-reelection-second-term-agenda/676119/
Posted on Jan 1, 1

🧠 Overview & Context

In the December 2023 issue of The Atlantic, David Frum explores what a second Donald Trump presidency could mean for the United States. The piece outlines Trump’s potential second-term agenda, which many analysts fear would move the country closer to authoritarian rule, driven by personal grievances, revenge politics, and a weakened system of checks and balances.

🔥 Key Takeaways

  • Trump and allies plan to centralize executive power by dismantling traditional safeguards like civil service protections and independent agencies.
  • Initiatives like Project 2025 aim to fill government roles with loyalists and reduce oversight.
  • Trump is expected to govern with a deep sense of grievance, possibly using institutions like the DOJ to target political opponents.
  • Conservative legal theorists may provide constitutional justifications to weaken Congress and the courts.
  • The article warns of a coming “strongman presidency”, supported by a large portion of the GOP base and potentially enabled by democratic institutions themselves.
  • Trump’s second-term agenda would likely prioritize legal impunity, aiming to shield himself from prosecution through DOJ control and aggressive pardons.
  • The former president has become more attuned to bureaucratic weaknesses, and is prepared to weaponize federal agencies more effectively than before.
  • Trump would fill the administration with ideologically aligned, compliant loyalists, likely under the “Schedule F” framework to purge the civil service.
  • Frum warns that Trumpism has evolved: less erratic, more systematic, and openly hostile to constitutional norms.
  • The article draws parallels to authoritarian backsliding globally and emphasizes the potential dismantling of checks and balances.

“This time, he will be disciplined and determined. He will have collaborators. And he will be unrestrained.” — David Frum

“It’s not just a return to Trump’s first term. It’s Trump unbound.”

đź“Ž Citation

Packer, G. (2024, January). What If Trump Wins?. The Atlantic. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/01/donald-trump-reelection-second-term-agenda/676119/
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