NEWS FOR US. >> ALL RIGHT. >>> AS POLLS SHOW -- I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT -- DONALD TRUMP LEADING THE FIELD OF THE 2024 REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES. HIS POTENTIAL RADICAL PLANS FOR A SECOND TERM ARE COMING INTO CLEARER VIEW. ACCORDING TO "THE NEW YORK TIMES," TRUMP AND HIS ALLIES ARE PLANNING A, QUOTE, SWEEPING EXPANSION OF PRESIDENTIAL POWER, SHOULD THE FORMER PRESIDENT RETAKE THE WHITE HOUSE. THIS WOULD REPORTEDLY INCLUDE GIVING TRUMP THE POWER TO WITHHOLD FUNDS FROM ANY GOVERNMENT PROGRAM OR AGENCY THAT HE DOESN'T LIKE. INCLUDING THE FEDERAL TRADE AND FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSIONS. WITHIN THOSE AGENCIES, "THE TIMES" REPORTS, TRUMP INTENDS TO, QUOTE, STRIP EMPLOYMENT PROTECTIONS FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CAREER CIVIL SERVANTS, MAKING IT EASIER TO REPLACE THEM IF THEY ARE DEEMED OBSTACLES TO HIS AGENDA. AMONG TRUMP'S OTHER TOP TARGETS WOULD BE THE STATE DEPARTMENT, DEFENSE DEPARTMENT, AND INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES, TO REPLACE PEOPLE WHO HE HAS DEEMED PART OF THE, QUOTE, SICK POLITICAL CLASS THAT HATES OUR COUNTRY. ALL OF THIS WOULD BE DONE UNDER THE FRAMEWORK OF A DECADES OLD CONSERVATIVE LEGAL THEORY, WHICH REJECTS THE IDEA OF A THREE-BRANCH SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT AND THE FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPT OF CHECKS AND BALANCES. INSTEAD, ACCORDING TO "THE TIMES," SUPPORTERS OF THE THEORY ARGUE ARTICLE 2 OF THE CONSTITUTION GIVES THE PRESIDENT COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH SO CONGRESS CANNOT EMPOWER AGENCY HEADS TO MAKE DECISIONS OR RESTRICT THE PRESIDENT'S ABILITY TO FIRE THEM. IN A STATEMENT TO "THE TIMES," A TRUMP CAMPAIGN SPOKESPERSON DID NOT DENY THE PLANS, BUT INSTEAD SAID THE FORMER PRESIDENT HAS, QUOTE, LAID OUT A BOLD AND TRANSPARENT AGENDA FOR HIS SECOND TERM. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE VINTAGE TRUMP MOMENTS, JOE, WHERE HIS BASE WILL LOVE THIS IN SOME WAYS. >> WELL, THEY'LL LOVE IT, AS WE TALKED ABOUT LAST NIGHT, BECAUSE IT SUGGESTS THAT HE IS STRONG. AUTHORITARIANISM HAS SWEPT THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. IT USED TO BE SMALL GOVERNMENT. SMALL GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN REPLACED BY AUTHORITARIANISM. LOOK AT RON DeSANTIS TO SEE IF A BASEBALL TEAM TO A PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL TEAM TWEETS THEIR SYMPATHY FOR UVALDE, AND HE USES THE POWER OF THE CENTRAL STATE TO PUNISH THAT BASEBALL TEAM. IF WALT DISNEY TALKS, THE LARGEST EMPLOYER IN THE STATE, MIND YOU, DECIDES THEY'RE GOING TO CELEBRATE DIVERSITY, HE USES ALL THE POWERS OF THE CENTRALIZED STATE TO TRY TO BREAK CORPORATIONS, TO INTIMIDATE CORPORATIONS. IT'S AUTHORITARIANISM. EVEN CRUISE LINERS. AGAIN, THE BIGGEST INDUSTRIES IN THE STATE, RON DeSANTIS HAS LEARNED VERY WELL FROM DONALD TRUMP AND, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO FORCE CRUISE LINERS TO OPEN UP DURING THE PANDEMIC WITHOUT USING ANY SAFEGUARDS. HE DOES THE SAME WITH SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. THIS IS WHAT DONALD TRUMP IS TALKING ABOUT. YOU KNOW, MICHAEL BESCHLOSS, THIS IS WHAT ORBAN DOES IN HUNGARY. THIS IS WHAT WAS HAPPENING BEFORE THE WAR. THE IDEA WAS USE THE CENTRALIZED STATE TO CRUSH ANY DISSENT, WHETHER IT IS IN THE BUREAUCRACY, AS ANNE APPLEBAUM TALKED ABOUT, THE TWILIGHT OF DEMOCRACY, WHERE LOYALTY REPLACES COMPETENCE. WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IT IN THE MEDIA SPHERE, WHERE YOU INTIMIDATE AND GET RID OF MEDIA OPPONENTS. WHAT ABOUT, AGAIN, THE FCC, DONALD TRUMP HAVING THE SOLE POWER TO DECIDE WHETHER THIS NETWORK OR OTHER NETWORKS HE DOESN'T LIKE ACTUALLY ARE ON THE AIR OR NOT? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE. TALK ABOUT THE DANGER, THE LEVEL OF DANGER TO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY. >> WELL, IF YOU LOVE MUSSOLINI, YOU WILL LOVE WHAT DONALD TRUMP IS TALKING ABOUT FOR 2025. MUSSOLINI FOLLOWED THE UNITARIAN EXECUTIVE THEORY, TOO, WHICH MEANT TOTAL POWER TO THE DICTATOR, NO CONSTRAINTS. THIS IS ABOUT AS UN-AMERICAN, I THINK YOU WILL ALL AGREE, AS ANYTHING I'VE EVER HEARD. I MEAN, THE REASON WHY THIS COUNTRY WAS FOUNDED WAS AS A REBUKE TO THE BRITISH KING. WE WANTED TO DEVELOP A SYSTEM WHERE YOU COULD NOT HAVE A KING, YOU COULD NOT HAVE A DICTATOR. POWER WAS UNDER CONSTRAINT. WHEN YOU WERE IN TUSCALOOSA, JOE, I'M SURE YOU TALKED ABOUT, AS I HAVE EVER SINCE, THE FACT THAT THERE ARE CHECKS AND BALANCES, THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT. THAT'S ALL JAMES MADISON WHO USED TO BE A CONSERVATIVE HERO. NOW COMES ALONG DONALD TRUMP, THE FIRST MAJOR CANDIDATE IN AMERICAN HISTORY TO SAY OUTRIGHT, "I WANT A PRESIDENTIAL DICTATORSHIP." I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING THAT'S MORE OUT OF THE AMERICAN TRADITION. >> AND IT REALLY IS, WILLIE. IT'S FROM MADISON, WHO WAS A CONSERVATIVE HERO FOR GENERATIONS. FROM MADISON TO MUSSOLINI, ALL THE POWER AND THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH, THE POWER TO SHUT DOWN TV STATIONS, THE POWER TO PREFER CERTAIN
