The Trump presidency has ushered in an era of openly repressive policies, where the administration is deploying coercive force against civic organizations and their leaders. The attacks may seem contained for now, but they are likely to grow, and research on other cases of democratic backsliding suggests that once coercion begins, escalation follows.
As a cycle of repression begets more repression, communities across the country could become powder kegs. In this toxic environment, pro-democracy forces must work doubly hard to remain above ground, avoid fragmentation, and mount an effective opposition. Both capitulation and extremism must be avoided.
The pattern of democratic backsliding is a familiar one. It begins with extreme policy goals designed to overhaul the system wholesale, often accompanied by threat inflation. The president exaggerates the magnitude of some domestic danger, citing crime, terrorism, corruption, or ideology. This leads to societal rejection and admiration from supporters. In response, the president boosts the security apparatus, which begets more societal resistance.
As power concentration grows, institutions are bullied, and protests erupt. In Trump's case, his first administration moved in this direction, leading to protests that were met with democracy-era security institutions resisting Trump's excesses. However, in his second term, Trump came back with a bolder reform agenda and fortified a relatively new security apparatus.
This cycle of repression has been followed by Putin, Chávez, and Erdoğan. In each case, the president began as a bold reformer who relied on inherited democratic institutions before resorting to authoritarian measures. Intelligence agencies were fortified, personalized, and made more secretive. Supplementary security forces were created, and the focus shifted from opposition to targeting all forms of resistance.
The Trump administration has advanced an extreme agenda, including gutting federal agencies, driving out workers, installing vaccine skeptics at health agencies, and moving to strip hundreds of thousands of immigrants of their legal status. This push for extremist policies has led to power concentration by the executive branch, bullying of institutions, protests, and demonstrations.
As the government escalates its repression, pro-democracy forces must respond with strategic nonviolence training, building broad coalitions, and defending institutions and rights. Despite the dire signs, there is hope in the tens of thousands of people who have joined trainings on nonviolent strategic action since the beginning of the year.
Moreover, many legal organizations and law firms are using the courts to defend rights and curb executive branch overreach. The Freedom Together Foundation's efforts to unite charitable foundations against potential attacks on the sector provide an encouraging example. In Washington DC, Chicago, and Portland, community-led initiatives have successfully resisted military occupation by training residents in strategic nonviolence.
As state repression intensifies, pro-democracy forces must continue to show their courage by speaking out and building a broad coalition to defend institutions and rights. With widespread training in strategic nonviolence, they can effectively resist the provocations of the state and counter the escalating cycle of repression.
As a cycle of repression begets more repression, communities across the country could become powder kegs. In this toxic environment, pro-democracy forces must work doubly hard to remain above ground, avoid fragmentation, and mount an effective opposition. Both capitulation and extremism must be avoided.
The pattern of democratic backsliding is a familiar one. It begins with extreme policy goals designed to overhaul the system wholesale, often accompanied by threat inflation. The president exaggerates the magnitude of some domestic danger, citing crime, terrorism, corruption, or ideology. This leads to societal rejection and admiration from supporters. In response, the president boosts the security apparatus, which begets more societal resistance.
As power concentration grows, institutions are bullied, and protests erupt. In Trump's case, his first administration moved in this direction, leading to protests that were met with democracy-era security institutions resisting Trump's excesses. However, in his second term, Trump came back with a bolder reform agenda and fortified a relatively new security apparatus.
This cycle of repression has been followed by Putin, Chávez, and Erdoğan. In each case, the president began as a bold reformer who relied on inherited democratic institutions before resorting to authoritarian measures. Intelligence agencies were fortified, personalized, and made more secretive. Supplementary security forces were created, and the focus shifted from opposition to targeting all forms of resistance.
The Trump administration has advanced an extreme agenda, including gutting federal agencies, driving out workers, installing vaccine skeptics at health agencies, and moving to strip hundreds of thousands of immigrants of their legal status. This push for extremist policies has led to power concentration by the executive branch, bullying of institutions, protests, and demonstrations.
As the government escalates its repression, pro-democracy forces must respond with strategic nonviolence training, building broad coalitions, and defending institutions and rights. Despite the dire signs, there is hope in the tens of thousands of people who have joined trainings on nonviolent strategic action since the beginning of the year.
Moreover, many legal organizations and law firms are using the courts to defend rights and curb executive branch overreach. The Freedom Together Foundation's efforts to unite charitable foundations against potential attacks on the sector provide an encouraging example. In Washington DC, Chicago, and Portland, community-led initiatives have successfully resisted military occupation by training residents in strategic nonviolence.
As state repression intensifies, pro-democracy forces must continue to show their courage by speaking out and building a broad coalition to defend institutions and rights. With widespread training in strategic nonviolence, they can effectively resist the provocations of the state and counter the escalating cycle of repression.
. It's like we're living in a bad sci-fi movie where power-hungry leaders are trying to crush anyone who opposes them 
. Trump's presidency is like that, and it's not just him – Putin, Chávez, Erdoğan... they all followed similar paths 
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. But what I'm trying to stay hopeful about is that there are still tons of people out there who care about this stuff 
. Like, have you seen those trainings on nonviolent strategic action? That's some powerful stuff 
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. It's like, we can actually make a difference if we work together and stand up for what's right 
. Okay, I know it's easy to say that when you're not living it, but still... there is hope 
... I mean, come on, Trump's been pretty chill for two whole terms, right? The media just loves to sensationalize every little thing he says or does. I bet if Obama had done half the stuff Trump's doing, it'd be a non-story 
. And those "extreme policies" people are always talking about? They're probably just trying to stoke fear and get attention 
. Newsflash: democracy is all about compromise – we don't need to be so uptight all the time 
...
I'm all for standing up against the erosion of democratic values, but let's be real, Trump's presidency has been a bit too extreme even for me 
. The way he's pushing for these radical policies is just not okay, and it's scaring a lot of people.
It feels like Trump is getting away with so much and it's not right.
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and then they start using force against anyone who opposes them, that's just escalating the situation. It's like a game of chicken, but instead of cars, it's people's rights and freedoms on the line 
. It's not going to be easy, but if we want to protect our democracy, we need to stand up and fight 
. I mean think about it, we've seen Trump do some pretty shady stuff already and now he's trying to take down civic organizations and their leaders? It's like he's trying to create a culture of fear and silence dissenting voices. And with the way Putin, Chávez, and Erdoğan have gone from being reformers to authoritarian dictators... it's like we're running out of options here 
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there were hundreds of people clashing with police and i was literally shaking 
but at the same time it felt so empowering to be out there with thousands of others fighting for our rights 
anyway i met this amazing woman who was organizing a nonviolent trainings program and she told me all about how they're building coalitions and defending institutions and i'm like totally in 
. Fingers crossed that it'll make a difference!
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. He's just trying to make America great again, and if that means cracking down on some people who are being super divisive, then so be it 
. And yeah, let's be real, the whole democratic backsliding thing is just a bunch of old-school politicians trying to hold onto power