With Trump as the Republican frontrunner, people are beginning to speculate what a second Trump term would look like and what it might mean for America’s future.
Note: Some quotes in this piece have been lightly edited for grammar.
Fast-Paced
Trump gaining a second term is a divisive topic, but one thing most commenters agreed upon is that things would happen faster. As one person put it, “Trump wasn’t ready to win when he won last time, and he was slow out of the gate.” This time, many think he’d take quick action.
Revenge Tour
Trump’s actions might be swift, but whether or not they would help the US remains to be determined. Some thought he would focus solely on his enemies. “If Trump wins, there will be no government work completed. It will be nothing but 4 years of revenge on his supposed enemies,” one commenter predicted.
Foreign Policy Problems
Others worried that Trump’s foreign policy would be the biggest issue. One commenter listed a series of worldwide repercussions, stating, “The loss of NATO. Middle-East multination regional war resulting in Israeli nuclear strikes on Iran. Russia retakes Eastern Europe. China retakes Taiwan.”
Judicial Worries
A few people were more afraid of Trump changing the court system. As one person said, Trump might “dismantle the DOJ, install some more wacky judges, and maybe even a few more choice picks for the Supreme Court.”
SCOTUS Changes
Others noted that several older justices would be nearing or at retirement by the end of Trump’s second term, making it likely that the Supreme Court would drift further right. “6-3 scotus could easily become a 7-2 scotus, and the older conservative justices would’ve probably retired and been replaced by younger ones,” one person said.
Tax Cuts
A few commenters thought Trump would attempt to undo what Biden has done. One person said he would “probably pass more tax cuts again to ‘help Americans deal with the Bidenflation.’ [And send] extra military funding for Israel, no new funding for Ukraine.”
IRS Scale Back
Many also thought Trump would change the IRS. One person noted that he would likely repeal the additional funding for the IRS that Biden has approved and would likely scale back the IRS overall.
Doomsayers
Many people admitted that they feared a second Trump term would be the end of democracy. As one person said, a Trump win in 2024 would mean “the end of democracy for all Americans and the installation of a dictatorship.”
No Way
Several commenters pushed back on the idea of a dictatorship, though. As one person put it, “He may not feel constrained by term limits, but he hasn’t shown any actual ability to break US institutions to stay in power. I don’t think Trump will be able to bring about an end to American democracy.”
Military Support
Another noted that for Trump to install himself as a dictator, he would need a lot of cooperation. One great aspect of American democracy is that a coup is hard to enact. “He doesn’t have the support of the military and intelligence agencies,” they said. “He’ll need those to install himself as dictator.”
Too Lazy
A few other people said the idea of Trump becoming a dictator or even doing much damage to the American system gave him too much credit. As one person put it, “A second Trump term would look a lot like the first. Not a lot would get done because he’s too lazy to actually do anything.”
World Peace
On the other side of the argument, Trump supporters thought a 2024 win could bring about a better world. “He will negotiate an end to the Russia/ Ukranian war in the first month. He will support Israel in ending Hamas and build on the Abraham Accords. He will work with Congress to balance the budget and reduce the deficit and debt. [And,] he will pick a VP who can win in 2028 and sustain his accomplishments,” said one.
Better Than Biden
Another supporter said, “The world would be a much safer place. Just look at the terrorist attack in Israel. They reportedly started planning it ‘2 years ago,’ which would have been shortly after Trump left office and around the time of Biden’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.”
Liberal Freakout
A few people said the only problem they saw with a Trump win was the general reaction amongst Democrats. “Other than the Liberals/media making it seem like the world is ending, everything would be fine,” one person said.
Nothing Really Changes
Others thought Trump’s winning wouldn’t change anything in terms of politics, but it might divide the public further. “Honestly, I think we’d be in the same situation, just more distracted by Trump’s presence and divided because of his presidency,” said one commenter.
Source: Reddit.
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