It is getting worse. Donald Trump is running the country like a tyrant.
He is forcing comedians off the air, threatening broadcast networks, suing the press, ordering prosecutions of his enemies, occupying cities and targeting immigrants. He has turned the federal government into a weapon against critics, using censorship and intimidation not just to punish dissent but to try to rewrite what counts as truth. At the core of his project is an attack on free speech and dissent itself. None of this is normal, but it also doesn’t have to be permanent.
While each day takes us farther down the road toward authoritarianism, we can collectively turn it around if enough of us act.
We must start by being clear that no person is coming to save us. Not a judge, not a politician, not a hero on the horizon. The only way out is through us. We must unite, organize, and push back together. That means building a movement that is broad, durable, and capable of bringing in new people, institutions, and organizations to join the push for civil rights and liberties.
Authoritarianism can be countered and defeated. Here in Connecticut and across the country we are already seeing the path forward despite being only eight months into this power building moment. Protests and rallies are happening more often than they did during Trump’s first term—that should give us hope. We are still at the beginning of what we can do together.
Slowing a slide into tyranny is never one dramatic act but a series of deliberate, connected steps—starting with our collective decision that we will not let another grab for power go ignored or unchecked.
First, we slow it.
Our job is to throw sand in the gears of authoritarianism and insist that one person may not exempt himself from our laws no matter how quickly he wants to do so—that means lawsuits challenging unlawful policies, rallies and marches that remind Trump he cannot silence dissent, organizing at the local level to block his overreach.
Each act throws grit into his machine, slowing him down while we build our collective power. This initial step is about more than holding ground; it’s also about building unity and strength for the fights ahead.
Second, we shut it down.
Authoritarianism ends when enough people stand up and refuse to accept it. Research shows that when just a small share of people, about 3.5 percent of a population, mobilize consistently, authoritarian governments fall. In the United States, that would mean millions. In Connecticut, it would mean roughly 125,000 people. We are on our way.
Since Trump returned to power, protests nationwide have tripled compared to this point in 2017. We see it here in Connecticut too. Students, workers, and neighbors are showing up. Trump’s policies are deeply unpopular, and with every protest, every rally, and every act of resistance and non-cooperation, we build strength, confidence, and solidarity. Our movement building is working, and now is the time to expand it, deepen it, and carry it into every community.
Third, we reverse it.
The goal cannot be to return to 2016. Pre-Trump America did not work for far too many people in Connecticut and across the country. Authoritarianism thrives in the cracks of inequality and exclusion. If we want a stable democracy, we must rebuild society in a way that works for everyone. And we need to start now, not later. The moment is ripe. People who never understood inequity are seeing it clearly because Trump has made it impossible to ignore. That window of awareness is open, and Connecticut has a special role to play.
Our universities, law firms, media, and nonprofits can push back in the courts, on the streets, and in the halls of government at both the state and local level. Our residents must correct lies, refuse bigotry, and demand better from elected officials. Together, we can model the society we want to build after Trump is gone.
These are not easy times. The fear is real. But despair is not the answer. History shows us that tyrants always look unstoppable until people slow them, shut them down, and reverse the damage. We can do the same here.
When we do, it will not just be about defeating Trump. It will be about winning the democracy, equity, and justice our children deserve. It will be about rebuilding truth itself, protecting science, education, and journalism so that no leader can again declare their own facts and warp reality to suit their desires. And it will be about proving that democracy grounded in truth can deliver for everyone.