Americans, specifically, lovers of democracy, are crying daytime murder of democracy in their country – what we have come to know as the mother of modern democracy. They reference President Donald Trump’s hard line against free speech, persecution of those that disagree with him or his policies and disrespect for Congress, often choosing to address Americans over and above the heads of elected lawmakers [Congressmen and Senators]. They see these traits as indicative of a tendency towards dictatorship. And they urge their compatriots, Democrats and Republicans alike, to join forces to tame this wild Trump. Will they and can they?
Trump, we must know by now, rode back to the presidency with a revenge mission – to deal with those he suspected engineered his reelection defeat in 2021. Remember, Trump still hasn’t accepted he lost that election and even instigated a coup against the very pillar of American democracy , the Capitol, June 4! He refused to invite Joe Biden, the Democrat who defeated him, to his second swearing-in January 20 2025. His surprising return to the White House was made possible by manipulation of two cultural trends. One, Americans’ love of the romantic. There must be regime change, even if it is change for its sake alone. A popular government can be replaced if the ruling party has been in power for too long, for example, more than three terms. Trump’s first term broke the Democrats’ eight-year rule under President Barack Obama. Republican Trump previously had managed only one tenure and was bundled out of office by another Democrat Biden. This bruised the Americans’ romantic sense, which looks out for the dramatic in particular. Biden couldn’t provide that even though the economy was enjoying a boom under his rule.
Trump, not a dumb one, seized upon that missing drama. He started a movement codenamed MAGA – America must be great again. Under it, he promoted a strong sense of adventure, particularly abroad. And he pushed a robust line against immigration and a trade war against China. That pleased a sizeable number of young American voters who had been told immigrants were the criminals in their cities and were taking over their jobs. A throwback to the 1930s McCarthyism that inspired Arthur Miller’s visceral play The Crucible. This resort to populism worked for Trump during the campaign and is still working even now after the election. But one problem is that populism may be good for a candidate for elective office but certainly bad for a country determined to sustain a proud democratic tradition. This is the rallying cry of anti dictatorship proponents in America today.
David Brooks, in his article, which appears in The Atlantic’s special issue on the unfinished American Revolution, says that “Donald Trump’s dominance—over politicians, higher education, the judicial system, and the American psyche—won’t be broken while thinking in conventional political terms.” He believes, instead, that a mass “political-cultural-social movement” will be necessary to reverse the global tide of populism that has propelled not just Trump, but also figures like Viktor Orbán, Narendra Modi [in India], and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. “Conventional politicians don’t have the vision or power to reverse a historical tide,” Brooks writes. “Chuck Schumer is not going to save us.” To beat the culture of Trumpism, he argues, you need a counter vision about where America should be heading, a different set of values dictating what is admirable and what is disgraceful. This movement is possible. And there are examples from the past to lead us there.” But all Americans recognize this imperative and are they ready to raise the banner? Certainly, not yet. Their rediscovered sense of power is too blinding for them to see the illusion of Trumpism.
Another question: is democracy in danger of losing its lure altogether, even in America? Not likely, but its gradual erosion is evident enough to give cause for concern. Populism is like a drug. It gives a false sense of satisfaction and security. But like a drug, its numbing effect soon weakens, replaced by fear and trepidation. Socrates, the the Greek philosopher, several centuries ago, did warn that democracy would grow weak, imperilled by individual hunger for power and corruption in political high places. He didn’t give a timeline, only defenders of democracy would do well to be on their guard. In Africa, we have just witnessed the danger in populism. Young army officers, flying nationalistic slogans, have removed Democratic governments in three former French colonies – Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Just last week, Madagascar joined the bandwagon. Who is next? Hence Socrates’ warning and Brooks’ battle cry!
