The authoritarian leader first takes control of the nation’s power ministries – Justice, the Secret Police (FBI), the Military, and the Intelligence apparatus. Then he/she, in what is referred to as “authoritarian consolidation,” moves to control the lower courts, the media, other government ministries, the electoral process, government workers, civil society institutions, universities, opposition groups and individuals, and minorities, with frequent reference to “enemies within” as the main danger to the nation.

Federal agents on the roof of the ICE facility in Portland, OR. Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

The United States now has an authoritarian government. Period. Full stop. How do we know that? If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is almost certainly a duck.

Stanford University History Professor Jack Rakove offers a more professional, succinct explanation. In a functioning constitutional republic, the executive (President) lawfully and constitutionally executes the nation’s laws; the parliament (US Congress) passes the laws and provides a check on unlawful or excessive use of executive power; and a constitutional court (Supreme Court) ensures the other two branches of government act lawfully and constitutionally. He observes that none of these things now occur in the United States.

We have a President who, almost daily, violates the nation’s laws, required government procedures, and the US Constitution. He rules by frequently illegal executive orders and flouts the nation’s judicial system. He has demonstrated that he has no respect for the rule of law, foundational in a democracy.

The Republican-controlled US Congress does nothing to check the President’s abuse of power, nor takes any action to prevent the President from usurping its own constitutional authority. This includes Montana’s entire Congressional delegation.

The US Supreme Court, meanwhile, continues to enable the President’s unlawful behavior. Lower courts, consistently and with reasoned opinions, find the President’s actions un-Constitutional, unlawful, or otherwise improper. But the current Supreme Court repeatedly reverses the lower courts or lifts injunctions that bar unlawful Presidential actions, frequently without explanation. Esteemed Constitutional scholar, Harvard professor-emeritus Lawrence Tribe, stated that this is indicative of an authoritarian supreme court.

This is not what our Founding Fathers intended. Instead, they define an authoritarian government. Numerous books by authors like Snyder, Applebaum, Levitsky, Ben-Ghiat, Gessen, and Diamond explain how we got here and what to expect:

The authoritarian leader first takes control of the nation’s power ministries – Justice, the Secret Police (FBI), the Military, and the Intelligence apparatus. Then he/she, in what is referred to as “authoritarian consolidation,” moves to control the lower courts, the media, other government ministries, the electoral process, government workers, civil society institutions, universities, opposition groups and individuals, and minorities, with frequent reference to “enemies within” as the main danger to the nation.

Watch the evening news. All these things are happening in the United States now.

At the same time, the Trump government now sponsors things that are unthinkable in a functioning democracy, including hate, racism, discrimination, censorship, limits on freedom of speech, lawlessness, violence against citizens, ideological indoctrination, conspiracy theories, attacks on science and expertise, fear, persecution of political enemies, financial blackmail, perversion of information and truth, and large cuts to programs assisting the nation’s less fortunate citizens. Again, read a newspaper or watch the evening news.

Sponsorship of such things represent the reality of authoritarian governments. They will affect people much more deeply and for much longer than the price of eggs, if they are allowed to continue.

All is not lost, however. Americans disapprove of what Trump is doing by 60-80% depending on the issue. The lower courts continue to uphold the Constitution and enforce the law. Large parts of the media are still factual and responsible. American citizens are taking to the streets and resisting in ever-increasing numbers. Perhaps we will still have a legitimate 2026 election despite Republican efforts to the contrary.

There are few good books or examples to tell us how to get out of this. As Pogo noted, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” We have to figure it out for ourselves. We could start by acknowledging that the fight is against an authoritarian government.

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