In the worst case scenario, all of the checks and balances in the system are no match for all of Trump’s worst characteristics: his thin skin; short attention span; authoritarian temperament; lack of interest in policy details; and neo-mercantilist ideas. The disasters that follow fall into three groups:
1. No nukes is good nukes: Threats to use nuclear weapons become a routine part of the Trump diplomatic arsenal. When opponents refuse to back down, he is forced to follow through in order to maintain any kind of credibility. As a result, the notion of a nuclear attack on our country is no longer unthinkable. Likely victims: North Korea and Iran.
2. The Great Recession, Part Deux: Trump opts for the “Trade Warrior” economic scenario, with predictably appalling results. The Fed jacks up interest rates; the dollar rises; exports and the housing market collapse; supply chains are disrupted; and the country falls into a recession. To make matters worse, the GOP, as a result of its opposition to the Obama stimulus, is intellectually obligated to resort to Hoover-era remedies to the recession, which makes matters even worse. Stagflation reigns.
3. Ve have vays of making you talk: Unable to deal with failure, Trump doubles down by wrapping himself in the flag and ignoring the Constitution. Using his Twitter account, he encourages his reactionary friends to harass and beat up his adversaries. There is discussion about declaring martial law. New forms of surveillance and interrogation are put into wide use, and the administration misuses its regulatory powers to stifle opposition. The GOP leaders in Congress, of course, do nothing to stop this, because, after all, he gave them their big regressive tax cut, and the fate of the country is small potatoes compared to that.