Many on the Right who have turned a blind eye to the spreading rot of Trumpian authoritarianism can surely be accused of a lack of imagination. Having long blamed support for this terrible man on a lack of empathy, historical knowledge, and critical thinking, I find this assertion sensible. How hard is it, truly, for conservatives to imagine someone else — a Democrat — doing and saying the things that Trump does and says, and therefore recognizing immediately the serious threats to democracy and the rule of law? Of course, some on the Right know that Trump has betrayed such noble ideas, and join him in gleefully sacrificing them on the altar of ideology and power. Role reversal hypotheticals have only a slim hope of reaching those who don’t know — no hope of reaching those who don’t care.
Imagine Obama saying “sometimes you need a dictator” and talking about cancelling elections. The conservative can surely now begin to sense a problem. Imagine a future Democratic president — we’ll call him President “Mud” Portland — declares media outlets should be charged with “treason” and their broadcast licenses revoked over coverage he does not like. His government charges journalists covering events with crimes and investigates others over negative reporting. His officials refuse to commit to following court orders, his attorneys argue the courts cannot stop his actions even if they are illegal. President Portland declares that the Democrats should “take over,” “nationalize” elections, as his officials raid local election offices. He schemes to ensure his presidential records will never reach the National Archives and thus the public, breaking the law. Suppose Hillary Clinton won in 2016 and put her own image on U.S. bills and coins. What if her administration illegally ignored legislation passed by Congress and violated the Constitution as a matter of course? And made a crazed attempt to scapegoat an innocent man over damage to a monument, a frightening act of tyranny? Meanwhile, protesters — violent and nonviolent alike — get 30-100 years in prison, to “send a message to anyone who shares a similar ideology.” Those exercising their free speech to urge soldiers to refuse illegal orders — urge them to follow the law, in other words — are charged with crimes. Would the Right have yawned if the Biden White House had shared altered images of Biden’s enemies? And built up and unleashed a federal law enforcement body that constantly violated court orders, ignored the Fourth Amendment, and illegally arrested people, employing much violence? And President Kamala Harris… She is more interested in protecting her wallet than a free and functioning republic. She maneuvers to ban the IRS from ever taking action over her past tax avoidance, appears to hand out pardons and favorable policies to individuals and countries that invest in her businesses, and sells early access to her social media posts to Wall Street investors, akin to insider trading. Trump and his ilk did all of these things, in the late 2025 to mid 2026 period alone. For earlier examples of their authoritarian assault, see America Is Simply Too Absurd for Democracy to Survive and Republicans Are Calling Themselves Nazis and You a Terrorist.
Putting the shoe on the other foot is a simple task for anyone older than two. But the descent consumes imagination, honesty, and integrity alongside democracy, law, and individual rights. Jesus can be stoned to death over his Golden Rule. Devotion to the cult leader, to extremist ideologies, is simply too strong.
Unfortunately, on the other side, for those with eyes to see, the descent becomes a burden that is too great to bear. Over a decade of daily horrors and absurdities takes its toll. And there is no end in sight. Personally, I find it increasingly difficult to stomach reading the news each day. Suddenly weeks, months, will have passed since opening Jacobin, The Nation, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The American Conservative, or Reason. Having ended my social media doomscrolling (if not doomposting) years ago, this leaves only a couple podcasts and late night shows keeping me abreast — more passive forms of consumption. This is a significant departure for someone who devoted his days to reading, writing, and thinking about political news. (And, probably not coincidentally, arrives alongside the increasing acceptance that the one or two things that could stop this madness will likely never occur, despite an occasional glimmer of hope.) Indeed, a careful tracking of the descent may no longer be possible (hence the awkward “late 2025 to mid 2026” observational period above). A troubling development, because this is how authoritarianism succeeds. It beats you into submission. It sickens you until you tune out. How disturbing it is to feel the descent working on you, pulling you into the maw.
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