The horror of a Republican presidency in 2025
“He is who he is. You cannot leave a man like that in office. You know it’s not going to stop. It’s not going to stop unless the Congress does something about it.” Rep. Adam Schiff, House impeachment manager
“Today, we face the greatest danger we have ever faced. The militant left has now seized control of our economy, our culture, and our country. When you turn on the news at night, do you recognize the country you see? Are you worried about your family? Are you worried for your freedoms?” US senator William Scott, Florida
I’m sure you thought his first term was terrible. It was. A second one would be far, far worse. And worse yet, it doesn’t matter much who runs; the next Republican presidency is going to be a catastrophe.
The old Republican party that from Eisenhower through Bush 41 stood for strong national defense, International involvement to confront Russian adventurism, opposition to totalitarian regimes, limited government, free enterprise, and fiscal restraint is long gone and will never be back. Even the Reagan party of “government is always the problem,” opportunity and growth, and hard core anti-communism is a distant memory. Every incumbent Republican president and presidential nominee except Trump would be booed off the stage at the Republican National Convention.
How would a second term be worse? First, he knows who will do his bidding from Day 1. There will be no false starts with Jim Mattis in Defense or John Kelly as chief of staff. We’re truly dealing with Michael Flynn returning as national security advisor. Peter Navarro, Treasury. Bernie Kerik, FBI. Doug Mastriano, Attorney General. Ken Cuccinelli, Homeland Security. Matt Gaetz, DNI. And do you think there are no MAGA four star generals to turn the Joint Chiefs of Staff into another MAGA tool?
The congressional Republicans would be even more supine from inauguration day onward. There would be no Liz Cheney, no dramatic John McCain “thumbs down.” Just a chorus of MAGA voices.
In a second term, there won’t be much actual policy, but we can count on an end to support for Ukraine and the rapid end of NATO; an end to climate change spending and dismissal of any climate change advocates in federal agencies; more erosion of voting rights; return of Muslim bans; and destruction of the civil service through instituting the Schedule F that it took Trump’s whole first term to develop.
We can also count on revenge. Multiple impeachments (Biden, Harris, Garland, Fauci, Buttigieg for starters) and political show trials (all of the above plus January 6 committee members, Hunter Biden, Gretchen Whitmer, local prosecutors, and many others). What would be the grounds?, you ask. Doesn’t matter.
So, there actually appears to be some possibility that the 2024 nominee won’t be named Trump but that hardly seems to make a difference. His two most formidable potential challengers appear to be Florida governor Ron DeSantis whose high priority policy initiatives appear to be retaliating against corporations and people who anger him; making it harder to vote; lashing out about gays; and destroying public education. His view of limited government includes firing prosecutors for not enforcing laws that aren’t on the books.
Governor Abbott’s governing philosophy seems to be to make Texas as vulnerable as possible to natural disasters and school shooters and to make life return to a pre-Colombian hunter gatherer civilization. He threatened to take trans kids from parents, advocates even more guns in the state with the most guns AND school shootings. He’s done nothing to improve a fragile power system that has failed repeatedly and promotes conspiracy theories about military war games.
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This series is written to promote political discussion and organizing. Permission is given to use this in fact sheets, talking points, letters to the editor, etc. We’d appreciate if you notified Gettysburg DFA (leonsreed@gmail.com) of any uses. Written by Leon Reed.
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