While Applebaum did reference Donald Trump1 a few times in Autocracy Inc, the bulk of the book was written before Trump’s second Presidency yet many of the tactics described by Applebaum in the book have clear parallels to what we see Trump’s team doing today.
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He runs smear campaigns against dissenting voices and with all the accusations flowing supporters think something in there must be true2. He’s using acts of violence perpetrated by ICE against immigrants to normalize violence which he can later use against others he doesn’t like3. He’s using ICE to commit acts of violence against protesters knowing you don’t have to kill them all, just frighten them enough4. He’s influencing media to sell stories that paint his policies in a favourable light5 and asking for pledges of allegiance from reporters. He makes up stories to tell you how bad others are so he can abuse them6.
All of these tactics are directly called out as examples of how autocrats work in Autocracy Inc. Now, what would Applebaum say about Trump today if given the chance?
Anne Applebaum on Donald Trump
Unsurprisingly she’s calling out Trump’s tactics as ones directly taken from the autocratic playbook. From mocking protestors in a demeaning way so that anyone that supports him at all won’t join in any protest supporting democracy, to lamenting the US going dark as a beacon for democracy, she continues to show how Trump is undermining the democracy of the US and moving it towards authoritarianism.
I hope she writes another book looking at the aftermath of the current political climate. Unfortunately this assumes that dissent will be tolerated at all.