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David Frum, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush and current writer for The Atlantic, has shared a grim perspective on the future of the United States in light of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2024 victory. In his piece, Frum argues that Trump’s return to the presidency signals an irreversible shift, transforming the country into “a different kind of country” as it veers away from foundational democratic values.
Reflecting on the implications of Trump’s win, Frum expresses concern that the United States is now a place where “millions of our fellow citizens voted for a president who knowingly promotes hatred and division.” This, he explains, represents a significant departure from the ideals many Americans believe their country embodies.
Trump, Frum contends, does not simply stretch the truth but “lies—blatantly, shamelessly—every time he appears in public.” Frum believes these deliberate falsehoods undermine the nation’s moral fabric and reveal deep-rooted divisions among citizens, impacting the country’s future profoundly. Frum also revisits Trump’s role in contesting the 2020 election results and warns of his willingness to employ similar tactics again, should his grip on power be challenged.
Trump’s controversial attempts to overturn his 2020 loss, Frum suggests, foreshadow more dangerous moves if he faces significant opposition during his next term. “We must learn to live in an America,” Frum writes, “where an overwhelming number of our fellow citizens have chosen a president who holds the most fundamental values and traditions of our democracy, our Constitution, even our military in contempt.”
In this transformed America, Frum argues, the principles and institutions that once helped to secure democracy are at risk of being systematically eroded. One of Frum’s major concerns is Trump’s anticipated overhaul of the American civil service, which he says would replace experienced officials with “hardcore loyalists” ready to comply with Trump’s every order, no matter how extreme or legally dubious.
Frum anticipates that this reshaping of federal agencies will lead to “a massive shift in the country’s bureaucratic culture,” allowing Trump-connected individuals and companies to benefit at the expense of American citizens. He argues that such changes would render regulatory bodies ineffective in safeguarding the public from environmental hazards and unsafe products, warning that “American skies will become more polluted, American food more dangerous.”
Drawing parallels with autocratic populist regimes in Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela, Frum emphasizes that these countries have seen their leaders weaken accountability and transparency, which in turn consolidates power and wealth among allies. Frum warns that this could become a reality in the United States, saying, “As loyalists take over regulatory agencies, filling not only political but also former civil-service jobs…
Trump-connected companies will prosper, even as America becomes less safe for consumers, for workers, for children, for all of us.” Ultimately, Frum’s message is a sobering one. He believes that Trump’s victory marks a departure from the democratic values the United States has championed for centuries. As Americans face this new reality, Frum argues, they must brace for a future in which regulatory protections are weakened, government institutions become tools of enrichment for loyalists, and core democratic values are at risk.
His words underscore a broader debate on whether the country’s institutions and public values can withstand the pressures that come with Trump’s second presidency—or if, as Frum fears, this victory signals a permanent shift in the nation’s identity.
