'Worst-case scenario': Ex-Trump official points to alarming new Trump initiative

In a column for MSNBC, former Donald Trump administration national security official Olivia Troye wrote with a great degree of certainty that Americans are faced with a bleak future with Donald Trump returning to the Oval Office and noted an initiative the former president has set in motion that could make matters worse.

Troye, who served directly for former vice president Mike Pence as a national security expert, wrote that her largest concern initially is Trump's promise of "retribution" against people he sees as political enemies.

As she explained, "Trump risks putting a target on the back of anyone who opposes him," before warning, "... he would effectively grant immunity to extremists who could commit acts of violence on his behalf."

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"Who will stop him? Allies like Steve Bannon, Mike Flynn and Stephen Miller? The Supreme Court? The Justice Department? Don’t kid yourself."

With that in mind, Troye claimed Trump could prosecute his case against his perceived enemies by going around the traditional media and taking his case using the same type of misinformation that returned him to the presidency on his own outlets.

"Trump has been building his own media company," she wrote. "A worst-case scenario would see this becoming an arm of the government, not unlike state-sponsored propaganda outlets in autocratic countries. There's no guarantee that will happen, but the free press could increasingly face intimidation: comply or else. And if journalists become restricted, the public will be starved for objective reporting."

She later warned, "Can our democracy survive? It is difficult to maintain hope amid such conditions, but we have no alternative. The fight for liberty, justice and truth will continue, and we will navigate this uncertain world together. The future is unwritten, but our resolve will define it. The struggle is just beginning."

You can read more here.