If Trump is Returned to Power, He Will Believe He is Unstoppable
[Return to Not Going Back] [Return to Second Term]
Suppose someone wanted to become a dictator. In the United States, such a person could not just cancel the Constitution the day after inauguration. There are too many safeguards against that. Democracy is a founding principle of the nation. A president doing something that shocking would be removed from office.
That does not mean that we are immune to dictatorship. It takes time to erode the safeguards and that is just what is happening. Trump did not become a dictator in his first term, but after 8 years of accumulating power, there is a much greater risk. Donald Trump may not even have come into office planning to be a dictator, but experts can compare his behavior to others who destroyed democracy in their countries. Trump is checking all the boxes for a dictator-in-training.
January 6 was not just a riot or a protest gone wrong. January 6 was Donald Trump’s attempted coup. Returning him to power will tell him that he can break any rules and the nation will still back him. In the past he would have been restrained by fear of punishment. He might have worried about impeachment, voter rejection, or legal action. One by one, these restraints are being stripped away.
Trump once said “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, okay, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, okay?” Re-election would be proof that he was not kidding. A hard core of extremists, including Christian Nationalists and violent militias, could serve as his shock troops, while Republicans in office and millions of supporters would excuse and enable any atrocity Trump comes up with.
Usually elected leaders do not simply announce that they are becoming a dictator. Often it is in response to a crisis: Hitler gathered unlimited powers after the German parliament burned down. Many scenarios are possible if Trump were to have a second term. Suppose Trump ignores a Supreme Court ruling or Congressional law, and massive protests break out. Trump tells his top generals they should fire on protesters. Last time, such orders were refused, but if he only appoints loyalists, they do what he asks. This triggers much bigger protests, with a fringe of antifa militants committing violence. Trump falsely blames the Democratic leadership and has them imprisoned. US democracy has been suspended.
Sounds crazy?
It sounded crazy that realty star and birther Donald Trump could start a campaign by calling Mexican immigrants a bunch of rapists, and get the nomination.
It sounded crazy that if Republicans nominated him, America could elect him.
It sounded crazy that a president could refuse to accept an obvious election loss.
It sounded crazy that the president would incite a mob attack on Congress and then praise the attackers.
It sounded inconceivably crazy that such a person could be nominated again, but here we are. All these things happened, each one crazier than the last.
Why would anyone think that Trump would not do crazier things if he is given the power?