Donald Trump and autocracy in America

Summary of Donald Trump and autocracy in America

by Financial Times

31m•November 6, 2025
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Overview of Donald Trump and autocracy in America

This episode of the Rachman Review (Financial Times) — host Gideon Rachman interviewing journalist/historian Anne Applebaum — examines whether and how Donald Trump’s presidency fits the pattern of “strongman” or autocratic politics. Applebaum argues Trump’s second term is more radical and systematic: a combination of legally dubious actions, institutional capture, pressure on the media and civil society, corruption/conflict-of-interest risks, and an international tilt that weakens democratic alliances. The conversation looks at tactics, domestic consequences, legal checks, and global implications.

Key points and main takeaways

  • Second term more radical and calculated: January 6 attraction shifted Trump’s coalition toward people willing to push institutional boundaries; Project 2025 mobilized plans for rapid transformation of government.
  • Tactic: “do first, litigate later.” The administration often implements measures that skirt or arguably violate law, then relies on courts and inertia to retroactively legitimize or make them irreversible.
  • Institutional erosion:
    • Attempts to dismantle or hollow out agencies (e.g., USAID) and reconfigure the federal bureaucracy.
    • ICE operations resembling secret police tactics (unmarked cars, face masks, street arrests).
    • Use of federal agencies (DOJ, IRS, regulators) to pressure or silence political opponents and critics.
  • Electoral manipulation: federal pressure on states to gerrymander, demands for voter rolls, and other efforts to shape the electoral playing field.
  • Chilling effect on speech and funding: universities, researchers, NGOs and donors self-censor or withdraw activism for fear of audits, lost grants, or reprisals.
  • Media and information control: buying or pressuring outlets (parallels to Viktor Orbán’s media consolidation), proposed sale/transfer of TikTok control to pro-Trump allies as an influence mechanism.
  • Corruption and conflicts of interest: opaque financial flows (crypto coins, business dealings, fundraising tied to White House renovations, golf events with foreign sponsors) risk mixing state decision-making with private gain.
  • Judiciary as a critical arbiter: Supreme Court composition is a pivotal variable — originalist/legalist traditions might check extremes, but some justices could be partisan; outcomes likely case-dependent.
  • International consequences: Trump’s praise of authoritarian leaders (Putin, Xi) and his policies have damaged U.S. credibility and alliances; autocrats learn from and emulate each other’s tactics without needing a formal conspiracy.

Topics discussed

  • Differences between Trump’s first and second terms and why the latter is more radical.
  • Project 2025: written blueprint to remake the federal government quickly after election wins.
  • Examples of legally dubious actions: USAID shutdown, White House renovations without appropriate approvals.
  • ICE tactics and the emergence of quasi-secret-police behaviors.
  • Gerrymandering and federal pressure on state-level electoral processes.
  • Weaponization of state institutions against political opponents and donors (DOJ, IRS, regulators).
  • Declaring states of emergency and invoking laws (e.g., Insurrection Act) to expand executive power.
  • Chilling effects on academia, journalism, NGOs, and corporate advisers.
  • Media capture and algorithmic control (TikTok sale example).
  • Corruption, money flows, and conflicts of interest (crypto coins, law-firm shakedowns, foreign-paying attendees at Trump properties).
  • The role and future behavior of the U.S. Supreme Court.
  • Trump’s relationship with Putin/Xi: admiration, strategic alignment on weakening democracies, but no evidence of a secret coordinated conspiracy.
  • Damage to transatlantic alliances and long-term consequences for U.S. global leadership.

Notable quotes and insights

  • “They simply push the envelope … do the thing that comes close to breaking the law and then worry about whether the courts try to stop you later.”
  • “If it was a conspiracy, it would be in secret. But this is open.” (On the interplay among autocratic leaders)
  • Applebaum: “I don't think most people were consciously voting for the end of U.S. aid or the pulling apart of the State Department or the destruction of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
  • Observation: autocrats now often capture information spaces and markets rather than overtly censoring; they buy or starve media to control narratives.

Risks highlighted

  • Institutional decay through incremental legal transgressions that become irreversible if courts or Congress do not act.
  • Electoral unfairness via redistricting, voter-roll manipulation, and suppression of donors/organizers.
  • Erosion of civic freedoms due to fear of retaliation (audits, funding cuts, employment consequences).
  • Corruption blurring private gain and public office, undermining trust.
  • Weakening of alliances and democratic leadership internationally, empowering autocratic regimes.

What’s working as pushback

  • Legal challenges and lawsuits have successfully blocked or slowed some actions (e.g., efforts to close broadcasters).
  • Some private institutions and law firms have fought back, suing or resisting pressure.
  • Massive public protests and civil mobilization (example cited: large protest against ICE actions).

Practical recommendations / action items (implied)

  • Support and fund independent legal challenges and public-interest litigation to contest illegal or extra-legal acts.
  • Strengthen protections for grant-funded research and institutions to reduce chilling effects on academic freedom.
  • Increase transparency and oversight of government contracting, fundraising, and foreign business dealings to curb conflicts of interest.
  • Protect electoral integrity: monitor redistricting efforts, defend voter access and rolls, and support nonpartisan election administration.
  • Bolster independent media and algorithms’ transparency; support platforms and researchers who study content moderation and recommendation systems.
  • Civic education and voter outreach to explain the implications of institutional changes (e.g., Project 2025).
  • Maintain and repair international alliances by reaffirming commitments to shared institutions and norms.

Who’s speaking / context

  • Host: Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator, Financial Times.
  • Guest: Anne Applebaum, journalist, historian, author of Autocracy Inc.
  • Format: Live interview in London for The Rachman Review; mix of policy analysis, historical comparison, and contemporary examples.

Bottom line

Applebaum portrays Trump’s current approach as characteristic of contemporary strongman politics: rapid, incremental institutional capture; legally aggressive tactics that capitalize on delay and inertia; media and financial influence to shape public opinion; and policies that weaken democratic norms domestically and internationally. The outcome depends on legal pushback, institutional resilience (including the courts), civic mobilization, and whether democratic institutions can adapt to counter these pressures.