Among those being mentioned for Trump’s secretary of defense are Christopher Miller, who served temporarily during his administration, Michael Flynn and Mike Pompeo.

Donald Trump is sparking fears among those who understand the inner workings of the Pentagon that he would convert the nonpartisan U.S. military into the muscular arm of his political agenda as he makes comments about dictatorship and devalues the checks and balances that underpin the nation’s two-century-old democracy.

A circle of appointees independent of Trump’s political operation steered him away from ideas that would have pushed the limits of presidential power in his last term, according to books they’ve written and testimony given to Congress. Most were gone by the end. In a new term, many former officials worry that Trump would instead surround himself with loyalists unwilling to say no.

Trump has raised fresh questions about his intentions if he regains power by putting forward a legal theory that a president would be free to do nearly anything with impunity — including assassinate political rivals — so long as Congress can’t muster the votes to impeach him and throw him out of office.

  • HuddaBudda
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    -711 months ago

    I feel like there is this small prevailing logic that is circling about that uses Trump as a hammer against the current system.

    AKA Anarchy.

    If you can’t fix the system, can’t outvote the system, and companies keep lobbying to break the system in their favor. Why not use trump like a battering ram against that system?

    I fear this kind of logic circling about, but it is already a logic that has already won out in many Republican circles

    The more time that Biden delays things that he promised, and continues to use American bombs against civilians, the more that logic is going to catch on with Democrats too.

    • @Sanctus
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      1011 months ago

      Trump is not a bowling ball in a glass house. He is a Balrog in Moria. He will perch himself in the captial and never leave if he is there again. The doors to your Anarchy will not open, and the gates to Trump’s kingdom are locked with barbed wire.

      • HuddaBudda
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        -1111 months ago

        And Biden is letting Israel commit terrible atrocities. How do I defend this? When my choices are Authoritarianism vs Genocide

        You spend months defending Biden from Trump, and the only ammo they give you is that trump could be worse and now your tax dollars are going to kill babies.

        No minimum wage increase, no student loan forgiveness, no maternity leave, hell democrats are reneging on positions of progressiveness. And instead of ALL THAT, we are ruining our national image bombing kids in Gaza.

        So yes, there is a bit of evil logic that is going about and wondering if you should be the one to stand between a lawful evil vs. chaotic evil fight.

        • @Sanctus
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          711 months ago

          Those are not your choices. There is not a single incumbent or candidate that would protect Gaza’s citizens from this genocide. Look up who supports palestine in this conflict. It is not cabinent members, or congressional seats, but the very workers in the white house and Biden’s campaign speaking out. The affluent and powerful seem unable to see and/or recognize this for what it is. They refuse. Republicans would do no different. Every self-proclaimed Christian with a voter base would happily bomb Bethlehem right now. This is going to require more protesting than Vietnam did. If we want it to stop, we’ll have to force the hand that holds the pen. If you’re interested I suggest looking in your local area for protest groups.

        • fadingembers
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          411 months ago

          As an LGBT person I’d very much like the candidate that isn’t going to send me to detention camps please