It is easy to see how the United States is transitioning from a society with decentralized powers into an autocracy like Russia or Hungary with control of all power from a single individual.
| Sector | Previous Presidents | Trump | Russia and North Korea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Media | Occasionally expressed dissatisfaction with the media | - Removed funding from some agencies critical of him (via EO) - Filed lawsuits against some - Threatened lawsuits against many - Intimidated some into not running stories |
Media is state-controlled. No dissent is allowed. |
| Schools | Respected the autonomy of schools | - Has cut federal funding to some schools - Has explicitly said that the punishments applied to Harvard will be applied to other schools that don’t do as they are asked to do |
Curriculum is dictated by the state. Political indoctrination is routine. |
| Law Firms | No interference | - Penalizes law firms that prosecuted cases against Trump in the past (pure spite and revenge) - Encouraged pressure on lawyers representing critics - Threatens other law firms considering taking cases to defend others Trump is attacking |
No independent legal defense. Legal system serves the regime. |
| Gov Agencies | Respected institutional independence | - Installed loyalists in DOJ, DHS, FBI, NSA, Military, etc. - Demanded loyalty oaths to Trump, not USA - Undermined FBI, CDC, and intelligence agencies |
Government agencies act entirely in service to regime. |
| States | Respected state authority under federalism, sometimes slowly rejected for Federal overreach by courts | - Claims that Federal Government can determine election laws, not states - Retaliates against governors of opposing parties - Withholds Congressionally approved funding to states (like Maine) that dare to disagree with Trump |
No subnational autonomy; states act under central authority. |
| Cities | Rare federal intervention | - Threatens removal of funding to “anarchist jurisdictions” - Deployed federal agents without consent |
Local leaders are regime loyalists or appointees. |
| Individuals | Protected freedom of speech, even for critics | - Publicly attacks private citizens - Encouraged harassment of protestors and whistleblowers - Arrests even mayors and government members that disagree with Trump |
Dissidents are imprisoned, exiled, or disappeared. Surveillance is pervasive. |
| Businesses | Generally non-interventionist | - Threatened Amazon lawsuits over tariff info - Warned Walmart of “bad things” if they raised prices due to tariffs |
Businesses must align with regime interests or risk shutdown or seizure. |
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2025.May - The “The Hungarian Model” article by Anne Applebaum in the May edition of Atlantic Magazine shows that Republicans are following the Hungarian Model to turn our democracy into an autocracy: “After being elected to a second term in 2010, Orbán slowly replaced civil servants with loyalists; used economic pressure and regulation to destroy the free press; robbed universities of their independence, and shut one of them down; politicized the court system; and repeatedly changed the constitution to give himself electoral advantages. During the coronavirus pandemic he gave himself emergency powers, which he has kept ever since. " Article
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2025.5.17 How Autocracy is happening: https://outrageoverload.substack.com/p/beyond-seeing-ghosts-recognizing
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2025.5.15 - The Mask of Democracy: Trump’s Authoritarian Long Con