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The Nature of Autocracy & the Need for Resistance [1]
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Date: 2025-04-18
Recently, on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart shared four deeply disturbing video clips of Trump supporters. The Young Turks originally aired some of them. Their words are alarming:
1 “I’d rather have Donald Trump as a dictator for four years, absolutely.
2 “This country needs a dictator. I hate to say that, but it’s the truth.
3 “He could stand on the front steps of the White House and commit murder, and I’d stand with him.”
4 “If he says it, then I’ll go with it. And if he wants to be a dictator, then so be it.”
If there is such a thing as Trump Derangement Syndrome, it is not the fear or criticism of Trump—it is the blind devotion of people like these. And they are not alone. These quotes represent the MAGA base: a faction who revere Trump not as a politician but as a messianic figure above the law.
In June 2021, a Global Morning Consult study using the Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale (RWAS) found that 25.6% ofAmerican adults scored in the “high RWA” category, indicating a stronginclination toward authoritarian beliefs. (Source:
https://pro.morningconsult.com/trend-setters/global-right-wing-authoritarian-test) This was twice the level recorded in Canada and Australia. Developed by Canadian psychologist Bob Altemeyer in 1981, the RWAS measures obedience to authority, aggression toward out-groups, and conventionalism. His research is summarized in his book, “The Authoritarians.” While some of the language in the survey is dated, it is still used. You can take the test at
https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/RWAS/.
A September 2024 Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) poll showed that 43% of Americans scored high on the RWAS. Among subgroups, 63% of Republicans, 35% of Independents, and 28% of Democrats fell into this category. (Source:
https://www.prri.org/press-release/survey-four-in-ten-americans-are-susceptible-to-authoritarianism-but-most-still-reject-political-violence/) The number of Republicans that scored high on the RWAS, 63%, helps explain the actions of Congressional Republicans who enable Trump. They clearly embrace authoritarianism.
Historian Timothy Snyder, author of “On Tyranny” and “On Freedom,” would call the comments Stewart highlighted examples of pre-authoritarian normalization—moments when people willingly abandon democracy in favor of charismatic power. They represent people who are no longer committed to democracy or the rule of law. For these supporters, violence and lawlessness are acceptable—perhaps even desirable—so long as they serve Trump. Snyder refers to this as political sadism, a form of loyalty rooted in cruelty. Defending murder on the steps of the White House is not only horrifying, it evokes the Führerprinzip—the Nazi doctrine that placed Hitler’s will above all law and morality.
This isn’t new in America. In the 1930s and ’40s, pro-Hitler sympathizers in the U.S. included Henry Ford, Charles Lindbergh, and Father Charles Coughlin. However, that movement ultimately failed, in part because Franklin D. Roosevelt offered a powerful democratic alternative.
We are again at such a crossroads. The modern names leading a right-wing authoritarian project include Donald Trump, Russell Vought, Kevin Roberts, Leonard Leo, Stephen Miller, Steve Bannon, Jeffrey Clark, and Elon Musk. They seek not just power but the dismantling of democratic institutions.
Anne Applebaum, in “Twilight ofDemocracy” and “Autocracy, Inc.,” explains that the slide toward authoritarianism is driven by people who feel betrayed or disillusioned by liberal democracy. These people are not necessarily fringe—they are often mainstream citizens who find comfort in hierarchy, order, and cultural vengeance. They are willing to sideline democracy, which they see as a weakness, if it means “their side” wins. This is what passive surrender looks like.
In his 1933 Inaugural Address, FDR asked Congress for “broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.” (Source:
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/froos1.asp) Today, the foreign foe is internal. What we need again is not just acounter-message—but a counter-force.
Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have drawn huge crowds on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour in both blue states and red states. These rallies are more than enthusiasm—they are protests, a collective “No!” to authoritarianism. They are part of a rising tide of resistance as more and more Americans turn to the streets to resist all that Trump is doing.
Masha Gessen, in “Surviving Autocracy,” warns of the erosion of language and moral boundaries. When murder or forced deportation that ignored due process become acceptable ideas—even rhetorical ones—the descent into autocracy accelerates.
Too many Americans are acclimating to autocracy rather than screaming, “No!” We are not going to change the minds of the autocratic MAGA faithful, but there are many people in the middle, people who voted for Trump but live with growing doubt, remorse, and even fear. This is why protest is important, to encourage them to say “No!” to Trump. They may not march and demonstrate, but their shifts in attitude will be reflected in the polls. Trump may ignore the polls, but not everyone can afford to do so. Some Republican Representatives are now wavering on cuts to Medicaid (Source:
https://punchbowl.news/article/house/house-gop-no-to-big-medicaid-cuts/) and taxing the rich (Source:
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5252583-republicans-tax-hike-rich/).
Ruth Ben-Ghiat, who wrote “Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present,” would view the quotes highlighted by Jon Stewart as textbook examples of strongman worship: the veneration of a leader who personifies dominance and vengeance. Trump has cultivated this loyalty for a decade using propaganda, repetition, and the destruction of shared truth. Trump’s followers have granted him “authoritarian permission” — they not only allow him to act above the law, they are cheering him on.
Sarah Kendzior, in “Hiding in Plain Sight,” documents Trump’s long arc of criminality and the institutional failures that enabled it. His followers aren’t merely tolerant of autocracy—they insist on it, having been primed for years.
Jason Stanley, author of “How Fascism Works,” reminds us that fascism thrives when a population believes only one man can save them. This is the cult of the leader—and it’s here.
Authoritarianism is not on the horizon—it is already among us. What was once unthinkable is now openly stated, even celebrated. Americans must confront a hard truth: the battle is no longer to prevent autocracy but to defeat it.
We cannot persuade the MAGA faithful, those infected by Trump Derangement Syndrome. But we can speak to the millions who feel unsure, conflicted, or disillusioned. We must be louder, clearer, and braver. Protest matters. Truth matters. Leadership matters. And democracy will only survive if we defend it—with words, votes, protest, and more.
Two hundred and fifty years ago, patriots waited for the sign—lights in the darkness—one if by land and two if by sea. Unlike the British, who came by sea to attack America, Trump came by land. Then, as now, everything depends on defeating the enemy, which is why there is another national protest tomorrow, April 19, 2025. It is called “No Kings” and recalls the battles at Lexington and Concord when militias alerted by Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott engaged and defeated the British. America won one revolution, now it must win another.
Day 89: days left to January 20, 2029:1,372 days
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