State Capture: Trump’s methods of undermining American democracy follow the blueprint of Putin and Orban and have a high chance of success
Donald Trump’s first term in the White House in 2017 mobilised the US establishment to defend democracy and the values at the core of American politics. However, the radical revision of many of these principles and the fierce assault on the state bureaucracy to force its complete loyalty at the beginning of his second term have been met with surprising passivity. Trump is unlikely to change the US Constitution and establish a classic dictatorship. But he will not need to.