Is the United States sliding toward dictatorship? The rhetoric of the Republican favorite for the election has been sharply intensifying for weeks — and his fans love him for it.
There’s one thing you can’t accuse him of: leaving the public in the dark about his intentions. Most Americans were sitting down to their Christmas dinner when the former president ruined the mood. “May they rot in Hell,” Donald Trump ranted suddenly on Dec. 25 on his online platform Truth Social regarding citizens who don’t support him. The subsequent “Merry Christmas” sounded pretty sarcastic.
A few hours later, the 77-year-old posted a graphic from a British tabloid that illustrates which words in the United States are most associated with a second Trump term according to a poll: “Revenge,” “Power” and “Dictatorship.” Normal politicians would worry — however, Trump seems to like his image.
‘Vermin’
The man who incited an insurrection three years ago and is now pushing with all his might to return to the White House has vowed relentless vengeance on his critics for months. He slanders his opponents as “vermin.” He has threatened the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, with execution. And the former president is now impressively demonstrating what he thinks of democratic institutions and laws in general during his fraud trial in New York. “In God We Trust” is displayed on the wall of the courtroom. However, Trump is not thinking about answering questions politely or objectively at all. “This is a disgrace,” he rails and points at the judge. “The fraud is on the court — not on me.”
A dramatic scenario that once seemed utterly unthinkable is being discussed more and more seriously in the United States: the downfall of the United States’ proud democracy. “A Trump dictatorship is increasingly inevitable,” warned Robert Kagan, one of the most significant neoconservatives, in The Washington Post recently. We are “sleepwalking into dictatorship,” warned Liz Cheney as well, the former third-highest ranking Republican in the House. And the intellectual magazine The Atlantic ran the headline: “If Trump Wins — A Warning.”
The United States is not lost yet. There are 11 months until the presidential election — a short political eternity. Trump has yet to be nominated, and polls have often missed the mark in the past. Nevertheless, wary observers like diplomat Jeff Rathke, who leads the American-German Institute in Washington, warn: “You can’t dispute the fact that Trump has a realistic chance of returning to the White House.”*
Trump, the Victim
If you want to know what an election victory by a far-right populist would mean for America and the rest of the world, you have to watch his rallies. There, the politician paints a dystopian picture of the country that is being ruined by leftist radicals and Marxists, promises law and order and rails against education that is critical of racism, and against [education about] trans identities.
However, Trump’s self-stylization as a victim of a monstrous political scheme takes center stage. His four charges in court for 91 alleged criminal offenses have not harmed his popularity among hard-core supporters. On the contrary, Trump is now a martyr for them: “Our enemies want to take away my freedom because I will never let them take away your freedom,” he says. The crowd cheers.
In terms of foreign policy, Trump would see his America First policy through fiercely in a second term. He has unambiguously announced that he would end military aid for Ukraine, and U.S. NATO membership. The consequences would be fatal in both cases. However, the enormous danger for its allies is already beginning much sooner: “Trump does not have to exit NATO at all to undermine the alliance,”* warns American-German Institute President Rathke in an interview with Der Standard.
A second Trump term would make the first seem like a wellness bath. The former reality TV star surrounded himself then with generals and businesspeople from the establishment out of a desire for recognition. His concrete government actions were either reined in by these figures or overshadowed by drama, incompetence and chaos. Things would be quite different this time: For months, the transition of power has been prepared with military precision by the right-leaning think tank Heritage under the name Project 2025.
Contempt for Democracy
Trump makes no secret of his contempt for democracy. At the beginning of December, he sat in a town hall on the right-leaning TV network Fox News. Moderator Sean Hannity, an ardent fan, wanted to clean up his guest’s dubious autocratic image. “[Y]ou are promising America tonight you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?” he asked. The answer seemed quite evident for an American presidential candidate. Indeed, Trump nodded at first. However, his index finger shot up: “Except for day one.” The audience laughed.
At his campaign appearances, the demagogue seemed even more uninhibited. “We will root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country,” he ranted at a speech in New Hampshire in the middle of November, using dehumanizing Nazi vocabulary. A few days before Christmas, he escalated his rhetoric even further. In direct reference to Adolf Hitler’s racial ideology, he warned of immigrants from Latin America: “They’re poisoning the blood of our country.” The line between the usual authoritarian ranting and fascist propaganda was crossed here. Yet Trump’s poll numbers are rising.
That is why only a few Republicans dare to rise against the apparent favorite for the presidential candidacy. Of the direct competitors, only former governor of New Jersey Chris Christie, who trailed behind with only 3% or 4%, is openly critical.** The party has long since mutated into the Trump cult in the House, and the decrepit Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has fallen silent.
Liz Cheney, the Admonisher
It so happens that archconservative former Rep. Liz Cheney, of all people, who supported her father Dick Cheney’s Iraq war, voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 and pushed his bills through as a member of party leadership, has become the loudest warning voice. Her work as the vice chairwoman of the investigative committee on the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, opened the 57-year-old’s eyes.
“There is no gray area. Anyone who respects the Constitution cannot support Trump,” Cheney explained with absolute certainty. “The lesson of Jan. 6 and what we have seen since then is one of the most important lessons undoubtedly, is that in this nation, our institutions don’t defend themselves. And it takes individuals.” It sounds like this Republican has serious doubts that the American system of checks and balances would stand up to the leader of her party.
*Editor’s note: Although these quoted remarks were accurately translated, they could not be independently verified.
**Editor’s note: Chris Christie suspended his presidential campaign on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024.
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