How Trump could override the '5 practical checks' on presidential power and 'end the republic' for good

29 November 2023

One of the things that infuriated Donald Trump during his four years in the White House was the pushback he received from some of the conservative Republicans in his administration, including former Defense Secretary James Mattis, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and former National Security Adviser John Bolton. During the lame duck period of late 2020 and early 2021, even then-Vice President Mike Pence and then-U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr resisted his efforts to overturn the presidential election results.

But with Project 2025, according to reporting in the New York Times and the Washington Post, Trump and his allies have a game plan for making sure that only devout, unquestioning loyalists would serve in a second Trump Administration.

In an in-depth essay published on November 29, The New Republic's Matt Ford lays out a variety of reasons why the United States' system of checks and balances likely wouldn't hold up during a second Trump Administration — and Trump might be able to "end the republic."

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"Combined with his threats to use the Justice Department to round up leading Democrats," Ford warns, "Trump is telegraphing his plans to govern as a dictator. What could stop him if he wanted to do so? There are five practical checks on any presidency."

Ford continues, "The first is the executive branch itself….. Another potential check on Trump's second term would be Congress….. The third and most imposing check on any president is the courts…. Fourth, Americans could save everyone a lot of trouble by simply not electing Donald Trump to the presidency in 2024…. Finally, there is the 22nd Amendment. Since its ratification in 1951, all presidents have been limited to two full terms in office."

But Trump and his allies' plans to fill the federal government with nothing but loyalists, according to Ford, could seriously undermine all of those checks and balances.

"For all of his rants against the 'Deep State' during his first term," Ford explains, "Trump seemed to tolerate a certain amount of insubordination — perhaps accepting that his instructions should be taken seriously instead of literally. His second term could be vastly different, however. Trumpworld is devoting tremendous resources to reshaping the executive branch in Trump's image."

The journalist continues, "One prong of this strategy involves ideologically pre-screening political appointees for MAGA loyalty. This makes it unlikely that, for example, the FBI and the Justice Department would maintain their post-Watergate independence from the White House."

Some of Trump's critics have argued that he is "too dumb" or too much of a buffoon to become a dictator, including conservative New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. But Ford argues that Trump's threats should not be taken lightly.

Ford writes, "This is a man who has promised to govern like a dictator instead of a democratically elected president if given the opportunity…. If a presidential candidate is telling you that he wants to end the republic, believe him."

Read Matt Ford's full essay for The New Republic at this link.

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