Elected for a second time in the 2024 U.S. presidential elections, president Donald Trump is part of a group of authoritarian leaders who rose to power through democratic means, a factor that makes the situation even more complex. Where is the line between democracy and dictatorship, and when does one become the other?
In the modern world, democracies rarely end in a coup. They deteriorate gradually, from the inside out. Elected leaders weaken democratic institutions and values, as has been the case under Trump’s administration.
Even in current authoritarian regimes, the process tends to be gradual and legalistic. With the strategic use of laws and institutions to slowly undermine democracy, it’s a process that often goes unnoticed by much of society, as explained by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt in the book How Democracies Die.
“People don’t see their democracy collapsing often because there isn’t a single moment or a single event that marks its end”
How Democracies Die
TRUMP’S GOVERNMENT TOWARDS DICTATORSHIP
From promoting distrust in the electoral process, after losing the 2020 election; to claiming that the media is the “enemy of the people,” thereby delegitimizing the press and fueling the spread of fake news; and attempting to turn the U.S. Department of Justice into a tool against political opponents, these are all hallmarks of authoritarianism within Trump’s government.
Moreover, the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol was a symbolic and institutional turning point in U.S. history. The event involved an invasion of Congress during the session that was to certify Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Encouraged by the sitting president, Donald Trump, his supporters carried out the attack in an effort to block the peaceful transition of power, based on a false narrative of electoral fraud.
According to Rafael Abrão, professor of International Relations at PUC-SP (Pontifice Catholic University of São Paulo), this episode marked a rupture and had a major impact on the political dynamics of the United States. The fact that Trump can threaten democracy and still be elected to a second term grants him even greater legitimacy. With this consolidation of power, Abrão emphasizes that Trump has shown even more authoritarian tendencies during his second term.
“In Trump’s first term, he had many intentions, but institutions held him back. People already knew what the Trump administration would be like, they had experienced it and even so, they gave him a second term. So now he returns with much more political power, much more political capital, which gives him the ability to challenge American institutions in ways he couldn’t during his first term”, Abrão explained.
AMERICA ISN’T SO GREAT ANYMORE
With China’s growing economic power, the United States appears to be facing a decline in global hegemony. Both Republicans and Democrats view the Asian country as a threat. The U.S. no longer leads as it once did.
Abrão sees this context as one of the factors behind both Trump’s actions and U.S. domestic policy. Slogans like “Make America Great Again” and “America First” reflect the country’s internal perception of its waning global dominance.
“These speeches resonate with the quality of life of everyday Americans. When he talks about bringing jobs back, he’s really referring to the threat posed by China and the effort to reverse a process the U.S. itself once championed globalization. But it was a strategy that benefited China far more than the U.S., and now, even though the U.S. once promoted it, they’ve become its biggest critics and are trying to reverse it,” the professor explains.
These aspects begin to explain Trump’s recent tariff war aimed at over 90 countries. As for Brazil, the American has chosen to disapprove of what he considered a “witch-hunt” towards Jair Bolsonaro, previous Brazilian president who is being investigated for an attempt of Coup D’État. This led to even further discussions surrounding interference and accusations of undermining Brazilian democracy.
TRUMPISM SURVIVES WITHOUT TRUMP
Even as it loses global dominance, the United States still wields significant influence in other countries. The rise of an authoritarian leader in such a nation sends warning signals to other parts of the world. With Trump’s ascent, other presidents adopted similar rhetoric and managed to reach power.
“I think there’s a domino effect. These leaders talk to each other, there’s an international alliance among far-right parties and leaders, aimed at dialogue, mutual strengthening, and the election of new leadership. So I believe the internal political landscape is always connected to the international one”, as Rafael Abrão explains.
The global order has shifted with Donald Trump’s rise. But the real issue is not the man himself, it’s the ideology behind him.“In the United States, Trumpism goes far beyond the figure of Trump. It’s deeply connected to a xenophobic, anti-immigration, and racist ideology. It’s closely tied to a white population that feels threatened by ethnic minorities in the country,” he noted.
What’s most concerning is the future. Trump will eventually leave but his ideas remain. His thoughts still live on. However, his future attitudes and political actions remain unpredictable.
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The article above was edited by Giulia El Houssami.
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