Trumps Hostility to Democracy

Donald Trump has shown more hostility to American democracy than any other president in the country’s history.He tried to overturn an election result.

He celebrates political violence.The list goes on, and it is familiar by now.A central question about a second Trump term is how this hostility might manifest itself.

The country’s political system survived his first term, after all, and many Americans understandably wonder how much different a second term would be.It really could be different.Trump is now far better positioned to accomplish his goals, as my colleagues Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Jonathan Swan have explained in a series of stories.His aides are vetting job candidates for loyalty, trying to exclude establishment Republicans who might resist his wishes.

Both Congress and the judiciary would likely be friendlier to him than they were eight years ago.In today’s newsletter, I want to help you understand the main ways that Trump could undermine democratic traditions.Along the way, I’ll point to Times coverage from the past two years.

I will also address some objections that I expect some readers to have.The dangersThere are at least six major ways Trump could weaken American democracy:1.Prosecute critics.

Trump has promised to use the Justice Department to punish his political opponents if he is president again, including with “long term prison sentences,” as he wrote online.Presidents have traditionally not inserted themselves into criminal cases.But that has been a choice; a president has the power to issue orders to the Justice Department.

In his first term, Trump demanded investigations of at least 10 people, sometimes damaging their lives, as my colleague Michael Schmidt has documented.Trump could order more investigations in a second term, given his staffing plans.

(This graphic lays out how Trump could seek to jail his political opponents.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your...