Click here for a Paul Krugman article on Substack entitled "Did Peter Navarro Save Democracy?" with the tag line "Economic failure has given us a chance to stop Trump's authoritarianism."
Krugman says:
Just a few short weeks ago the prospects for American democracy looked bleak. Donald Trump was elected despite the events of January 6th and his clear threats of retribution against those who had tried to hold him in check. The powerful and extremely wealthy lined up behind him on the inauguration dais and contributed vast sums to his inauguration party. Democrats were stunned, despondent and disorganized. The stock market was climbing. And many of us expected Trump, the ultimate nepo baby, to claim that the solid economy he inherited from Biden was his own handiwork.
Suddenly the march to authoritarian rule is looking much less unstoppable. Trump’s vindictive over-reach has quickly sparked widespread outrage within many institutions, including universities and the courts, and among regular Americans. Polls suggest that the public is making a hard turn against Trump’s tactics.
Moreover, the economy, which was arguably the decisive issue in November, has rapidly turned into a huge Trump liability. It’s actually incredible how fast public views of the economy have soured.
He uses a comparison to Germany in the '30s and says, "And spare me the fake outrage: We’re well past the point where you can say that MAGA/Nazi comparisons are illegitimate." He explains how a similar situation has enabled Viktor Orban to turn Hungary from a democracy to a dictatorship.
He concludes:
It's much too soon to predict that U.S. democracy will survive. But Trump and his economic advisers, by screwing up so completely, have given us a chance. Thank you, Peter Navarro.
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