Are we out of the woods? No, we are not. However, something fundamental has shifted. Trump is not a dead duck, but he is increasingly a lame one. We may yet redeem our democracy.
A rattled President Trump tells a female reporter, "Quiet, piggy" aboard Airforce One | screen grab
At several points in the past few months, it looked as if Trump had gone too far and that resistance to his incipient dictatorship had reached a turning point. But each time, it didn’t quite happen.
In mid-September, I wrote a moderately optimistic piece for the Prospect, taking stock of the various elements of resistance, most notably courts and elections. Many readers felt I was being a little too hopeful.
Since Election Day, however, there has been a notable shift. And each aspect feeds on the others. They include:
A Democratic wave election that is likely to be repeated and intensified in 2026
Lower courts becoming even bolder in striking down Trump’s excesses
The Supreme Court likely to overturn three key Trump cases: tariffs, his efforts to fire Federal Reserve governors, and birthright citizenship
At least some states, such as Indiana and Kansas, resisting Trump’s redistricting demands
The continuing fallout from the Epstein files
Republican defections. The most important sign of impending lame-duckery is Republicans finding that they can defy Trump with impunity. The examples are legion. They keep cumulating and nurturing each other.
Trump kept pressuring House Republicans not to sign the discharge petition to force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files. He threatened to punish Republicans who resisted, but in the end it was Trump who was thoroughly humiliated.
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