America, Trump is not a drill
How do other countries block wannabe despots?
Remember when you didn’t have to constantly care about politics? For decades, that was one of the longstanding privileges of living in a Western democracy. Sure, being politically engaged has always been the duty of every citizen, but it used to be the case that you wouldn’t miss 100 crazy stories if you tuned out for a few days.
Until Donald Trump, self-proclaimed “very stable genius.”
It is now impossible for anyone to go 24 hours without hearing Trump’s name. And while that may be music to his narcissistic ears, it’s also chillingly familiar to people like me who study authoritarian regimes in the rest of the world. The constant barrage, the reminders that nothing is normal, is a strategy of control elsewhere — one that won’t allow people to ever forget who is in charge.
In Mao’s China, citizens were effectively required to carry around his Little Red Book. In North Korea, there are an estimated 34,000 statues of the Kim dynasty dotting the landscape — about one every 2 miles. And in most of the authoritarian countries I’ve lived in, the capital city is draped with images of the leader — with pressure from the government to display his photo in offices and even homes.
The United States is nothing like those countries, and it’s alarmist hyperbole to suggest otherwise. Even so, there are two parallels between Trump’s cult of personality and personality cults under authoritarianism:
Trump — like most despots — has an unquenchable thirst for attention. He craves the spotlight and has an ingenious ability to force it onto himself.
We are all facing a similarly overwhelming and endless bombardment of Trump piped into our lives through uninterrupted television coverage, a long string of often unhinged tweets (more than 2,500 since he became president) and the commentary that follows (like this column).
Then, of course, the authoritarian nature of his presidency is jarring too. Constant lies. Demonizing the press and trying to stop publication of a critical book. Scapegoating minorities. Surrounding himself with generals and family members. Appointing unqualified cronies. Ethics violations. Pardoning political allies while calling to jail his opponents. And attacking those who are investigating him for potential criminal behavior. It hasn’t even been a year yet. There could be three or seven more to come.
How do people in the rest of the world cope? What are the most effective tactics for dealing with living under a wannabe despot who demands our attention like a petulant child?
First, don’t tune out. Creeping authoritarianism requires an uninterested citizenry giving in to exhaustion and ignoring the changes around them. Authoritarian and wannabe authoritarian leaders count on destroying democracy with a thousand cuts, hoping that each will go unnoticed.
Second, don’t accept “new normals.” Getting used to unacceptable behavior causes it to take root. Sadly, it’s already happening. The first time you heard Trump call a critical media report FAKE NEWS? Shocking. Now we shrug. The first travel ban sparked mass protests. The next ban sparked tweets. Seven years of that trend would make American democracy unrecognizable.
Third, don’t let Trump divide us. Divide-and-rule tactics are a common hallmark of authoritarian regimes.
The overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of Trump. But if Americans stand divided against Trump, he will unite his base and win. If Democrats and principled Republicans who oppose Trumpism sit on the sidelines rather than going all in for lessthan-perfect candidates, he will win.
Trump is following an impulsive and dangerous authoritarian playbook. Most countries — from Turkey to Russia to the Philippines — don’t manage to block wannabe despots. But the United States is not like most countries. We have the power to stop Trump and Trumpism in its tracks. This is not a drill. Don’t treat it like one.
Brian Klaas, a fellow in comparative politics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, is author of The Despot’s Apprentice: Donald Trump’s Attack on Democracy.