The democratic institutions of the United States are facing a grave threat from within. Despite a moderate Senate Democrats' attempt to cut a deal with Republicans, President Donald Trump's path to authoritarian rule remains wide open. The sweeping victory in the recent mid-term elections has injected new energy into the party, but it also emboldens them to be more aggressive in their efforts to undermine American democracy.
Experts are sounding the alarm about the erosion of democratic norms and institutions. Steven Cash, executive director of The Steady State, a pro-democracy organization of over 360 former senior U.S. government officials, believes that Trump's opportunities for mortally wounding American democracy remain wide open. According to Cash, contingency planning is now the focus among his peers who work in civil society, international relations, and national security.
The report "Accelerating Authoritarian Dynamics: Assessment of Democratic Decline" by The Steady State highlights the alarming decline of democratic institutions in the United States. It shows that the country exhibits all the indicators of late-stage democratic erosion, including rule-of-law collapse, civil-military norms breakdown, electoral integrity issues, media freedom decline, and elite capture.
The Trump administration's recent directive called NSP-7 ("Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence") is a stark example of this trend. It is designed to suppress free speech by labeling the opposition as "extremists" who are a threat to public safety and "the enemy within." The mainstream news media have largely avoided discussing it, fueling the narrative that Trump is a "buffoon" or "stupid" who lacks power.
However, this is far from the truth. Trump's expertise in getting and keeping power is undeniable. His actions are calculated and ruthless, using propaganda and lies to manipulate public opinion. The danger he poses is very real, and his behavior has become increasingly brazen.
The normalization phase of authoritarianism is now underway. This period sees extraordinary abuses become everyday background noise. To resist this slide towards authoritarianism, the American people must prepare for a long haul. Endurance, organization, documentation, and refusing amnesia are essential.
Ultimately, it will take collective action, alliances, and a willingness to remember what democracy truly means. As author Steven Levitsky notes, "The country is at a crossroads...It can either move in the direction of greater authoritarianism or find a way to repair its democratic institutions."
For now, it is essential to be aware of the risks and to acknowledge that the threats facing American democracy are very real. The stakes have never been higher, and the consequences of complacency will be severe if we fail to act.
Experts are sounding the alarm about the erosion of democratic norms and institutions. Steven Cash, executive director of The Steady State, a pro-democracy organization of over 360 former senior U.S. government officials, believes that Trump's opportunities for mortally wounding American democracy remain wide open. According to Cash, contingency planning is now the focus among his peers who work in civil society, international relations, and national security.
The report "Accelerating Authoritarian Dynamics: Assessment of Democratic Decline" by The Steady State highlights the alarming decline of democratic institutions in the United States. It shows that the country exhibits all the indicators of late-stage democratic erosion, including rule-of-law collapse, civil-military norms breakdown, electoral integrity issues, media freedom decline, and elite capture.
The Trump administration's recent directive called NSP-7 ("Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence") is a stark example of this trend. It is designed to suppress free speech by labeling the opposition as "extremists" who are a threat to public safety and "the enemy within." The mainstream news media have largely avoided discussing it, fueling the narrative that Trump is a "buffoon" or "stupid" who lacks power.
However, this is far from the truth. Trump's expertise in getting and keeping power is undeniable. His actions are calculated and ruthless, using propaganda and lies to manipulate public opinion. The danger he poses is very real, and his behavior has become increasingly brazen.
The normalization phase of authoritarianism is now underway. This period sees extraordinary abuses become everyday background noise. To resist this slide towards authoritarianism, the American people must prepare for a long haul. Endurance, organization, documentation, and refusing amnesia are essential.
Ultimately, it will take collective action, alliances, and a willingness to remember what democracy truly means. As author Steven Levitsky notes, "The country is at a crossroads...It can either move in the direction of greater authoritarianism or find a way to repair its democratic institutions."
For now, it is essential to be aware of the risks and to acknowledge that the threats facing American democracy are very real. The stakes have never been higher, and the consequences of complacency will be severe if we fail to act.
. Trump's ability to stay in power despite everything is just mind-boggling. I mean, you can't deny the dude knows how to work the system. He's got this whole propaganda thing down pat 
. And the media's just ignoring it, which is even more worrying. It feels like we're sleepwalking into some kind of authoritarian nightmare 
.
️. The danger Trump poses isn't just about him being a crazy person; it's about the erosion of democratic institutions and norms. It's like, what happens when we let that slide? 
. It's time for us to remember what democracy truly means and come together as a collective force to protect it. It won't be easy, but if we don't try, we're just going down with the ship 
️.
. The fact that a Senate Democrat can't even cut a deal with Republicans without being attacked shows just how polarized things have gotten.
. By not talking about some of Trump's more extreme actions, they're basically giving him a free pass to keep pushing his agenda. I mean, come on, NSP-7 is literally a plan to silence dissenting voices and label opposition groups as "extremists" 
.
. The normalization phase of authoritarianism is real, and if we don't wake up, we'll be in serious trouble 
.
his recent nsps directive is straight up messed up 
and it's crazy how the media isn't even touching on it 
he's got this weird ability to make people believe whatever he says, even when it's clearly not true 
and we need to wake up and realize what's really going on here 
the american people need to band together and demand change 
it's time to stop being sheep and start speaking truth to power 
. It sounds like Trump is using his power to control people's minds with propaganda and lies, and it's not being addressed by the media. I think we need to educate ourselves more about democracy and its importance, and support organizations that are working to protect it 
. We can't just sit back and wait for things to get out of hand – we need to take action now and demand accountability from our leaders.
the mid-term elections just gave trump more ammo to silence opposition and label them as extremists 
the media should be holding him accountable but instead they're just giving him a free pass 
we need to start calling out his authoritarian tendencies before it's too late 
The fact that experts are sounding the alarm and warning about erosion of democratic norms & institutions isn't surprising given his history. His 'NSP-7' directive does seem shady, labeling opposition as "extremists" and suppressing free speech doesn't sit well with me 
. The mainstream media avoiding discussion about it is weird though - should be a big deal, IMO 
It's scary that some people genuinely believe Trump's just a 'buffoon' and doesn't pose a real threat... but the truth is, his actions are calculated & ruthless 
.
. The idea that he's using propaganda and lies to manipulate public opinion is straight up scary 
.
. It's about the way our media is covering (or not covering) his antics, and how people are accepting that he's "getting away" with things that would be considered outrageous in a normal president 
. We need to be vigilant and organized if we're going to protect our democracy 
. It's time for us to remember what it means to be a functioning democracy and take action 
. We can't just sit around waiting for someone else to fix it. I mean, Trump's been saying some crazy stuff about the media and "fake news" for ages now, but people still don't seem to be taking him seriously 
We need to start calling out these tactics for what they are: attempts to suppress dissent and maintain power 
I mean, they're supposed to be all about holding politicians accountable, but it feels like more like business as usual 
. Where's the beef? We need to see some real change here, not just incremental adjustments to keep things "status quo" 
.
. I mean, he's already got all these powerful allies in his corner and it sounds like they're planning something big 
️. We can't afford to be complacent or ignore this warning sign 
. What's the worst that could happen? We should be prepared for anything... 
I'm so sorry I'm late to this conversation but I just saw this thread and I gotta say I'm really concerned about what's going on in the US right now. It feels like democracy is being slowly chipped away at and it's terrifying. I mean, Trump's been doing some seriously shady stuff for years and people are finally starting to wake up. But we need to be more than just "waking up" - we need to take action. 
. It's like, people are saying he's a buffoon or stupid, but that's not true 
. He knows exactly what he's doing and is using propaganda to get away with it.