Nate Cohn

in a world where the democrats have taken control of the house let alone if you imagine the president seeking a third term or even if he doesn't seek a third term simply if there's another republican who gets elected whether they could continue to pursue these policies like this kind of public opinion makes a lasting change like this much more difficult i think to sustain and you know i should say that when we look at this in the context of a broader rise of right-wing populist authoritarianism across the world in places like hungary or turkey or russia or india

in a world where the democrats have taken control of the house let alone if you imagine the president seeking a third term or even if he doesn't seek a third term simply if there's another republican who gets elected whether they could continue to pursue these policies like this kind of public opinion makes a lasting change like this much more difficult i think to sustain and you know i should say that when we look at this in the context of a broader rise of right-wing populist authoritarianism across the world in places like hungary or turkey or russia or india

We see that the political parties that are pulling this off are really popular. They command overwhelming support from the public. They do so when they win in the first place. They enter office with a broad coalition and often a clear majority of the electorate. And they solidify that support in office.

We see that the political parties that are pulling this off are really popular. They command overwhelming support from the public. They do so when they win in the first place. They enter office with a broad coalition and often a clear majority of the electorate. And they solidify that support in office.

It's also worth noting that they are assisted often by undermining the institutions that attempt to check them, whether it's the media or the courts or so on, the kinds of things that Donald Trump is attempting. That's not how this is playing out to this point. Donald Trump may be undertaking many measures that are reminiscent of those populist, right-wing, authoritarian governments.

It's also worth noting that they are assisted often by undermining the institutions that attempt to check them, whether it's the media or the courts or so on, the kinds of things that Donald Trump is attempting. That's not how this is playing out to this point. Donald Trump may be undertaking many measures that are reminiscent of those populist, right-wing, authoritarian governments.

But the public's response is not conducive to that taking hold in a way that permanently affects the trajectory of the United States without a large backlash, whether that's in the midterm or the next presidential election and so on.

But the public's response is not conducive to that taking hold in a way that permanently affects the trajectory of the United States without a large backlash, whether that's in the midterm or the next presidential election and so on.

That's right. And Donald Trump, if he is trying to create a more authoritarian system of government in the United States, is running up against longstanding American values that are as old as the Republic or even older. And that makes it much more difficult for him to get the public to acquiesce to broader claims of executive power than presidents have managed to claim for themselves in the past.

That's right. And Donald Trump, if he is trying to create a more authoritarian system of government in the United States, is running up against longstanding American values that are as old as the Republic or even older. And that makes it much more difficult for him to get the public to acquiesce to broader claims of executive power than presidents have managed to claim for themselves in the past.

In a strange way, and this is an extreme example, and there are obviously many differences, but in a strange way, it's almost the reverse of the challenges the U.S. faced in Iraq. When the U.S. invaded Iraq, there were lots of people who questioned whether the U.S. could implant a democracy in a country without any history. We tried. Liberal democracy.

In a strange way, and this is an extreme example, and there are obviously many differences, but in a strange way, it's almost the reverse of the challenges the U.S. faced in Iraq. When the U.S. invaded Iraq, there were lots of people who questioned whether the U.S. could implant a democracy in a country without any history. We tried. Liberal democracy.

We tried, and it failed for a number of reasons besides the country not having a tradition of democratic governance.

We tried, and it failed for a number of reasons besides the country not having a tradition of democratic governance.

But if you were to try and implant an authoritarian regime in the United States, you face a sort of similar version of the problem, but in reverse, where you're trying to get the citizens to go along with the form of government that it doesn't have experience with in the past and hasn't built a system of values around and support. And again, that doesn't mean it's impossible.

But if you were to try and implant an authoritarian regime in the United States, you face a sort of similar version of the problem, but in reverse, where you're trying to get the citizens to go along with the form of government that it doesn't have experience with in the past and hasn't built a system of values around and support. And again, that doesn't mean it's impossible.

You can clearly point to cases historically where even liberal societies turn toward more authoritarian regimes. But that doesn't mean it's not more challenging as a consequence. And you can see that in the poll. Right.

You can clearly point to cases historically where even liberal societies turn toward more authoritarian regimes. But that doesn't mean it's not more challenging as a consequence. And you can see that in the poll. Right.

That's right. And that's also part of why I can't help but think that this was a bit of a missed political opportunity for conservatives and for Donald Trump. You know, they didn't win the last election to landslide by any stretch, but they often won the debate over the issues fairly decisively. On immigration, the public wanted a crackdown on immigration and a secure border.

That's right. And that's also part of why I can't help but think that this was a bit of a missed political opportunity for conservatives and for Donald Trump. You know, they didn't win the last election to landslide by any stretch, but they often won the debate over the issues fairly decisively. On immigration, the public wanted a crackdown on immigration and a secure border.