Session Two: Trump and Authoritarianism

 Session Two: Trump and Authoritarianism (under construction)

Essential Questions

• What characteristics of democratic backsliding are evident today?

• What are the reasons for this backsliding?

• How does the Trump Presidency reflect autocratic tendencies?

• How sturdy are the democratic institutional guardrails? 

• What specific pillars of democracy are under attack?

• What is Project 2025? What role is it playing in the Trump Presidency?

• What is competitive authoritarianism?

• Introductions and welcome

• Homework for Session 3

• Music:  "Done with Bonaparte," Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris, All the Roadrunning, 2006, Link to Site

• Gathering: A question that I have about Trump and Authoritarianism is..(Chat room)

• Speaker: Louisa Terrell, former Assistant to the President (Biden) and Director of Legislative Affairs

• Readings:

 George Packer, "America's Zombie Democracy," Atlantic Magazine, Link to Site

• Mike Allen, " 1 big thing: The most unprecendented presidency," Axios AM, 9/23/25 Link to site

•  Stacey Abrams, "Trump Pushing Our Country into Authoritarianism, Jimmy Kimmel Live," July 8, 2025 Link to Site

• Maria Ressa, "Fighting Back Against Trump's Authoritarian Algorithm with Truth," Daily Show, 9/18/25 Link to SiteSheppele's Slide to Authoritarianism, chatgpt, Link to site

• Kim Lane Scheppele,  "Bullying Universities: How trump is Destroying American Higher Education," verfassungsblog, July 28, 2025 Link to site

• Thomas Edsall, "I Even Believe He is Destroying the American Presidency," New York Times, May20, 2025  Link to site

• David Brooks, "How elites rigged society (and why its falling apart),  Youtube, 2/18/25 Link to Site

• Steven Levitsky, "The New Authoritarianism," The Atlantic Magazine, 2/10/25 link to site

David Remick, interview with Sen. Chris Murphy,"We are Sleepwalking into Autocracy," NYTImes, March 30, 2025 Link to Site

Resources:

• podcast, Robert Reich, "Why Do So Many Americans Support a Neofascist, " The Coffee Klatch, Link to Site

• "What is Project 2025?,"CHATGPT, Link to site

Closing: "Something that I learned Today was....."

We have frequently printed the word Democracy. Yet I cannot too often repeat that it is a word the real gist of which still sleeps, quite unawakened.

Walt Whitman, Democratic Vistas, 1872 from Heather Cox Richardson, Democracy Awakening

"Power is to be in the hands of the people, not people in the hands of power."

        graffitti on the town hall of Prijedor, Bosnia 1998