The Erosion of Trust in Democracy is a Catalyst for Tyranny
A government that no longer respects its own laws is a government that cannot be trusted to protect its people.
“The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands… may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” - James Madison
Today, I read Russell Berman’s reporting in The Atlantic about Trump’s executive order that “all [federal] agencies shall immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 or the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.”]. After reading the article, it dawned on me that this is how democracies unravel—not with a singular collapse but with a slow, relentless erosion of trust in the very institutions designed to protect them.
If we don’t wake up to what’s happening or act before it’s too late, we will find ourselves ruled not by laws but by the unchecked power of those who see democracy as an obstacle rather than a foundation. We saw this script before.
The new executive order issued by President Trump directly overrides Congress’s authority by halting the disbursement of funds from laws that have already been passed—the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This isn’t just political maneuvering but an explicit rejection of the constitutional separation of powers, an attack on the very idea that government should be bound by rules rather than by the whims of those in power. And let me be clear: This is not just about Trump. It is about the growing, systemic rot within American institutions allowing such abuses. It is about the increasing willingness of political leaders—on both sides—to erode democratic norms whenever it suits them. The danger is not a single man. The threat is a system that tolerates, excuses, and ultimately enables the concentration of unchecked power.
Trust is the bedrock of any democracy. Without it, the government ceases to function as a representative body of the people and instead becomes an apparatus of control. When citizens no longer believe that their votes matter, see laws ignored by those in power, and watch political leaders rewrite the rules for their own benefit, they lose faith in the system. Tyranny is what fills the vacuum left by lost trust.
History has made this clear time and time again. Democracies don’t usually fall because of violent revolutions or dramatic takeovers. They collapse from within when the institutions meant to serve the people are hollowed out and repurposed to serve those in power. This happened in Russia under Putin, Turkey under Erdoğan, and Venezuela under Chávez and Maduro. And now, here in the United States, we are watching the same playbook at risk of unfolding - a few examples to note:
1/ Ignore the laws you don’t like. Trump’s executive order outright rejects Congress’s constitutional power to control government spending. If the president can simply nullify laws passed by the legislature, then Congress is no longer a coequal branch of government—it’s a ceremonial one.
2/ Dismantle the checks and balances. The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 was passed specifically to prevent a president from withholding funds Congress has appropriated. Trump’s actions violate this law, yet there is no immediate consequence. This sets a precedent: If no one enforces the law, does it even matter?
3/ Turn public institutions into political weapons. We have already seen how institutions like the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court have been manipulated to serve partisan interests. Now, the executive branch is openly bypassing Congress to pursue its own political agenda.
This is the point where democracy can begin teetering on the edge. The next step is even more dangerous: If the public loses faith entirely, they will no longer resist the rise of autocracy. Instead, they will welcome it, believing it to be the only way to restore order in a broken system.
Not to be too dramatic, but we are potentially witnessing a slow unraveling of American Democracy as we know it. No one is coming out and declaring the end of constitutional governance, and no tanks are rolling down Pennsylvania Avenue. Authoritarianism doesn’t announce itself—it just creeps in, and the playbook is well-known: First, the normalization of lawlessness - once a government starts ignoring its own laws, the rule of law becomes meaningless. Next is the centralization of power - the more authority is consolidated in the hands of a few, the harder it is to reverse course. Then, the silencing of opposition - dissenters are labeled as enemies, institutions meant to provide oversight are weakened, and the media is dismissed as propaganda.
So what can we do about this?
We must demand accountability. If the executive branch is allowed to ignore laws without consequence, the rule of law collapses. Congress must push back forcefully—if not through immediate legal challenges, then through clear and uncompromising legislative action. And we, as citizens, must hold our representatives accountable for making this happen.
We must strengthen democratic institutions. If we want to prevent this kind of overreach in the future, we need stronger safeguards. That means reinforcing the Impoundment Control Act, enshrining more explicit limits on executive power, and ensuring the judiciary remains independent enough to enforce constitutional checks and balances.
We must refuse to become cynical. The most dangerous thing we can do is assume that democracy is already lost. If we still believe in self-governance, then we fight for it—not just in election years, not just when it’s convenient, but every single time an abuse of power threatens to take hold.
History has taught us that democracy is fragile. It is not something we inherit permanently. We must defend it repeatedly against those who seek to undermine it. The moment we stop fighting for it, we lose it. And once it’s gone, there is no easy way back. We are not just watching political dysfunction. We are witnessing the calculated erosion of a system that has protected American democracy for centuries. If we allow it to continue unchecked, we will look back one day and realize that the democracy we thought was unbreakable was, in fact, dismantled right before our eyes. That is why we must stand against this—loudly, relentlessly, and without compromise.
Thanks for reading,
Yon
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An AI assistant was used to help edit this letter.