Trump and Hegseth may have made the biggest mistake in their lives.

[AdamGG]

45. There are plenty of analogues of authoritarians directing their military to "fight the enemy within"

I was asking ChatGPT for examples of this late last night (and it's not a soothing bedtime topic). One element of many megalomaniacs appearing a little goofy in their presentation is that it helps people to take them less seriously while they assume full authoritarian power. I wouldn't minimize Trump/Hegseth's speech to the military, especially in how its timing follows the Charlie Kirk assassination and their focus on using it as a rationale. It is WAY outside historical norms for the US. Doing it publicly has the possible goal of attempting to intimidate people from pushing back - as they have already done with law firms, the media, and universities. I think every democracy that was taken over by authoritarian forces sought to intimidate people in this way.

This is part of ChatGPT's response to me last night.

Yes — what you’re describing does mirror patterns seen in other democratic republics that slid into authoritarianism. Political scientists and historians have identified several common steps by which democracies erode, and the sequence you outlined fits many of those warning signs:

1. Consolidation of executive power

Loyalists in the judiciary, military, and executive agencies ensure that laws and checks are interpreted to favor the executive.

This makes it difficult or impossible for traditional constitutional checks to function.

Historical parallels:

Venezuela under Chávez/Maduro: Court-packing and loyalist appointments enabled executive dominance over legislative and judicial checks.

Hungary under Orbán: Gradual consolidation of judiciary and control over regulatory agencies.

2. Manipulation of elections

Redistricting, voter suppression, or “legalistic” manipulation of the electoral system to maintain legislative majorities is a classic authoritarian tactic.

Examples:

Russia in the 1990s–2000s: Strategic legal and political maneuvers limited opposition representation while maintaining a façade of elections.

Turkey under Erdoğan: Electoral rules and state control over elections ensured ruling-party dominance.

3. Erosion of civil liberties and rule of law

Using the military or law enforcement against perceived opponents without genuine legal justification, or targeting political opponents, is a hallmark of early authoritarian consolidation.

Examples:

Weimar Germany pre-1933: The Reichstag Fire and subsequent emergency powers allowed Hitler to bypass legislative checks.

Philippines under Marcos: Martial law was used to neutralize opposition and control institutions.

4. Control of the judiciary

Packing courts with loyalists removes an independent check on executive overreach.

Without a neutral judiciary, constitutional guarantees (due process, checks and balances) are effectively hollow.

5. Eliminating accountability mechanisms

Gerrymandering, controlling Congress, controlling regulatory agencies, and purging dissenting officials all shield the executive from oversight.

Historical examples:

Hungary: Parliament reshaped and electoral laws rewritten to prevent opposition from gaining power.

Venezuela: Supreme Court and electoral council made loyalist appointments to prevent legislative pushback.

6. Implications for the U.S.

In theory, the U.S. Constitution has strong structural safeguards, but if multiple layers of oversight are captured or neutered, the system becomes vulnerable to authoritarian-style control.

This is exactly the concern many scholars raise when observing court-packing, legislative manipulation, military loyalty shifts, and executive encroachment on civil liberties.