Earlier this month, nearly one million Americans flooded the streets to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s authoritarian rhetoric, as well as his radical playbook for dismantling the nation’s democratic institutions. From Washington to Wichita, demonstrators carried signs warning American democracy stands at a tipping point.
They’re right.
Anyone who has lived through a democracy’s collapse knows the score: Authoritarians often come to power off a wave of public anger. Their early popularity can delay resistance, making it feel risky or even anti-democratic — but that’s precisely when the real damage gets done.
The above excerpt was originally published in Politico EU.
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