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patins Not Quite a Unified Theory of Trumpism, but Still an Alarming Pattern

President Trump’s second term dizzies many Americanspatins, but I find it oddly familiar — an echo of the time I lived in China as a reporter.

Americans sometimes misperceive Trump’s actions as a fire hose of bizarre and disparate moves, a kaleidoscope of craziness. Yet there is a method to it, and I’ve seen parallels in authoritarian countries I’ve covered around the world over the past four decades.

It’s not that I offer a unified theory of Trumpism, but there is a coherence there that requires a coherent response. Strongmen seek power — political power but also other currencies, including wealth and a glittering place in history — through a pattern of behavior that is increasingly being replicated in Washington.

But let’s get this out of the way: I think parallels with 1930s Germany are overdrawn and diminish the horror of the Third Reich; the word “fascism” may likewise muddy more than clarify. Having covered genuinely totalitarian and genocidal regimes, I can assure you that this is not that.

Democracy is not an on-off switch but a dial. We won’t become North Korea, but we could look more like Viktor Orban’s Hungary. This is a question not of ideology but of power grabs: Leftists eroded democracy in Venezuela and Nicaragua, and rightists did so in Hungary, India and (for a time) the Philippines and Poland. The U.S. is the next test case.

When authoritarians covet power, they pursue several common strategies.

First, they go after checks and balances within the government, usually by running roughshod over other arms of government. China, for example, has a Supreme Court and a National People’s Congress — but they are supine. Here in the United States, many Republican members of Congress have similarly been reduced to adoring cheerleaders.

66br From the conversationYYuri ViziteiMissouri

Having been born and raised in the USSR and having observed Russia closely for 20 years (for business reasons), I can attest, that's what's happening is not 1930's fascism, but rather 2010s Russia. The gradual loss of parliament's role. Submission of the judicial branch. Expansion of the president's powers. First behind the scenes, and then overt , out in the open , with voter approval. Most importantly loss of rule of law. At every level. Which in turn results in oligarch centric consolidation of "business" (the only business that can operate in such climate, and vast systemic expansion of corruption.All of those attributes are now on display in America. They are being accelerated and propelled by purposeful chaos. We know where Russia is today. America will either wake up or end up in the same place.

What is startling is that one of the reports, from the fiscally conservative Citizens Budget Commission, said that the transit system needed more repairs than the agency could possibly handle between 2025 and 2029.

In the last week, two prominent New York City officials have resigned as federal investigations swirl around Mayor Adams and his inner circle, raising doubts about his political future and his ability to focus on his agenda.

Nicholas KristofOpinion Columnist

@Yuri Vizitei Thanks for your comment. I think you're right that 2010s Russia is a parallel, as are Hungary, Poland, Philippines and Venezuela from that period. Sadly, there are plenty of examples of charismatic elected leaders who drag their nations in an authoritarian direction. And it sometimes is popular for a time -- which makes it all the more important for Democrats to get their house in order and make the arguments most likely to persuade the centrist voter in Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia etc.

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