Trump and Democratic Backsliding

One of the big things that I worry about with a second Donald Trump presidential term is the prospect of democratic backsliding in the United States.

Donald Trump has threatened to use the government to go after his enemies. He has chosen many candidates for his cabinet whose only qualification is that they are loyal to Trump. This means that there will be no check within his administration to Trump's worst impulses.

As a political cartoonist, I'm looking for 3 warning signs of threats of the free press based on conversations with cartoonists who faced authoritarianism in their own countries.

1) Will President Trump change the libel laws to make it easier to sue journalists?

Many authoritarian governments weaponize the libel laws to try to silence or intimidate journalists into being more compliant.

2) Will President Trump threaten the business interests of the current owners of major newspapers or news sites by withholding government contracts or other such means?

3) Will Trump try to pass a harsh security law or weaponize existing security laws to harass and intimidate critics?

Autocratic leaders in the Philippines, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nicaragua and other countries have used anti-terrorist and security laws to harass and jail their critics.