Authoritarian Populists Have Six Classic Moves. Trump’s Response to COVID-19 Uses Five of Them.
While the president may not be using the coronavirus to consolidate power, Americans should still be worried about the threat he poses to democracy.
President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has been disastrous. He has failed to coordinate the country’s actions at the federal level and to implement a nationwide mitigation strategy. But some have argued that this points to a silver lining: Trump is not seizing the moment to consolidate power or become the strongman many have feared.
This should provide little relief. The danger Trump poses has never stemmed from his having a carefully worked out playbook for weakening America’s institutions, step by calculating step. Instead, it stems from his reflexive
