By the time Donald Trump left the White House in January 2021, he was frustrated by the limits of his office.

As Guardian US’s chief reporter, Ed Pilkington, explains to Michael Safi, Trump felt he had been held back as president not by the standard checks and balances of a democracy, but by a shadowy “deep state”.

In the years since, he and his key advisers have come up with a plan to defeat it should he come to office again – a plan that would radically reshape the presidency and give Trump unprecedented power.

How much would a Trump victory threaten US democracy, and what might still thwart his plans in office even if he wins?

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