How it happens here - part three
Protect Democracy
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The autocrat who refuses to leave office
In the first two parts of our three-part series documenting how authoritarianism could take hold in America, we discussed how Trump and his allies could pack the federal government with henchmen and how those loyalists could abuse their power to retaliate and intimidate people who challenge him.
To carry this forward in our final installment of this newsletter series, ask yourself this question: Once this authoritarian movement consolidates power, as promised, and wields it against its critics and enemies, would it easily give that power up? In the 2028 election? Or in the contests beyond that?
If they follow the model other autocrats have established, the answer is “no.” Especially considering the extreme measures Trump and his allies took to stay in power after losing in 2020, which started with conspiracy theories about a “stolen election,” calls to state officials to “find the votes,” dozens of unsuccessful legal challenges, a scheme to present fraudulent electors to Congress, requests for the Department of Justice to investigate the alleged “fraud,” a behind-the-scenes pressure campaign against then-Vice President Mike Pence, and finally, the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th that resulted in the assault of more than 140 members of law enforcement.
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The threat: The autocrat refuses to leave
Trump keeps hinting about staying in the White House beyond the two terms limited by the 22nd Amendment:
“We are going to win four more years. ... And then after that, we’ll go for another four years because they spied on my campaign. We should get a redo of four years.” — Trump to supporters at an August 2020 campaign rally
“You know, FDR 16 years — almost 16 years — he was four terms. I don’t know, are we going to be considered three-term? Or two-term?” — Trump at the National Rifle Association annual meeting in May 2024
While Trump often flirts with these ideas, he hasn’t floated any concrete plans about how he might stay in office beyond two terms. But that doesn’t mean his allies wouldn’t find the means to make this rhetoric a reality.?