Less than two months out from the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses, former President Donald Trump seems well on his way to securing a third consecutive Republican nomination for president.

And, with public polling increasingly showing Trump leading President Biden — including by 6 points (53 percent to 47 percent) per a recent Messenger/Harris X poll — the question of what a second Trump term would look like must be seriously considered, especially in light of recent comments that have sparked fears about what another four years of a Trump presidency would mean for our country, and indeed, our democracy.

Asked by Sean Hannity whether he promises voters that he “would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” Trump responded — and repeated — “Except for day one,” and the former president has made no secret that he would attempt to exact “retribution” on his political enemies.

To be clear, those words are deeply troubling when said by the leading candidate for president of the United States of America. And while some are understandably concerned over that language, the political impact of Trump’s return to the Oval Office is just as important to examine.

Aside from using the power of the presidency to punish his opponents, a second Trump term would almost certainly see hardline immigration policies, a drastic increase in military spending while at the same time a reduction of America’s military commitments abroad, another round of tax cuts, incentives to reshore manufacturing jobs — ironically, a policy he shares with Biden — and a........

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