The phrase, “study history so we don’t repeat it,” is failing, and President Donald Trump is the proof.
Most Americans first learn about authoritarian regimes while in grade school, whether it be Nazi Germany through the lens of Anne Frank’s diary, or Stalin’s Soviet Union through a history lecture. Americans hold confidence in their ability to recognize an American-grown dictator during their pursuit of power. This confidence, rooted in American exceptionalism –– the belief that the United States is unique and superior to other nations –– leads many to assume that it could never happen here. However, as we are currently witnessing with the rise of our own Trump authoritarian regime in the U.S., the majority of Americans are astonishingly failing to recognize key signs of authoritarianism, due to shortcomings in the education system, contemporary media, misinformation and Trump’s strategic weaponization of the American identity of freedom.
The role that education plays in recognizing dangerous political figures and regimes is crucial to stopping them. While it is true that most Americans are introduced to the concept of authoritarianism in school, it is oversimplified. In school, authoritarianism is taught to present itself in the form of obvious hate symbols — such as swastikas — and as blatant, unconcealed hatred and violence toward one or multiple minority demographics.
However, what the education system fails to emphasize and explain is the furtive progression of authoritarianism.
Many Americans believe the signs of authoritarianism will be handed to them on a silver platter, and that it will be obvious during the campaign trail. They believe politicians will preach hatred and violence from the start and back it up with policy recommendations. Historically, however, this is not entirely true, as no authoritarian leader has come to power in this manner. Dictators such as the Soviet Union’s Joseph Stalin, Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler and Fascist Italy’s Benito Mussolini first preached normalcy, order and a restoration of tradition, all while simultaneously consolidating power to themselves.
Although some figures, including Donald Trump in his 2016 campaign, have used populist, discriminatory and fearmongering rhetoric from the beginning, the emboldening of such beliefs into increasingly dangerous policy takes place after power and public opinion is won over. Once they’ve achieved widespread loyalty, they would then gradually progress their platform to include a harsher disdain for human rights and the demonization of minorities and the opposition. The education system’s failure to explain this gradual build has resulted in an ill-prepared American population when facing someone like Donald Trump, who is actively diminishing checks and balances and is on the road to authoritarian control.
Another contribution to the political ill-preparedness of many Americans is the polarization of contemporary media. Many Americans, even across party lines, would agree that the media is currently depressingly unreliable. With news sources adopting a unique bias and the rise of social media, misinformation is endemic to modern American society. Many individuals today have distorted views on social and policy issues based on misinformation and biased algorithms. When divided, Americans simply lack the same factual base as their peers, which erodes productivity in political discourse. This results in mutual delegitimization — or the undermining of each other’s credibility and legitimacy. This also extends into discourse among politicians, not just the public.
Trump is also playing a game of chess with the American psyche, utilizing American identity and American exceptionalism to pull off his authoritarian playbook. Throughout history, the American identity has always placed a strong emphasis on freedom. The U.S. has shut down leftist movements abroad in the name of freedom, rebelled against so-called tyrannical kings during the American Revolution and portrayed itself as an ideal destination for foreigners, where freedom, once again, guarantees opportunities.
While curating this historical identity, Trump is effectively creating a cloak to hide his skewed political motives, which ironically, are eroding American freedoms. For example, Trump advocates for policies that promote freedom through public safety, which translates to empowering law enforcement. Meanwhile, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is actively detaining and dehumanizing undocumented immigrants, directly undermining the image of a free land of opportunity for foreigners that America so closely identified with throughout its history.
Trump’s growing authoritarianism isn’t new, nor is it subtle, but Americans were never properly trained to identify authoritarianism. Through manipulation of the American identity, exacerbated by the American exceptionalist belief that America is immune to extremism, our ability to recognize dangerous political moves is severely diminished.
Authoritarianism will not stomp onto American soil wearing hate symbols. Instead, it will show up wearing a suit, feeling distantly familiar, preaching a cultural restoration and demonizing anyone who disagrees.
And it’s already here.
If America keeps waiting for the blatant, obvious stage of authoritarianism, it will be too late to stop it.
Alexander Randall is an Opinion Intern for the summer 2025 quarter. He can be reached at arandal1@uci.edu.
Edited by Isabella Ehring and Joshua Gonzales.
