Ex-Amb. to Hungary warns of U.S. authoritarianism, Prof. Stanley says self-interest is the cause. - Velshi - MSNBC

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Former U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman issued a glaring warning to Americans in a NYT op-ed about the dangers of acquiescing to what he says are Trump’s “authoritarian advances.”

Noting the parallels with the slide in democracy under Viktor Orbán in Hungary, fascism expert and philosophy professor Jason Stanley says national elites prioritize their individual agendas over the good of the country, “without seeing that what you’re supporting is authoritarianism.” - Aired on 07/26/2025.

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1. NPR article mentioned at the beginning - Hundreds of scholars say U.S. is swiftly heading toward authoritarianism

And how far we've fallen since April.

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/22/nx-s1-5340753/trump-democracy-authoritarianism-competive-survey-political-scientist


"... Kim Lane Scheppele, a Princeton sociologist who has spent years tracking Hungary, is also deeply concerned: "We are on a very fast slide into what's called competitive authoritarianism."

When these scholars use the term "authoritarianism," they aren't talking about a system like China's, a one-party state with no meaningful elections. Instead, they are referring to something called "competitive authoritarianism," the kind scholars say they see in countries such as Hungary and Turkey.

In a competitive authoritarian system, a leader comes to power democratically and then erodes the system of checks and balances. Typically, the executive fills the civil service and key appointments — including the prosecutor's office and judiciary — with loyalists. He or she then attacks the media, universities and nongovernmental organizations to blunt public criticism and tilt the electoral playing field in the ruling party's favor.

"The government would still have elections and would nominally be democratic," says Rory Truex, a political scientist at Princeton who focuses on China. "But those elections would no longer be free and fair."