Could a second Trump term be worse than the first? Absolutely, according to New York Times Maggie Haberman, also known as the Trump Whisperer. Haberman hit the alarm over a second Trump win while sitting with CNN's Kaitlan Collins. Haberman said he would try for a "pretty radical agenda," then said, "If you want to know more about how this will destroy the United States, buy my new book!"
The two discussed Haberman's reporting titled, "If Trump Wins, His Allies Want Lawyers Who Will Bless a More Radical Agenda."
Haberman said that Trump would win the GOP nomination for President and that he could also be victorious in winning his second term.
"And your latest reporting, all of this fits into this bigger picture, of — and I should note, Donald Trump is also going to be on the stand — this bigger picture of a second Trump term, and what that's going to look like," Collins said. "And I do think that's not something that's talked about enough."
"Because, right now, it's so clear that Trump is going to be the nominee," she said. "We don't know for sure. Of course, anything could happen. But right now, if it was tomorrow, he would be.
"And the idea of him potentially having another term, he would kind of just be unrestrained. What's your reporting on what that would look like?" she continued.
"Yes. I mean, so look, you are correct that elections aren't over until they're over. But, at the moment, he has an overwhelming lead in the national polling," Haberman said. "And even in Iowa, he is well ahead. And in all the early States, he's well ahead."
"And so, there's reason to look at what a second administration would look like. My colleagues, Jonathan Swan and Charlie Savage, and I have been trying to do just that," she continued while holding up her latest book in the background.
"And we focus, this week, on a piece about efforts by two key Trump allies, Stephen Miller and Johnny McEntee. Stephen Miller, his policy adviser, I think, is probably very known to this audience; Johnny McEntee, less so," she said. "He took over to the personnel office, in 2020, with a mandate to purge the government of people, who were seen as opposed to Trump, or trying to stop his agenda."
"They are trying to find lawyers who could staff a second Trump administration, lawyers who would fill agencies, not just White House Counsel," she said. "Lawyers who would find ways to get him to "Yes," on the kinds of policies that he wants to enact. And he has actually laid out several of them on his campaign website in some detail. It's a pretty radical agenda."
"And it would be so notable because lawyers defined the first four years of Trump, to a degree," Collins added. Because they were kind of the seat belts if you want to put it that way.
"The guardrails phrase gets used a lot," Haberman said. "Look, lawyers, very conservative lawyers, many of them."
"Incredibly conservative," Collins said.
"Correct, were telling — were saying "No," on things that Trump wanted to push through, particularly on matters related to immigration," Haberman said. "I mean, that's always going to be a big driver with Trump."
"And so, you are now seeing a push, to try to get lawyers, who will not raise those kinds of objections, who will try to find ways that he can accomplish what he wants," she added. "And we'll see what that looks like if he becomes President again."
As the credits started splattering the screen, Haberman could be seen being assisted from the studio by two gentlemen as she held up a sign reading, "BUY MY BOOK!"
Let it go, Maggie. Geez.
