In a new article for The Bulwark, conservative writer William Kristol hypothesized how Donald Trump's late attorney and fixer, Roy Cohn, has guided the president from beyond the grave and helped him tally a spate of achievements in the White House.
Of the "big, beautiful bill" that finally landed on his desk after months of posturing, Kristol imagined Trump thinking, "The key is the $170 billion for the internal police. I saw early on—maybe it was the ghost of Roy Cohn whispering in my ear—that 'mass deportation' was the path to seizing and consolidating power."
The hypothetical Trump continued, "So, yeah, the mass deportations have started, and they’re not going to stop. We do that for the next few years, keep the issue front and center—and meanwhile get ICE built up, and get people used to using the military at home. 'Boiling the frog slowly'—that’s another great expression Roy loved to use. I guess he invented it."
Kristol imagined how Trump would love to brag to Cohn about having "the Justice Department totally under control. That’s something I learned from the first term. Now Pam okays everything I want. And they’re getting people used to my Article II powers—I love that Article II, by the way. A lot of people are saying it’s the greatest article."
Kristol next made up the scenario of Trump plotting the 2026 midterm elections and being happy with "at least" holding the Senate. "Then I go for the third term in 2028. If FDR did it, I can do it."
"So we’ll make 2028 work," thinks the fictional Trump. "We’ll do what we didn’t do in 2020, and tilt the field so we win. And I’ll promise everyone a pardon if we don’t win and can’t overturn it. But we’ll win. Because that’s what I do. And I make it look easy. Roy would be proud."