'High risk': Experts track Trump world’s 'over 250 promises' to end democracy
Former President Donald Trump has not minced words when it comes to his plans for a potential second term — from declaring he'd proudly reign as a dictator, to promising revenge on everyone who has attempted to hold him accountable as he faces 91 criminal charges.
In a Thursday, February 29 op-ed for MSNBC, former US Ambassador to the Czech Republic and Brooking Institution fellow Norman Eisen and former federal prosecutor Andrew Warren point out the ex-president and his allies have made more than 250 threats to end democracy.
Eisen and Warren write:
So far we have documented over 250 promises and plans from Trump, his staff and associated groups that threaten democracy: from attacking the free press to praising authoritarian leaders to promising to purge federal employees. His penchant for spreading disinformation and baseless conspiracies is another red flag. So is his embrace of Christian nationalism and his condoning of antisemitism. Recently, and infamously, he even said he would be a dictator on 'day one.'
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The pair also raise the question, "What else can his declaration of dictatorship on these issues imply but an intent to avoid the constitutional requirement that Congress makes the laws and the president executes them?"
To emphasize their point, Eisen and Warren note that although the MAGA hopeful has "claimed he has the power to pardon himself and that he is entitled to full immunity from prosecution," and even "hinted at executing a high-ranking general who crossed him" — perhaps, "Trump’s scariest rhetoric, however, relates to how he continually demonizes Americans with whom he disagrees. He has called those who don’t support him 'demonic forces.' Echoing fascist dictators like Hitler and Mussolini, Trump has labeled those who oppose him as 'vermin' and has vowed to root them out."
The writers emphasized, "This is not politics as usual, harmless humor or careless hyperbole."
A more comprehensive breakdown of Trump's anti-democratic rhetoric and threat are compiled in Eisen and Warren's American Autocracy Threat Tracker, which they note "will continue to be updated in real time." They add, "As attorneys and analysts who have fought autocratic initiatives by Trump or his imitators, we have concluded that if Trump returns to office there is a high risk of America’s falling into autocracy."
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Read Eisen and Warren's full op-ed here.
