I have lived in a democracy taken by a leader similar to Donald Trump. Keep that in mind while you consider my opinion.
Democracies carry the toolkit of their own destruction. Populism and demagogy align emotional voters with the leader’s hidden personal project. This has been true since the peculiar political system was first worked out by the ancient Greeks. Populism and demagogy brought down their republic.
It is amazing how quick and slick the takeover is in this modern time of media and tracking and hacking and big data. The first thing you will see when Trump takes office is the deal with Congress. Paul Ryan signaled this in his endorsement statement. Trump will sign what they send him and they will approve his appointments.
Trump does not really care about anything but power, so it’s an easy deal for him. Soon, after internal purges, every armed and coercive branch of the government, reaching far into lower levels, will be people personally loyal to him. IRS, FBI, FCC, ATF and dozens you never heard of. Armed and coercive. Every administrative, investigative and licensing branch too. Trump has already said he would use the FCC and expanded libel laws to control the media.
Trump will have intimate information on every person of his interest, for blackmail or friendly persuasion or harassment or ruin. Every judge, congressman, governor, public servant and private citizen. It will be a very personalized Presidency. You don’t know what it’s like, when a shout and a pointing finger on TV can turn whole bureaucracies and authority upon you. If you spout that ignorant nonsense about lawless imperial Obama, you should have your mouth washed out with soap. You just don’t know the wonders of the authoritarian state.
Meanwhile, the radical agenda coming from Congress will provoke unrest, and armed repression with Trump’s loud intemperate words for background. Take it from there. Insurrectionist groups are widespread now. I think Trump is far more likely than Clinton or Sanders to impose heavy restrictions on guns. It will not be pretty. He is the Authoritarian; any pretext to gain power.
Trump is a threat to the Bill of Rights, the separation of powers, and internal order and security. And we have not even mentioned this mercurial narcissist vamping on our economy and international relations.
My audience is small. Preaching to the choir. Maybe you have a thinking Republican friend or family member who should see this. Though I must tell you, my foreign friends are appalled and amazed that such a creature could be the candidate for a major US party. “How can Americans be so stupid?”