Ten strategies for the pro-democracy coalition to mitigate the threat
REPOST FROM THE AUTHORITARIAN PLAYBOOK 2025
Many autocratic tactics described in this report will be best mitigated with targeted litigation, legislation, or other advocacy responses. But, from an overarching perspective, we recommend that civil society actors and the American public take the following approaches to prepare for and guard against the looming threat of an autocrat returning to the Oval Office.
None of these recommendations are a panacea. But, together, they provide a comprehensive set of actions that, informed by our recent successes containing the authoritarian threat in America and lessons drawn from abroad, will be foundational for the pro-democracy movement to build upon in the event of an authoritarian in the White House in 2025.
1. Create pro-democracy coalitions before the crisis arrives.
Now is the time to build stronger and deeper pro-democracy coalitions that are educated about what’s at stake and prepared to act together. Blunting a full-on autocratic government takeover will require courts, Congress, agency officials, states, and municipalities to act as checks against abuse of power. But, institutions often struggle to do this on their own. We’ll need to bolster them, and the best way to do that is through broad coalitions — whether of civic groups, advocacy organizations, business interests, faith groups, or otherwise. Building coalitions is time-consuming and requires legwork to establish respect and develop alignment.
2. Take anti-democratic ideas and promises seriously.
The voting public must know what is at stake in the next election and beyond. Public communicators, whether they hold jobs in the news media, campaigns, non-profit advocacy, corporate public affairs, or some other outward-facing positions, should focus on explaining how autocratic rule will impact their audiences and communities. That means focusing less on the horserace elements of political stories and refraining from “both sides” coverage that fails to explain the unique authoritarian threat. As New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen has encapsulated the need, we must all focus on “not the odds, but the stakes.”
3. Keep a broad pro-democracy movement united against the acute, big-picture autocratic danger.
The pro-democracy coalition must remain united as it continues to grow. That requires temporarily setting aside disagreements within the pro-democracy movement to the greatest extent possible. In a democracy the size of the United States, there are numerous permutations of firmly held beliefs on political issues. Authoritarians will exacerbate these divisions, pitting vulnerable groups against each other.
The pro-democracy coalition must stay focused on what unites us — protecting the ability to resolve policy disagreements through a democratic process. As Poland showed recently, and Belgium and Finland showed in the early 20th century, the way to overcome autocratic movements is for people committed to democracy from the left, center, and right to put their traditional differences aside to come together to defend democracy.
4. Support Republicans that stand firm for democratic institutions.
The authoritarian movement in America has been made possible with support from the Republican Party. At the same time, Republican officials and affiliated interest groups can have an outsized impact in checking the authoritarian faction. As scholars Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky have explained, it’s essential for pro-democratic actors in the authoritarian-dominated party not just to offer tacit criticism of autocratic actions but to “expel antidemocratic extremists from their ranks, refuse to endorse their candidacies, eschew all collaboration with them and, when necessary, join forces with ideological rivals to isolate and defeat them.” The pro-democracy coalition must be willing partners to support and nurture those relationships with pro-democracy Republicans that can produce meaningful change.
5. Rally around non-partisan, independent public servants.
Our democracy depends on millions of dedicated public servants doing their jobs to deliver services, uphold the law, and keep the public informed. Through their commitment to the rule of law, these civil servants, election officials, judges, and court employees are a first line of defense against an autocratic government. As this report explains, that is why among the autocratic faction’s first moves in power will be to dismantle the civil service and independent law enforcement and replace them with regime loyalists.
Independent public servants are the bulwark standing between the authoritarian and the American people; we may frequently disagree with them or be frustrated by what they do (or don’t do), but we must safeguard their vital roles. We must also help them when they speak out against authoritarianism, providing material resources and other forms of support in lawful ways when they risk their livelihoods or safety to do the right thing.
6. Uphold the rule of law and democratic institutions, and always repudiate violence.
The laws and institutions of our democracy are imperfect and we should seek necessary reforms. (See recommendation 10.) Yet, however problematic our laws or distorted our institutions, pro-democracy actors should observe the rule of law. Most importantly, pro-democracy actors must always condemn political violence. This also means respecting lawful court orders, avoiding aggressive presidential executive actions that stretch constraints on abuse of power, and refusing to tolerate corruption.
7. Protect the first targets and arrange to advocate for the most vulnerable.
A central tenet of the autocratic playbook is to target vulnerable people and populations to deflect from an autocrat’s failures and consolidate support. Community groups, civic and industry associations, and state and local governments should articulate agreements to support each other in times of need. We might think of this as the NATO Article V approach — “an attack against one … is an attack against all.” As with NATO, such alliances and agreements can create a deterrent effect that will make it harder for an autocrat to single out members.
8. Evaluate security at the community, household, and personal level.
Members of the pro-democracy coalition should be ready to address potential threats to their personal security, families, and workplaces. Practical safety preparedness includes protecting private personal information, evaluating online security vulnerabilities, and training for the unexpected. We should also identify people in our households, neighborhoods, and communities who may require additional support and develop plans in advance to help them should the need arise.
9. Work to protect free and fair elections in 2026 and 2028.
An autocrat in the White House will cause immense damage to our democratic institutions and hurt an enormous number of people, but the 2026 midterms will not be far away. We can expect the autocratic faction to continue to seek to suppress the right to vote, undermine confidence in election systems, and explore ways to nullify votes for opposing candidates.
We need to make substantial investments in all available strategies to protect free and fair elections in 2026 and 2028 so that “we the people” have a chance to hold the authoritarian faction accountable and vote it out of office. Those cycles may also be an opportunity for the pro-democracy coalition to come together to support solid pro-democracy candidates committed to upholding our Constitution and the rule of law.
10. Continue building the democracy of tomorrow.
In many ways, our democracy hangs in the balance over the next 12 months. American civil society must focus aggressively during that time on the defensive work of protecting a free and fair election in 2024, limiting the likelihood the autocratic faction prevails, and preparing for an autocrat in the White House in 2025.
Alongside these defensive efforts to protect our democracy, however, we must also work to build the resilient and inclusive democracy of tomorrow. That includes strengthening our checks and balances and rule of law institutions, reforming our electoral systems and political parties to make our democracy more representative and authoritarian resistant, enabling the democratic participation of those who have been historically excluded, bridging divides, and enhancing civic engagement.
