The president has made dangerous inroads in his push toward autocracy. Yet the prospects for his success are dimming
H
ow do we commemorate America’s democracy as Donald Trump undermines it? By embracing his opposition. The United States was founded by breaking from a monarchy. Trump wants to become king. An imperfect yet powerful system of checks and balances is being deployed to prevent him. The resistance is worth celebrating.
This is hardly the first challenge to US democracy. The early nation had no rights for Black people and no vote for women. It survived Jim Crow, the McCarthy era, and the “war on terror”. Yet there is no denying the seriousness of the threat posed by Trump.
He is trying to implement the classic autocrat’s playbook by chipping away at the restraints on executive authority. He has made dangerous inroads, but in most cases, the opposition has been significant. A struggle is under way, and the prospects for his success are dimming.
