These Washington Post columnists give us their biggest worry about the second term of Donald Trump:
David Ignatius
In the four years that lie ahead, Trump might try to force military and intelligence officers to choose between that sacred oath to the Constitution and personal loyalty to him.Ruth Marcus
I’m most worried that this country is not what I thought it was, but someplace much more cruel and nasty and selfish, both in its attitude toward our fellow Americans and in its conception of America’s place in the world.Perry Bacon Jr.
I’m morally opposed to removing hundreds of thousands or even millions of people from the country. I also have a hard time seeing how that policy could be carried out in a way that isn’t violent and perhaps deadly, even for the people with legal status.Ramesh Ponnuru
What ought to concern us most is the continued decay and derangement of our political culture and institutions. We are awash in conspiracy theories. Trump is responsible for spreading a lot of them.Matt Bai
I’m most worried about the rise of a new kind of nationalism that defines people as less American based on where they’re from or what they wear or whom they love.Megan McArdle
Trump has no respect for institutional guardrails, and he will try to tear them down wherever he can. I believe in America so deeply that I think our institutions will ultimately hold, as they did during his last term. But I think they might be badly damaged in the process.Eugene Robinson
I’m most worried about what Trump will do on the world stage, the area in which presidents have largely unfettered authority. I worry he will damage our most vital alliances, weaken our ties with Europe and our Asian allies — and throw Ukraine and Taiwan to the wolves. I worry he will seek to reverse the global transition to clean energy. I worry about his failure to appreciate how we should forge closer economic and strategic ties with our neighbors, Canada and Mexico, rather than wall them off. I worry his approach to diplomacy will be entirely transactional and that the United States will no longer stand tall for freedom and democracy.E.J. Dionne Jr.I am deeply concerned that Trump will keep his promises to order mass roundups of immigrants, take criminal action against his political opponents, restrict freedoms of the press and expression, and concentrate power in his own hands.Jim GeraghtyTrump will be angrier, crankier, and even more erratic, vengeful and aggrieved, ranting and raving on social media and in front of any microphone. The lesson Trump will surely take from Election Day 2024 will be that he’s right about everything, his critics never had a valid point, and he needs to be less easygoing, conciliatory and humble than last time.Theodore R. Johnson
My biggest concern for a second Trump administration is that MAGA’s nativism and rank nationalism will grow legs and find multiracial appeal.Dana Milbank
Trump’s second term will almost certainly mean victory for Russia in Ukraine as the incoming administration abandons that American ally. León KrauzeTrump made punitive immigration policies a centerpiece of his campaign. In his speeches, he regularly threatened to deport millions of people. By invoking the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act, he could target both documented and undocumented immigrants.Karen Tumulty
What is most dispiriting is to learn that we live in a country that cares so little about decency, about mutual respect, about regard for law and norms, about truth itself. Slightly more than half of us would prefer Trump’s gale-force bluster to sober democratic processes.
