The current second Trump administration: a compendium of horrors

Politics & Elections
1

Apologies for an extremely depressing post, but this is where we are, and by way of venting I tried to channel my frustration into a list of some of the worst things we can expect over the next four years. I’m sure it’s very incomplete, but it’s a start. Any thoughts about why any of this is wrong, or what can be done about it, are welcome.

At least some of the fascist proposals in Project 2025 will likely get enacted, further facilitated by Republican control of both the House and Senate. The combination of Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of both houses is going to be a powerful enabler of the worst and most extremist policies.

There’s far too much about Project 2025 to get into in this brief post, but you can read some of the key points here. One of the most worrisome in the long term is the idea of placing the entire federal bureaucracy under direct presidential control (the “unitary executive” theory) so that civil servants are replaced by political partisans. This would be like a cancer within the entire federal government that would be very difficult to excise. Additionally, abortion rights, LGBTQ rights, and minority rights will all be under threat.

Any hope of the Supreme Court becoming an impartial institution of justice in any foreseeable future is now over. It will just get more partisan and more extreme. There will also be a lot more right-wing judges appointed to lower courts. These effects will likely persist for a generation and possibly longer.

Ukraine is now in serious existential jeopardy. Its very existence is now in question. By the same token, Russia’s imperialist ambitions will be emboldened and its influence over other nearby regions will be much stronger. Elsewhere in the world, I don’t know what will happen in Gaza but it won’t be good. Two leaders who are absolutely delighted with Trump’s victory are Putin and Netanyahu.

The viability of NATO may also be in jeopardy.

Elon Musk, a raving white supremacist who is certifiably insane, is likely to have a major and influential role in the Trump administration.

RFK Jr, a believer in wild conspiracy theories, is likewise probably going to have a significant and malign influence on health policy.

Non-citizen immigrants will be targeted for deportation with little regard for their legal status. Those who are actually citizens will likely face institutionalized discrimination. As with the previous Trump administration, Customs and Border Protection will be emboldened to arbitrarily deny entry to anyone who even looks like they might be Muslim. I’m not making this up – this really happened many times during the previous Trump era.

I’m sure there’s lots more but that’s just off the top of my head. On a somewhat more minor level in the larger scheme of things, Trump will likely never be brought to justice for his litany of crimes.

2

I definitely understand the sentiment behind this, but I do wonder if it’ll serve any purpose besides getting everyone more upset and depressed. I mean, we’ve already discussed everything likely to come up in detail since Trump was nominated.

3

Maybe you’re right, but when bad things happen, enumerating the specifics is the only possible way of trying to deal with them. Just feeling a terrible unease about some unknown evil is never going to be productive. It’s also an opportunity for those better informed that I to say, no, this particular thing is probably not going to happen.

4

The Trump administration will be short. It’s when Elon Musk becomes the de facto head of state that we’re gonna have to worry.

5

Don’t forget about leaving the Paris climate accords, again.

6

Week one: expect a blanket pardon for everyone involved in the January 2020 insurrection. Not because Trump feels any principled gratitude for his supporters, of course. But because (a) allowing some of the worst people in the country to walk free is a great way to flip a finger at his opposition, (b) it’s the first step in building his brownshirt army, and (c) it includes himself by definition.

7

My goal now is to live till the next election, since the Orange One won’t be a candidate then, having had two terms.

This evening I went to a trivia contest and loved the name of one team. Tuck Frump

8

You and me both. I want to see the United States return to normalcy.

9

What makes you think he’ll stop at non-citizens? He has stated that he will expel people who are citizens from birth.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-vows-end-birthright-citizenship-children-immigrants-us-illegally-2023-05-30/

He will try to abolish free speech for anyone that doesn’t support him. He will MAKE all social media publish his posts, and forbid any criticism.

He will try to order the arrest of all his opponents. Any person involved with prosecuting or suing him will go to jail. Anyone accused of cheating in 2020 will be arrested.

10

My grandmother voted from 1928 to 2012. I’m pretty sure she voted Republican, as I recall the McCain/Palin sticker on her wheelchair. But I’m also sure that the rumbling I’m feeling is her turning over in her grave.

11

I assume that even this benighted Supreme Court would support the inviolable rights of natural-born and naturalized citizens, but then, I’ve made rational assumptions before that turned out wrong because I’ve underestimated the stupidity and extremism that permeates American politics. But those that would be at most immediate risk would be those in the US under TPS (Temporary Protected Status), like some Haitian and other refugees given residency on humanitarian grounds.
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12

Some of the worst people we know are about to be given real power. Vulnerable people are in real danger. The deficit will explode and the wealth of the rich will hit even greater levels. A Supreme Court with a Trump-appointed majority will stamp down progress until your grandchildren have grandchildren. Women will die in ever greater numbers from complications in pregnancy.

13

Contrary to my expectations, and fortunately for all of us, Trump did not launch any major military offensives in his first term. I wonder whether the temptation for him to do so will win out this time around.

14

Nah, not Musk. But Trump is not of sound mind, and getting worse all the time, so a successful impeachment, even by a Republican Congress, or the invocation of the 25th Amendment are distinct possibilities. That would leave Vance as president – a horrible proposition, to be sure, but at least AFAIK Vance is a far-right conservative “within normal parameters”, as the saying goes.

15

And who do you think Vance is gonna be taking orders from? His MO his entire life has been “find the biggest bully in the yard and kiss his ass”.

16

Read some history. When was the last time a fascist was voted out of office?

17

I mean, technically, 2020, but I see what you mean.

18

I feel like we’ve been invaded and captured by a hostile foreign power.

I am going to disengage totally from anything political.

My mind and body can only take so much. I am old and don’t have too many years left so I will try to just enjoy what I can. I don’t even know if I can survive this.

My heart goes out to young people who have to live through all of this for years.

19

The US has been my vacation destination for the last number of years. Maybe I need to explore my native Canada further. Never been to the Yukon, for example.

20

I’m not sure that’s true. Vance has expressed sympathy for the cryptomonarchist ideas of Curtis Yarwin, and the Christian nationalist ‘TheoBros’ who stand for such lovely policies as only allowing men to vote for the household, preferably in proportion to the number of children they have. Wisecrack breaks this down rather nicely, but I’d caution against viewing if you don’t want to compound the election trauma. Point being, I’m not at all convinced that ending up with Vance at the helm isn’t actually the worse of the horrifying vistas opening up right now.