New York Times: “Mr. Trump has already sought to undermine the independence of the justice system. During his first term, he demanded personal loyalty from officials across the executive branch and fired those who resisted his demands.”
“Now he returns to the White House with the knowledge of how the system restricted his impulses and with a roster of officials more willing to help him circumvent longstanding norms.”
“The last time he took office, a culture of resistance emerged from corners that included Democrats, the federal government’s civil servants and even some of his own appointees. This time, he is unlikely to elevate people willing to speak against him. His circle of influential allies now includes men like Senator JD Vance of Ohio, the vice president-elect; the tech billionaire Elon Musk; and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the conspiracy theorist who has long cast doubt on the established science of vaccines.”
“Mr. Trump will be a president who has already whipped up political violence and who promised to use the United States military against his domestic opponents, a prospect that may chill public resistance to his boundary-breaking ambitions.”
