AskHistorians

We are already well along the road of elections being fairly meaningless. Not because the results aren't counted accurately but because elections can be swayed by numerous mechanisms including voter suppression (voter ID laws, redistricting, restrictions on polling places and methods, etc) and propaganda. Combine that with economic suppression via wealth inequality that results in low-information voters being the norm and you have a relatively easy mechanism to "win" elections that's legal and constitutional.

Hitler didn't get into power by being a dictator, he became one through a series of events. The Reichstag fire was a pretext Hindenburg declaring a state of emergency which not only gave Nazi's the ability to frame and dissent or opposition as traitorous, it also lent "credence" to their propaganda about the threat of communism, allowing them to further consolidate power in the 1933 election.

History rhymes.

He doesn't need to. Elections will happen as usual, but states with Republican-led governments will report favorable results for Republicans regardless of the reality.

I'll be surprised if he lives long enough for that - he's old and has a terrible diet - but he said at a fundraiser that people would only need to vote one more time, which many took to mean that's all he'd need to stay in power. He tried a failed coup in 2020, so clearly doesn't care if it's lawful or not. Would anyone be surprised?

I would definitely not put it beyond him. The only thing that could really prevent this would be his death. Be glad that Trump is way older than Hitler was in 1933.

Absolutely. If Trump dies till then someone else will just take over. America wont have free elections for decades to come.

I’ve been calmly attempting to explain because people get very very mean when trans women show negative emotions

I called out the Patriot Act as the overt end of Constitutional law.

I really didn't want to believe it, but post-election I've come to the conclusion that a significant amount of these vibes are driven by YouTube and TikTok. My FYP is filled with videos that portray only the side of the U.S. that is decaying--abandoned shopping malls, blighted neighborhoods or towns that shut down for one reason or another, presented as memes about "liminality" or uncanniness. Admittedly I have a longstanding interest in urban exploration that predates the liminal space trend and its offshoots but you have to ask yourself why these media are being pushed so hard by algorithms and I don't think it's just that they appeal to people like me. I suspect that it's part of a more concerted effort to portray the United States as a nation in decline, failing to keep up with authoritarian powers like China and Russia, leading to an obvious prescription: replace our democracy with our own authoritarian system... which will be easier for large corporations and foreign governments (even China whom Trump ostensibly opposes) to exploit and control.

You cite a very crucial requirement that few people seem to have in abundance of late.

You know how before he was elected, people would point out that his favourite book was mein campf and his favourite people were all dictators and that alot of the stuff he was saying and doing was the same stuff hitler was saying and doing to get into power? And also how literally every day people would say, "he's the next hitler" or "he's trying to become the next hitler"...

That is still true now after he is elected too.