Center for American Progress

Donald Trump Trump is using the autocrat’s playbook. Democratic institutions must step up

Donald Trump Trump is using the autocrat’s playbook. Democratic institutions must step up

Author Michael Fuchs urges America's democratic institutions to stand up against President Trump in order to protect the country from his autocratic behavior.

Democracy in the United States is under threat as a president who behaves like an autocrat intensifies his assaults on the country’s democratic institutions.

Trump has long exhibited the characteristics of an autocrat. Dictators exist in a perpetual state of paranoia that their hold on power is in danger, and they respond by attacking institutions not under their control. As Congress and the courts attempt to hold Trump to account, he will lash out and could inflict even more severe damage to American democracy.

The above excerpt was originally published in The Guardian. Click here to view the full article.

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Authors

Michael Fuchs

Senior Fellow