I legitimately don’t even think the US political journalists (who aren’t already openly MAGA) have any intention of kissing up to Trump, either - they’re legitimately so incredibly naive that they think Trump will just let them keep doing their thing, saying whatever they want.
Back in 2017 I asked myself, really disliking that I needed to, what my personal red lines were for getting the fuck out of dodge, and "journalists start vanishing" was the #1 entry on that list.
This is not a difficult thing to see happening.
That's exactly what I thought when I heard a particularly doted Mara Liasson phrase about Biden on NPR yesterday. Plus far too many in the punditocracy think their wishy-washy bothsidesism will shield them from show trials and incarceration. It never ends well for those types.
There were people posing for pictures in the NYT talking about how they're going to be "the resistance" in the next Trump admin. Are they insane? This isn't a LARP.
Sure they can. But it will be like Putin's Russia where you never know which line you cross that gets you a mere look of disapproval from Dear Leader or you have a freak fatal accident involving a window.