Meanwhile, 44 percent backed the American tradition of competing branches of government as a model, if sometimes “frustrating,” system.
Why would people want to live under an authoritarian’s thumb? It’s rooted, experts say, in a psychological need for security—real or perceived—and a desire for conformity, a goal that becomes even more acute as the country undergoes dramatic demographic and social changes. People also like to obey a strong leader who will protect the group—especially if it is the “right” group whose interests will be protected. Recall the Trump supporter who, during the 2019 government shutdown, complained, “He’s not hurting the people he needs to be hurting.”
This election, like the last one, isn’t about convincing maga extremists or lifelong Republicans to vote for the first Democrat in their lives. It’s about convincing people in the middle to vote against Project 2025. I know it’s insane, but there are still enough “undecided” voters that they will literally decide the election. That plus turnout. If enough people vote, Donald Trump cannot turn this country into an authoritarian regime.