Two conservatives debate the impact of Trump 2.0

In a special Firing Line forum recorded before a student audience at Hofstra University, Margaret Hoover talks to conservatives Amanda Carpenter and Mike Gonzalez about the potential ramifications of another Donald Trump presidency.

Carpenter, a writer and editor for Protect Democracy, believes a second Trump term would be far more damaging than the first, citing the former president’s threats to punish his enemies and promises to reward his allies. She warns the institutional guardrails that constrained him in the past would be weakened or eliminated in a new administration.

Gonzalez, who contributed to the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 guidebook for the next conservative president, downplays concerns Trump would abuse power if he returned to office. He maintains the U.S. and the world were better off during Trump’s first three years in office than in President Biden’s first three years.

Carpenter and Gonzalez discuss Trump’s plans for immigration, foreign policy, and rooting out the “deep state” in the federal bureaucracy. Responding to questions from students, they also address the future of the Republican Party and what to expect in an eventual post-Trump America. 

Mike Gonzalez serves as a Senior Fellow at The Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation is listed for identification purposes only; no endorsement of a candidate by the organization is implied.

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