Autocracy vs. Democracy in America: The First 100 Days
In his first 100 days, Donald Trump pushed authoritarian policies but faced strong resistance from courts, voters, and pro-democracy coalitions. This report highlights the pro-democracy forces landing decisive blows—Trump lost the first round, and now it’s time for democracy to win the fight.
Prior to the 2024 presidential election, Donald Trump said he would be a dictator on “day one” if he were elected. He persisted in that aspiration for his next 99 days as well – and is showing no signs of stopping. But he did not count on the massive pushback of democracy in court proceedings, at and in the polls, and in political leadership and popular protest alike. As a result, 100 days into his second administration, Trump has failed to achieve his goal. He is no dictator – at least not yet.
Trump and his administration and allies have launched an unprecedented assault on America’s democratic institutions, norms and the rule of law. But a coalition of pro-democracy leaders, groups and individuals has risen to stop Trump, working from the tree tops to the grassroots, winning key court decisions to block some of his worst transgressions and rallying by the millions against his dark vision for our country.
Still, the threat remains. We at State Democracy Defenders Action (SDDA) are proud to have been on the frontline during Trump’s first 100 days with a massive coalition including other non-partisan, nonprofit groups, labor and business, liberals and conservatives, government officials and ordinary people defending our democracy. That coalition is continuing to grow and we and our pro-democracy colleagues are doubling our efforts against authoritarianism. It is now clear that Trump will not surrender his desire for unchecked power. We and others will not surrender our commitment to stopping him in his quest to undermine our democracy.
And as this report shows, the pushback is working. It is with that threat in mind that we present this series of essays on Trump’s first 100 days in office. The essays are intended to capture the main ways in which the Trump administration has sought to sabotage the foundations of America’s democracy – and the pushback that has garnered. We have not attempted to retell the story of everything that has transpired in just a few short months. Instead we focus on five of the most important areas of contestation, how autocracy has been attempted and how it has failed.
Pro-democracy forces have and must continue to uphold the rule of law, as well as other long-established norms, to maintain checks-and-balances and oversight. Unsurprisingly, Trump has sought to subvert the rule of law in multiple ways during the first 100 days of his return to office. In the first essay, we explain how the president has weaponized the Department of Justice and the criminal justice system, attempting to turn it against his perceived personal and political foes. In a second rule of law essay, we examine at length the Trump administration’s deprivation of due process – a core constitutional right – to more than 200 migrants. The courts, from lower courts all the way up to the Supreme Court, have rejected the administration’s arguments for ending due process.
Defending the integrity of electoral institutions so that voters may continue to express their will is essential for preserving our democracy. In the third essay, we explain how Trump has attempted to gain control over America’s elections process. In a landmark ruling, a federal judge rejected components of Trump’s plan, finding that he had infringed on the constitutional powers granted to the states and the U.S. Congress. We also discuss other challenges to free and fair elections being held at the state level.
Corruption is a central feature of autocracies and authoritarian regimes around the globe. Pro-democracy forces often must expose and root out cronyism and self-dealing to preserve representative forms of government that are accountable to the people. A fourth essay explores the ways in which Trump’s regime has ushered in a new era of government corruption. While occupying the Oval Office, the president has marketed and personally profited from pseudo-crypto currencies even as his own administration crafts new policies for overseeing the industry. The Trump administration has also gutted key regulatory and oversight functions that were designed to keep corruption and foreign influence in check.
The pluralistic form of government crafted at America’s founding envisioned diverse factions and interests competing with one another such that none of them gained too much power at the expense of others. The U.S. Constitution is based on a careful separation of powers, with three co-equal branches (executive, legislative and judicial) each having their own spheres of authority. Protecting this structure, as well as defending the most vulnerable in our society from scapegoating, are essential for defending pluralistic democracy. A fifth essay analyzes how Trump is seeking to upend this constitutionally constructed balance of power.
In the sixth essay, we explore the Trump administration’s comprehensive attack on the free press, as well as academic freedom and the collective bargaining power of labor unions. Universities and organized labor are two cornerstones of civil society. And a free press is irreplaceable for holding those in power accountable for their misdeeds. So, it is no mystery why Trump has abused the power of the presidency to intimidate news outlets and universities, while
also seeking to undercut the power of workers. Here, as elsewhere, there is significant resistance to Trump’s autocratic moves, with the courts already rejecting some of his attempts to restrict freedom of speech.
In a final essay, we explain that Donald Trump’s many and serious assaults on all these aspects of our democracy have so far failed to achieve their objective. He is a self-proclaimed dictator who sought to transform America into an autocracy in the space of 100 days. But the pushback was even more furious in every dimension. We detail those vigorous counters. We argue that we have learned many lessons during Trump’s return to power, but no lesson is more important than this: Autocracy is far from inevitable on American soil. There are many challenges ahead. But Trump and his team have suffered far more setbacks than they likely anticipated. The rule of law and the power of the people are potent antidotes for the poison of autocracy.
