Trump Ramps Up Authoritarianism in Wake of DC Shooting, from Immigration to Cancelling Biden Orders

Nov 29, 2025 | The shooting of National Guard members in Washington D.C. was immediately used by Donald Trump as political leverage to justify sweeping changes, including a call for a "permanent pause" on migration from "third-world countries," and the suspension of asylum and visa processing for certain nationals. The combination of militarizing U.S. streets, centralizing control over the immigration system, and attempting to erase the previous administration's legacy points toward a significant and rapid escalation of executive power.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Jared Yates Sexton on the Rising Resistance to Trump’s Authoritarianism - The Weekend Show

Nov 3, 2025 | Author Jared Yates Sexton joins Anthony Davis to discuss the rising resistance to Trump’s authoritarianism, including the courts ruling to restore SNAP benefits. Plus the rise of the new left in the face of the far right with Zohran Mamdani changing the rules for Democratic campaigning - only on The Weekend Show.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Anand GiridharadasTrump and Zohran, Demolition and Rebuilding

Oct 27, 2025 | Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat returns to help us parse Trump's latest gambits, including the spectacle of a White House demolition and the soft launch of a third-term fantasy

Historian Warns: 'A Chill Spreads' as Trump Admin Follows Familiar Authoritarian Playbook

Sep 30, 2025 | … Historian and The Atlantic staff writer Anne Applebaum and Media Matters President Angelo Carusone join The Weeknight to explain how Trump’s actions fit the authoritarian playbook.

Trump's Shoddy Business Moves Are the Key to Stopping His Authoritarianism

Oct 3, 2025 | Legal expert Paul Schiff Berman explains how business leaders could influence Trump to stop legal proceedings against James Comey and George Soros.

"Orwell: 2+2=5": Raoul Peck & Alex Gibney on New Documentary, Authoritarianism, Trump & More

Oct 2, 2025 | We speak with the acclaimed filmmakers Raoul Peck and Alex Gibney about their latest documentary, "Orwell: 2+2=5," which explores the life and career of George Orwell and why his political writing remains relevant today.

Democracy Now! can be supported here.

SCARY: Trump Knows What He's Doing | Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Oct 1, 2025 | Donald Trump is not as dumb as he looks. Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins the discussion today with a warning about Trump's next authoritarian moves.

History Is Repeating: Trump's Regime Sets the Stage to Silence ALL Dissent

Sep 23, 2025 | Trump is continuing to consolidate power in his quest to become a fully-fledged dictator. After his FCC pressured ABC to cancel Jimmy Kimmel’s show, Trump suggested it was illegal to criticize him/them. Meanwhile, he’s designating political opponents as t*rrorists (and potentially giving trans people and Muslims the same designation) and declared his hatred for his opponents at Charlie Kirk’s memorial.

Stephen Miller’s speech at Kirk’s memorial was eerily similar to a different speech in history. In this video, we’ll talk about how—now that they’ve thoroughly dehumanized their political opponents–the Trump regime is carrying out the beginning stages of its plan to completely defang its political opponents entirely.

ABC's Cowardice Is PROOF America's Democracy Has Collapsed | A Conversation with Jim Acosta

Sep 22, 2025 | After ABC's capitulation in suspending Jimmy Kimmel, our government is suppressing free speech at an unprecedented level. Steve Schmidt sits down with Jim Acosta to discuss the collapse of free speech and how we can fight back against the Trump regime's threats.

'Death by a Thousand Cuts': Garry Kasparov on How Democratic Rights Can Slowly Slip Away

Sep 19, 2025 | "The moment you hear 'public interest,' it should ring the bell." Russian dissident Garry Kasparov, founder and chairman of the Renew Democracy Initiative, talks with Jen Psaki about what it looked like as Russia's democracy gave way to autocracy under Putin, and parallels he sees with the Trump regime now.

Bernie Sanders RIPS Jimmy Kimmel Suspension: Now We're Closer to 'Authoritarianism'

Sep 8, 2025 | “This country is rapidly moving toward an authoritarian form of society. In authoritarian countries—like Russia and Saudi Arabia—you do not have a media that is allowed to be critical of the government,” says Sen. Bernie Sanders, on how ABC paused Jimmy Kimmel's show after Trump's FCC chair threatened the network.

America under Trump is being turned into a SH before our very eyes. — © Mark Alexander

Nina Jankowicz on the Information Warfare Undermining Democracy as We Fall to Authoritarian Rule

Sep 15, 2025

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Authoritarianism Feels Surprisingly Normal—Until It Doesn’t

THE ATLANTIC: Life in Venezuela was deceptively mundane. Then everything collapsed.

THE DISINTEGRATION of a democracy is a deceptively quiet affair. For a while, everything looks the same. Each authoritarian milestone—the first political prisoner, the first closure of an opposition media outlet—is anticipated with fear. Then the milestone goes by, and after a brief period of outrage, life continues as before. You begin to wonder if things will be so bad after all.

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the Venezuela of my childhood, during the period when experts and historians warned, on television channels that would later be shut down, that Hugo Chávez was making himself a dictator. They said that his economic mismanagement—the extravagant expenditures, the graft, the attacks on central-bank independence—would cause a severe crisis when oil prices went down.

My family listened to those pundits and believed them, but we didn’t know what to do with that information. My father used to say that living in Venezuela was like driving a car that you know is not being maintained. For now, the car works fine, but one day it will break down. And when it does, the moment to repair the car will have passed.

Substantive change came to Venezuela, but it took time. In 2001, Chávez purged the nationalized oil company of managers and engineers who weren’t politically aligned with him. The company’s embittered ex-employees warned that national oil production would decline, and they were right, but that would take five more years to manifest. Chávez expropriated millions of hectares of farmland, and farmers went on TV to say that a food crisis was approaching. But as long as oil prices were high, supermarket shelves could be filled with imported milk. » | Gisela Salim-Peyer | Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Is Trump Turning America into a Mafia State? | World on Edge

Sep 4, 2025 | Is it authoritarianism yet? Jeffrey Kopstein thinks we should be asking another question about America.

He joins Steve and Janice Stein to discuss his book "The Assault on the State,” if Trump is turning America into a “family business,” the global shift from the rule of law to the rule of men, how Trump and Viktor Orban and Benjamin Netanyahu are following in Putin’s footsteps, and why when modern states collapse it can lead to arbitrary rule by authoritarian "fathers" and their extended households.



Americans have got themselves into a fix by re-electing Trump into the White House. This is the start of America going down the tubes. It is hard to see how America will ever be able to recover from this. China will soon be ready to take over hegemony. — © Mark Alexander

Little Dicktator Energy

Sep 4, 2025 | We finally brought on an expert in fascism and authoritarian leaders, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, to answer our burning questions about Canks and the MAGA movement.

Strong language alert!

Billionaire SLAMS Income Inequality that Is 'Turning the US Authoritarian'

What happens when income inequality spirals out of control? In this compelling video, we delve into the stark warnings from Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, who argues that the widening wealth gap is leading the U.S. down a dangerous path toward authoritarianism.

Financial Times reveals how the political landscape is shifting, with voters increasingly turning to autocratic leaders as trust in democratic institutions wanes.

He draws a striking comparison to historical events of the 1930s and 40s, urging business leaders to speak out against these trends.

We also discuss the stark differences between the populist left, which seeks basic rights like healthcare, and the extreme right, which is pushing for authoritarian control.

Tune in to understand the implications of these dynamics on our future!


These far-right types will STEAL all your HARD-EARNED money — they want to make the superrich richer still — and they will take ALL YOUR HARD-FOUGHT-FOR rights AWAY from you, too. — © Mark Alexander

The Global Rise of Authoritarians: Here's Their Playbook

Sep 2, 2025 | Democratic backsliding is when the norms of democracy start to dissolve and the institutions of democracy — the civil service, the courts, the press and the universities come under attack from the regime.

There is a linked movement attacking democracy worldwide. These forces are working together and they're going on the offensive.

In Zeteo’s first video explainer, Zeteo producer Melanie Riehl and Zeteo contributor Jason Stanley break down the global rise of authoritarianism, connect the fascist dots between East and West and explain how Trump is taking notes to destroy American democracy.

Freedom across the world has declined for the 19th consecutive year, impacting more than 40% of the global population. “The rule of law is being taken down and when the rule of law is being taken down, you can no longer trust the economic system. You can no longer trust the structure that keeps the country stable,” says Stanley.

Osita Nwanevu Explains How ‘We The People’ Can Save the Country from Oligarchs, Tyrants and Thieves

Sep 1, 2025 | As American democracy collapses in slow motion to a tin-pot tyrant, journalist and author Osita Nwanevu joins Anthony Davis to explain how ‘we the people’ can save the country from oligarchs - and how grass roots organizing is already demonstrating success for Democratic candidates - only on The Weekend Show.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

Does America Really "Want a Dictator"?

Aug 31, 2025 | It's not the first time Donald Trump has overreached, but his latest assertion is that he has the right to do whatever he wants. Trump wants total control - of universities, the police and anyone he perceives to be a threat. He's 'fired' Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. The FBI have raided John Bolton's home. Are there any signs anywhere of any checks on Trump? Or is America sliding towards a dictatorship?

Later, we're joined by Patrick Gaspard - Obama’s 2008 national political director. He's the informal advisor to Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Party’s nominee for New York mayor.

‘Fight the Trump Takeover’ Protests Set to Rock 20 States This Weekend

Aug 15, 2025 | Donald Trump has only expanded his executive powers. But the Americans who oppose him are not letting up either. Indivisible’s Ezra Levin joins to discuss. …