When Three Ex-Trump Staffers Warned of the 'End of American Democracy' if He Won Again

Three former Trump administration staffers once issued a dire warning about the 'end of American democracy as we know it' during an exclusive interview with ABC News co-anchor Jonathan Karl on This Week. Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, former White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews, and former Director of Communications Alyssa Farah Griffin gave their frank opinions that aired in December 2023. "Fundamentally, a second Trump term could mean the end of American democracy as we know it, and I don't say that lightly," Griffin, currently a co-host on ABC's The View, said. 

She accused former President Donald Trump of having gone to 'historic and unconstitutional lengths' to try and 'steal a democratic election' and hold onto office. "I'm very concerned about what the term would actually look like," Griffin continued. "We don't need to speculate what a second Trump term would like because we already saw it play out," Matthews told Karl. "This is a fundamental election to continue to safeguard our institutions and our constitutional republic," Hutchinson said. "We're extremely fragile as a country, and so is the democratic experiment." 

Netizens also expressed their views on X, with @DenisonBarbs agreeing, "That’s is True. Trump will install his henchmen and will not relinquish power. He will use the election model that Russia currently uses." @hiba_says also tweeted in support: "We must heed their insights to protect our democracy and preserve American values." @KristinRutter wrote: "I don’t respect them, regardless - they knew exactly what Trump and the Republican Party are, and they willingly played a part."

@MSVintageValues chimed: "And they didn't just watch Trump - they saw what the men and women in the administration are willing to do." @PamShaw89210995 said: "Of course, every rational person agrees with these women. And accountability begins with each of us. In their case, it begins with each one of them, who played a role in Trump's first presidency, presumably because it provided personal benefit to them. Look where they landed." @0153phil stated: "We All know that…..the rest of America will find out if he’s elected! America will belong to Putin!"

Griffin, Matthews, and Hutchinson convened to share their experiences after cooperating with the House Select Committee that looked into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol by Trump supporters. "Our singular focus needs to be, if he is the nominee, on making sure that he is not elected the president again next November," Hutchinson stated. "I've never voted for a Democrat in my life, but I think that in this next election, I would put policy aside and choose democracy," Matthews added. "What scares me as much as Trump and his retribution is the almost cult-like following he has over his most diehard supporters," Griffin added. "The threats, the harassment, the death threats that you get when he targets you -- and he's deliberate in targeting -- is really horrifying and has no place in our American discourse." 

"I would just hope at this moment when we are less than a year out … that he would think about speaking out more forcefully just about the unfitness of Donald Trump," Griffin added. "This is not about politics. It's not about policy. It is about the character of the man who is the leader of the free world." In a statement released in response to ABC's interview, the Trump campaign labeled the women as 'ungrateful grifters' who had 'gone full Judas' and 'used the opportunities given to them by President Trump.'