The Danger Ahead
By David Frum
If Donald Trump returns to the White House, he’d bring a better understanding of the system’s vulnerabilities, more willing enablers, and a more focused agenda of retaliation against his adversaries.
If Trump Wins
For The Atlantic’s January/February 2024 issue, 24 contributors consider what Donald Trump could do if he were to return to the White House.
A Warning
By Jeffrey Goldberg
America survived the first Trump term, though not without sustaining serious damage. A second term, if there is one, will be much worse.
Editor’s Note
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On autocracy ![]()
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On nato ![]()
Trump Will Abandon NATO
By Anne Applebaum
If reelected, he would end our commitment to the European alliance, reshaping the international order and hobbling American influence in the world.
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On the loyalists ![]()
Loyalists, Lapdogs, and Cronies
By McKay Coppins
In a second Trump term, there would be no adults in the room.
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On immigration ![]()
The Specter of Family Separation
By Caitlin Dickerson
Donald Trump and his allies have promised to restore their draconian zero-tolerance immigration policy.
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On the justice department ![]()
How Trump Gets Away With It
By Barton Gellman
If reelected, he could use the powers of the presidency to evade justice and punish his enemies.
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On misogyny ![]()
Four More Years of Unchecked Misogyny
By Sophie Gilbert
In a second Trump term, women would once again be targets.
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On climate ![]()
The Climate Can’t Afford Another Trump Presidency
By Zoë Schlanger
His approach to the environment: ignore it.
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On journalism ![]()
Is Journalism Ready?
By George Packer
The press has repeatedly fallen into Donald Trump’s traps. A second term could render it irrelevant.
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On science ![]()
Trump’s Polarization of Science is Bad for Everyone
By Sarah Zhang
A reelected Donald Trump would continue to attack studies that stand in the way of his agenda—and to make support for scientific inquiry a tribal belief.
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On corruption ![]()
Corruption Unbound
By Franklin Foer
Donald Trump and his cronies left his first administration with a playbook for self-enrichment in a second term.
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On china ![]()
Why Xi Wants Trump to Win
By Michael Schuman
A second Trump term would allow China to cement its grip on the developing world.
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On the courts ![]()
A MAGA Judiciary
By Adam Serwer
In a second term, Donald Trump would appoint more judges who don’t care about the law.
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On extremism ![]()
The Proud Boys Love a Winner
By Juliette Kayyem
A second Trump term would validate the violent ideologies of far-right extremists—and allow them to escape legal jeopardy.
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On abortion ![]()
A Plan to Outlaw Abortion Everywhere
By Elaine Godfrey
Activists hope a Trump Justice Department would criminalize the procedure, with or without a federal ban.
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On disinformation ![]()
The Truth Won’t Matter
By Megan Garber
If reelected, Donald Trump will once again churn out absurdity and outrage with factory efficiency.
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On history ![]()
Donald Trump vs. American History
By Clint Smith
He has promised to impose his harmful, erroneous claims on school curricula in a second term.
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On partisanship ![]()
A War on Blue America
By Ronald Brownstein
In a second term, Trump would punish the cities and states that don’t support him.
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On normalization ![]()
Trump Isn’t Bluffing
By David A. Graham
We’ve become inured to his rhetoric, but his message has grown darker.
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On civil rights ![]()
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On freedom ![]()
Trump’s Plan to Police Gender
By Spencer Kornhaber
His campaign is promising a more repressive and dangerous America.
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On the military ![]()
A Military Loyal to Trump
By Tom Nichols
In 2020, the armed forces were a bulwark against Donald Trump’s antidemocratic designs. Changing that would be a high priority in a second term.
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On the left ![]()
The Left Can’t Afford to Go Mad
By Helen Lewis
A second Trump term would require an opposition that focuses on his abuses of power—and seeks converts rather than hunting heretics.
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On anxiety ![]()
What Will Happen to the American Psyche if Trump is Reelected?
By Jennifer Senior
Our bodies are not designed to handle chronic stress.
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On america's character ![]()
Trump Voters are America Too
By Mark Leibovich
If he wins a second term, perhaps we’ll finally dispense with the myth that “this is not who we are.”
