A Left-Wing Trump?

For many people, the only way to endure the past year of "Trump 2.0" is the hope of finding another Trump—but from the progressive side. Before we dive into that, we must understand that we are currently in a lose-lose situation.

Trump has been breaking every tradition and norm since starting his second term. Take his remake of the federal government as an example: he has fired over 200,000 federal employees, abolished the Department of Education, and drastically expanded the power of ICE. Furthermore, "independent" agencies no longer exist; the President is seizing all power while removing almost every oversight and guardrail. Consequently, we are presented with two options if a Democrat takes the presidency in 2029.

The first option is to bring back traditions and norms. This would mean restoring checks and balances, respecting the law, no longer using Executive Orders (EOs) as de facto law, and allowing independent agencies to be autonomous again. The problem with this route is that everything Trump implemented would likely remain in place for at least the next 20 years. ICE would continue to be powerful, and the loyalists Trump installed in the government would remain, along with the majority of his policies. However, the "pro" of this route is that we would once again have a President instead of a King.

The second option is to have a "left-wing Trump." This type of leader would also disregard tradition and norms. He would govern by EO and would not be afraid of breaking the law to push his policies, moving fast and "breaking things" along the way. This leader would challenge established norms and replace all MAGA loyalists within the government. The advantage of this route is that we could effectively undo all of Trump’s policies and wipe out his influence. The "con," obviously, is that we would have another super-powerful President, and the system of checks and balances would be gone forever.

If we do not have a left-wing Trump, we cannot effectively abolish ICE or remove Trump’s loyalists. Therefore, Trump’s actions have put the country in a lose-lose situation. The federal government—especially the DOJ and FBI—should not serve as the President's private lawyers and agents. Furthermore, the President should not be able to abolish the Department of Education by EO. By doing so, Trump has effectively brought back the "spoils system" and de facto removed the protections of the Pendleton Act of 1883.

Ultimately, we are left with two choices. We can follow the old norms and attempt to limit presidential power again in 2029 (if the opposition wins), but we would have to live with Trump’s policies and a MAGA-influenced nation for decades. Alternatively, we can embrace a left-wing Trump who wipes out everything his predecessor did, but at the cost of accepting a permanently super-powered presidency and saying goodbye to a balanced, neutral federal government.