Bill Kristol and Richard North Patterson discuss in *The Bulwark* how America has shifted from a conventional political system to one where Donald Trump holds significant power during his second term. The authors argue that key institutions and influential figures, expected to act as safeguards against Trump's influence, have frequently capitulated instead of resisting him. They examine the Republican Party’s evolution, economic uncertainties faced by Americans, and the submission of business and legal elites under Trump's rule. Despite these challenges, Kristol and Patterson highlight hope from grassroots resistance movements like “No Kings,” noting millions of ordinary citizens are actively participating in such initiatives to oppose authoritarian tendencies.
America went from a seemingly conventional political system to Trump’s second term, where the institutions and powerful people expected to serve as guardrails have often failed to stand up to him.
