In Volker Ullrich’s book, Germany 1923, he focuses on an “intoxicating time” in the year 1923. He points out that there were constant calls for a strongman. A savior was needed to lift Germany out of misery and desperation. This began after the collapse of the Wilhelmsine German Empire in 1918.”

Germany had suffered the trauma of defeat in World War I. Significantly, there were plots to bring down German democracy. Many monarchists dreamed of a return to Wilhelmine authoritarianism. Racists in Germany wanted to create an ethnically homogeneous “popular community” under strict dictatorial leadership. (Ullrich, Volker. Germany 1923: Hyperinflation, Hitler’s Putsch, and Democracy in Crisis (p. 160). Liveright. Kindle Edition).

Germany’s Strongman

Ullrich explains the momentum in Germany. There was a desire to return to a strongman. This also included a rejection of a fragile democracy. He describes this urge here:

As Germany’s situation deteriorated in the spring of 1923, (emphasis mine) hopes for a national messiah grew and grew. The ultraconservative nationalist professor Karl Alexander von Müller gave lectures in Munich. These lectures were regularly attended by Rudolf Hess and Hermann Göring. Later, he recalled that academic circles engaged in much discussion about the necessity of a dictatorship at the time. Many considered it the only way out. It was part of the Bismarck era’s legacy. A great many—indeed what felt like most—Germans sought salvation in a lone, great individual.

Italy provided an example where Benito Mussolini had seized power in a coup in late October 1922. This event fired the imaginations of those Germans who despised the Weimar Republic. For example, Ernst Hanfstaengl was the son of a prominent publisher and an early fellow traveler with Hitler. He observed a certain aggressive admiration for the events south of the Alps. He noted the elan of the fascist movement. He also observed the admiration for Mussolini and New Italy among the bourgeois patrons who frequented Munich’s Hofgarten park. He recorded typical statements. These included “yes, indeed, we need someone like that in charge (emphasis mine). They wanted a Renaissance man and Machiavellian. They sought someone without scruples.” Reference: Ullrich, Volker. Germany 1923: Hyperinflation, Hitler’s Putsch, and Democracy in Crisis (p. 162). Liveright. Kindle Edition

Germany got Adolf Hitler

America’s Strongman

On January 20, 2025, the United States got Donald Trump.

Donald Trump thinks he’s a “strongman.” He indeed utters some of the words used by dictators and strongmen. But Trump is not A strongman. He desperately wants to be. He is weak and old. In 2021, he staged a coup effort by sending hordes of his sycophants to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6 to prevent the peaceful transfer of power. He failed. In my 2022 book, I show how Trump tried to cripple vast aspects of America’s democracy. But now he’s back and inflicting massive damage to our democracy. One of the first despicable acts was pardoning the criminals that stormed the Capitol.

He’s been criminally tried and found guilty of 34 felony charges, but escaped sentencing. Remember, he’s still a felon. He was also found liable for sexual assault and rape in two trials in New York. He was found guilty of financial fraud in a New York courtroom. He was found liable and guilty of fraud to the tune of half a billion dollars.

He was indicted by the Justice Department and Fulton County, Georgia. This was for attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He also stole boxes of classified documents. He took them from the White House. He then shipped them to his Mar A Iago resort. They were placed in closets, offices, and even a ballroom stage. Although a federal judge dismissed the case, the Justice Department tried to reinstate it.

Trump is a weak strongman, but he is a dangerous wanna-be dictator. He was elected again, and has launched a plan to undermine and dismantle democratic guard rails. He’s carrying out the playbook outlined in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. The 900 page document details how the authors of Project 2025 intend to dismantle the Executive Branch of our government.. It outlines how a set of principles of authoritarian rule would control a presidency. We are witnessing the destruction of not only our government but also the economy. This destruction extends to the nature of our global partners and the well-being of American citizens. It affects the faith in our form of government. It’s a disaster. I wonder if ordinary Americans understand that we have a dictator as president.

Trump’s Actions as an Authoritarian/Dictator

Since January 20, Trump has followed the edicts outlined in the Project 2025 “Handbook for Republican Fraudsters.” The path to dictatorship can be seen in Trump’s 87 executive orders, 17 proclamations, and 22 memoranda (Ballotpedia). I’ve included (Figure 1) the topics that Trump has attacked. Besides foreign policy, Trump has spent his energy revoking President Biden’s actions to protect the environment. Trump worked to dismantle efforts to build a strong economy by investing in science. This includes energy alternatives and the nation’s infrastructure.

Figure 2 is an interesting chart. Trump is the leader of showing off. He knows how to use a sharpie. He signs his name to an executive order that he didn’t write. Notice that Trump has exceeded each president in first-year executive orders. He is on the verge of overwhelming us with his nonsense.

Trump’s Executive orders by topic:

First day • First 100 days • Revokes previous order • The administrative state • Education • Energy and the environment • Foreign policy • Health • Immigration • Policing and criminal justice • Technology • Trade and tariffs

The First Day

All of Trump’s executive orders are readily available on the Ballotpedia website. Follow this link and you can scan and read the executives that Trump signed. On the first day, he signed 26 executive orders. One of these executive orders stood out: “The Meaning and Value of American Citizenship.” This was an effort by Trump, Inc. to remove birthright citizenship explicitly guaranteed to anyone born under the legal “jurisdiction” of the U.S. government by the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which states:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

As with many of Trump’s executive orders, which are illegal, the president of the United States can’t change citizenship rules. The president has no authority to alter these rules at all (see Gerald Neuman’s interpretation). A handful of judges have blocked Trump’s birthright citizenship order. This is just one example of Trump’s perverse plan. He wants to alter the Constitution and our understanding of the rule of law. He wants to undermine the U.S. Constitution.

Beyond Day One: Moral Collapse

According to Ruth Ben-Ghiat, we are living in a moral collapse through a process she calls moral deregulation. Dr. Ben-Ghiat is a History and Italian Studies Professor at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda, and democracy protection. She is author of Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present. If you haven’t read this book, I highly re commend it. It will help you understand how Trump is leading us down a path to authoritarian rule—-or if you choose, dictatorship.

In a recent article on her Substack newsletter, Lucid, she writes about how America is experiencing a moral deregulation which leads to a moral collapse. I’ve summarized her points as follows.

According to Dr. Ben-Ghiat, moral deregulation is the rolling back of civic and ethical norms against defrauding, silencing, bullying, and physically harming others. It involves the discrediting and dismantling of these norms. They are typically inculcated in democratic societies through schools, religious spaces, workplaces, and other social institutions and networks. This process is cultivated and rewarded in authoritarian systems. It leads to moral collapse when violence and corruption become institutionalized. This includes in the behavior of national leaders. During the first three months of Trump’s administration, we observed several events. These events have transformed America into a country with a dictator as the head of government.

Authoritarian leaning events

Institutional Hollowing: Trump has removed anyone not loyal to him. Every person Trump put into his cabinet bows to the leader. Listening to anyone of the cabinet’s heads is sickening. They preface their thinking by parroting Trump. There is little in the form of original thinking. They follow orders that “Daddy” will like and reward me.

Participation in Violence and Corruption. Acts of violence are not only tolerated, They are rewarded and encouraged. For gods sake “orange face”pardoned all the convicted criminals of the violent attack on the first day.

Dehumanization and Censorship. Books are being banned in school districts and public libraries to prevent Americans from reading what they wish. Most banned books have to do with DEI. Have you seen photos of the Venezuelan men who were deported? Thee you kn link to a photo but I warn you, the men have been dehumanized. A judge ordered the deportation stopped, but Trump’s followers ignored the judge and the flights continued. Trump went after the judge on his Truth Social.

This is what Trump said about the judge:

This Radical Left Lunatic of a Judge, a troublemaker and agitator who was sadly appointed by Barack Hussein Obama, was not elected President – He didn’t WIN the popular VOTE (by a lot!), he didn’t WIN ALL SEVEN SWING STATES, he didn’t WIN 2,750 to 525 Counties, HE DIDN’T WIN ANYTHING! I WON FOR MANY REASONS, IN AN OVERWHELMING MANDATE, BUT FIGHTING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE BEEN THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR THIS HISTORIC VICTORY. I’m just doing what the VOTERS wanted me to do. This judge, like many of the Crooked Judges’ I am forced to appear before, should be IMPEACHED!!! WE DON’T WANT VICIOUS, VIOLENT, AND DEMENTED CRIMINALS, MANY OF THEM DERANGED MURDERERS, IN OUR COUNTRY. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! Source: Trump at Truth Social.

Yesterday, Chief ,Justice Roberts rebuked Trump by writing this:

“For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision,” Roberts said in a statement released by the Supreme Court. “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.” Source: CNN

Trump, Vance, and Musk led the charge to call for the impeachment of judges. They did this just because they disagreed with the judge’s decision.

Government Paralysis: Policies wreck a robust national economy, paralyze the government, and abandon the rule of law. Elon Musk has illegally fired more than 30,000 government employees. A judge has ordered all of them reinstated to their jobs.

Support for Authoritarian Leaders: Business, religious, media, and other elites continue to support authoritarian leaders. They do so by either staying silent or actively endorsing harmful policies. The mainstream media has not faced up to the fact that they are reporting in the context of a dictatorship.

Destruction of Democratic Values: Democratic values like justice, accountability, and equality are undermined. This leads to widespread repression and the betrayal of national and self-interests.