Opinion: Conservatives like me fear Trump will break through guardrails that restrained him last time

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

61% : President Biden has touted his judicial appointees as defenders of the rule of law, and in a recent ceremony, he boasted: "These judges also are a vital check on the excesses of -- of other branches of government, including Congress and the executive branch when they overreach and run afoul of the constitutional and institutional safeguards."
56% : Meanwhile, as Trump returns to power, he is now backed by a Republican Party reshaped in his image.
52% : By that logic, the slim possibility of Trump finding a way to remain in office beyond 2028 demands serious attention.
46% : Trump's proposed Cabinet picks underscore this shift: Kash Patel, who has openly outlined an enemies list in his book "Government Gangsters," is slated to head the FBI, while former "Fox News Weekend" co-host Pete Hegseth, a staunch ally, is poised to lead the Department of Defense.
43% : In 2025, Trump and his allies are better equipped to evade resistance.
39% : We shouldn't so easily take the bait when Trump trolls us, for example, by saying he wants to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America.
36% : Some, unable to stop Trump in the past, are now accommodating him.
14% : The actions of Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, whose rulings and maneuverings in the classified documents case appear to favor Trump, raise concerns about judicial impartiality.
10% : Settlements like ABC News' payment to resolve Trump-related defamation claims risk chilling critical reporting (host George Stephanopoulos erroneously said Trump was found liable for rape because he forced himself on writer E. Jean Carroll in a dressing room in 1996, but under New York law the term for Trump's offense is "sexual abuse").

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