How Democracies Erode: Susan Glasser on Trump, Power, and the New American Crisis
March 19, 2025 | The Trump Cabinet
In a recent America at a Crossroads discussion, journalist and political analyst Susan Glasser offered a sobering assessment of the state of American democracy under the second Trump administration. A seasoned observer of authoritarian regimes and a staff writer at The New Yorker, Glasser brings decades of experience reporting from Moscow, Washington, and war zones to her weekly column, Letter from Trump’s Washington. In this interview, Glasser detailed how what once felt like political chaos is now coalescing into a deliberate and sweeping attempt to dismantle democratic norms, systems, and institutions.
From Firehose to Framework
Glasser began by addressing the sense of overwhelm that many Americans feel—a firehose of daily headlines, from attacks on the judiciary to the rollback of diversity policies and foreign aid. This information overload, she said, was the reason she launched her column in the first place. “It was in response to that feeling of being overwhelmed,” she explained, “and not remembering by Thursday what had gotten you upset on Monday.”
But the Trump of today, she argues, is not merely chaotic—he is strategic. “We are looking at actions on a wide variety of fronts such that… there’s really not an analogy in any history,” Glasser said. In contrast to his first term, Trump’s second administration is moving with alarming speed, fortified by loyalists and unchecked by the internal resistance that once existed.
An Apparatus Decades in the Making
Central to this transformation is the rise of what Glasser describes as an “apparatus” behind Trump: a coalition of hardline conservatives, think tanks, and personal loyalists ready to enact sweeping changes. She pointed specifically to Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation initiative designed to overhaul the federal government along right-wing ideological lines. Though Trump distanced himself from the project during the campaign, Glasser notes its policies are already being implemented “beyond [its authors’] wildest dreams.”
Silencing the Checks and Balances
Glasser expressed deep concern over the increasing silence—or compliance—of traditional institutional checks on executive power. Attacks on the judiciary are met with little more than weak statements from figures like Chief Justice John Roberts. The media, Congress, and civil society—once more vocal and mobilized—have grown quieter. “The judiciary may be the last check on Trump’s authority,” she warned, “and it is under direct and strategic assault.”
Lessons from Abroad
Drawing on her time as co-bureau chief in Moscow for The Washington Post, Glasser sees clear parallels between Trump’s governance style and that of authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin. She recalled the early 2000s, when Putin rapidly dismantled Russia’s democratic institutions under the guise of national unity. “What seemed unimaginable in the U.S. just a decade ago is now being normalized,” she said.
Democratic Paralysis and the Danger of Normalization
Glasser did not reserve her criticism for Trump alone. She questioned the Democratic Party’s ability—or willingness—to meaningfully oppose his agenda. Referencing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s compromises on recent budget negotiations, she warned, “You can’t go and tell the American people ‘Donald Trump is going to be a fascist,’ and then behave as if it’s business as usual.”
A Call to Awareness
In her closing remarks, Glasser offered neither easy answers nor false comfort. But she did deliver a clear warning. “History is very clear,” she said. “Allowing someone to take actions like this without even being opposed will only lead to something more extreme.”
As the country stands at a crossroads, Glasser’s words remind us that democracy doesn’t disappear in a single moment—it erodes piece by piece, while everyone is watching.
About America at a Crossroads
Since April 2020, America at a Crossroads has produced weekly virtual programs on topics related to the preservation of our democracy, voting rights, freedom of the press, and a wide array of civil rights, including abortion rights, free speech, and free press. America at a Crossroads is a project of Jews United for Democracy & Justice.