POLITICO Magazine, Sept. 19, 2025 — by Jonathan Schlefer
Schlefer argues that while Trump threatens democratic norms, the U.S. has unusual sources of resilience compared with countries that slid into autocracy. Rich, long-lived democracies rarely die; the U.S. presidential system’s checks and balances make wholesale court-packing and constitutional rewrites harder than in parliamentary systems; and Trump’s popularity is far below the sky-high approval that enabled figures like Fujimori and Bukele to crush checks. A robust legal profession and civil society can resist overreach, and the Supreme Court—even with conservative justices—has limits and incentives that don’t align with blind Trumpism. Risks remain (inequality, polarization, episodic lawlessness, rising political violence), but large, nonviolent protest—including movements approaching the 1–3.5% participation range—signals broad opposition and can deter authoritarian consolidation. Bottom line: U.S. democracy is wounded, not doomed.
Critical Mass: Three Point Five Percent 