There is no single line that, when crossed, moves a country from democracy straight to authoritarianism. Authoritarianism in today’s world comes about by chipping away at democracy, piece by piece.
We are only a few weeks into the new year, and the chipping away at democracy by President Trump’s authoritarian regime is unmistakable: the killing of Renee Good and other abuses of power by masked ICE agents; an illegal military incursion in Venezuela; White House lies about the violent events of January 6; and the rollback of childhood vaccine protections. The Trump administration’s contempt for the democratic process and the public good is on full display, as they use fear and force both at home and abroad to maintain power at any cost. We must recognize this state-perpetuated violence, and the tsunami of lies justifying it, as a coordinated erosion of our democracy that makes us less safe.
Divide the country between “us” and “them”
As I have written elsewhere, there are hallmarks of authoritarianism, tactics common to authoritarian regimes throughout history—tactics that serve to advance a regime’s agenda and ideology while blocking avenues of dissent and accountability. It’s important that we not see these recent events in isolation of each other, but as an illustration of the authoritarian nature of President Trump’s regime.
Renee Good was a mother of three, a beloved wife, an award-winning poet. She was shot and killed by masked ICE officers in what marks an important escalation in President Trump’s tactic to divide the country between “us” and “them.”
Immediately and since, the White House responded to Good’s killing with lies and venom. There was an immediate disinformation campaign seeking to gaslight the American public into disbelieving what they saw with their own eyes as administration officials absurdly branded Good as a domestic terrorist. Trump officials and administration allies suggested that opposition to their actions and policies is a capital crime, and that masked ICE agents can act with impunity as a paramilitary force. Indeed, six prosecutors have resigned from the Department of Justice in protest of a potential investigation targeting Good’s wife.
Renee Good’s killing came during a stepped-up immigration enforcement action against Black Somali immigrants in Minnesota, who have been continuously maligned by the president. The latest violence marks a year of aggressive ICE operations that have targeted immigrants in their neighborhoods, schools, homes, and even legal hearings. Tens of thousands of people have been detained and at least 20 have died in ICE custody. This is happening at the same time the administration is creating a special refugee program to allow white South Africans to come to the United States.
The attempt to rewrite the history of the January 6th insurrection is another example of how President Trump, his staff and his allies in the media are creating in-groups through hatred of out-groups, a known tactic of authoritarianism. On the fifth anniversary of the violent invasion of the US Capitol, the official White House website recast the events of the day by portraying the violent mob as wrongfully persecuted patriots and denying the president’s role in stoking the events. Of course, one of his first official acts as president in 2025 was to pardon more than 1,200 individuals who took part in the violent insurrection, including leaders of far-right, neo-fascist militant nationalist groups like Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, casting these violent offenders as part of the president’s in-group.
Disregard the rule of law, centralize power, and eliminate checks and balances
In the authoritarian regime in the White House, “them” includes anyone who challenges the administration’s authority. In November 2025, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, a decorated retired Navy Captain, and five other lawmakers with experience in the military and intelligence made a video reminding troops of their right to refuse illegal orders. This was in response to US military strikes in the Caribbean against boats coming from Venezuela. Senator Kelly and his colleagues were branded “seditious,” with the president saying their actions could be “punishable by death.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched an investigation and is threatening Senator Kelly’s military benefits for accurately reminding service members they can refuse illegal orders.
This month, President Trump stepped even further beyond the bounds of law and the Constitution by illegally invading Venezuela. While a candidate for election, the president promised a more modest foreign policy, but since then, the administration has launched more than 600 air strikes since returning to office, and in recent days has insisted that the United States will “run” Venezuela indefinitely. Indeed, President Trump has laid claim to Venezuela’s oil reserves, bringing US oil company executives to the White House to discuss plans for exploiting these reserves.
The fossil fuel industry has strongly supported Donald Trump’s campaigns and stands to be a huge beneficiary of Trump administration policies. Clearly, the wealthy executives of the oil and gas industry are an “in group” who expect to benefit from their alliance with the Trump administration.
The invasion of Venezuela and the president’s threats against Greenland, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, and others are not about national security or the national interest. President Trump is working to undermine the rules and norms of international law and use US foreign policy as an expression of his own personal will. It’s not about what’s right for people in Venezuela or the United States—it’s about whether the president and his political allies can carve up the world for their own benefit.
Push disinformation and suppress dissent
Authoritarian regimes flood the information environment with lies and disinformation that support or advance their narrative and agenda. In the past week, we saw the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., use a disinformation campaign built on pseudo-science as an excuse to weaken childhood vaccine protections.
Vaccines are actually still widely popular and scientifically proven to be effective, and it would be politically difficult to axe them altogether, so Secretary Kennedy is using his public platform to sow confusion about their value. This represents more chipping away at public health and institutions that serve the public, one conspiracy-driven falsehood at a time. In addition to anti-vaccine pseudo-science, Kennedy misleadingly points to Denmark as the model for rolling back childhood vaccine recommendations. But Denmark is a tiny country compared to the United States, with free healthcare and a robust social safety system to help those who get sick.
The United States has neither, and the latest removal of vaccine recommendations echoes the soft eugenics being peddled by the “MAHA” movement. Soft eugenics is the idea that there should be limits to what health services are provided by the government, and that we should let nature take its course, and the strong will survive. This attitude showed up in the “herd immunity” theory put forth by opponents of COVID public health protections.
Such dangerous beliefs are another form of “us” versus “them,” with sick and disabled people as the disfavored group. The administration’s approach puts the onus of health on personal responsibility and ignores the role of social determinants of health: the way health outcomes are shaped by where you are born, grow, live, work; your age; and your level of access to resources, money and power. In their own words, they want to “evangelize” their beliefs into government policy. In the process, they’ve pushed out science and dramatically limited transparency and public participation.
We are still in the early stages of resistance
Each of the incidents highlighted above are horrible abuses of power that hurt people. They are evidence of how President Trump and his political appointees are chipping away at democracy, piece by piece, and moving the country closer to authoritarian rule. You are less safe because political leaders in this administration do not trust science. They don’t base their policies, decisions, or ideas on empirical, real-world evidence because it could conflict with their beliefs, the needs of their “in-group,” and their quest for power. To put a finer point on it, equality and dignity for all people, not just the in-group, is the opposite of authoritarianism.
There’s sure to be more terrible lies and more state-based violence in our future. UCS firmly believes these continuing abuses of power should be met with sustained, public, nonviolent protest and civil resistance.
Know your rights to record law enforcement operations in public and tell stories of truth against the administration’s lies. Call Congress and tell them to stand up for checks and balances. Continue to spread the word and build solidarity. That is how we defend science and democracy.