The oligarchs want to reclaim their throne — but they can be stopped.

The author of the Declaration of Independence placed great importance on emphasizing that whenThomas Jeffersonand his like-minded individuals were creating the United States of America, they openly rejected, for the sake of democracy, those people (all of whom were men) who embodied three historical tyrannies: monarchs/autocrats, theocrats/popes, and extremely wealthy oligarchs. For more than two thousand years prior to Jefferson,To George Washington,Alexander Hamilton,James Madison,John Adamsand their allies managed to create a system of checks and balances that underpins republican democracy. Before this, every country in the world was governed by one of these three types of power. As of today, out of 167 countries, only 74 are democracies, of which only 24 are characterized as fully democratic. Unfortunately, currently due to actionsRepublican PartyAmerica risks losing this status. Theocrats have seized power in the Supreme Court, significantly reducing the rights of women and the rights of religious, racial, and gender minorities. Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are afraid of the oligarchs who fund primary elections against them, and as a result, no significant legislation reflecting the interests of the majority of Americans has been passed for over 40 years. Many of them claim they fear for their physical well-being and the safety of their families if they speak out against it.Donald Trump.

Our White House is now controlled by a billionaire who sees himself as a royal power. Trump's attacks on our democracy are a narrative that has repeated itself over the centuries in different countries. This can be characterized as a recurring scenario. Within democracy, there are four key aspects of governance:legislative,executive,judicial authorityand alsopressFor about the last 50 years, Democrats have focused on winning elections (in the legislative and executive branches), while billionaires controlling the Republican Party have directed their efforts towards using vast resources to seize control of non-elected power structures (the judicial system and the press). This is work that requires funding but does not always necessitate winning elections. A similar scenario has been observed in several countries that have lost their democracies. Trump and Musk are simply following a pre-written playbook.

WhenViktor Orbáncame to power inHungaryIn 2010, he primarily aimed to take control of the judicial system and the media. He lowered the retirement age for judges, which led to the immediate dismissal of 57 judges, whom he replaced with loyal supporters (this echoes how...Mitch McConnelldeprived Trump of two seats on the Supreme Court). Then, following the strategy announced last week by Trump and the new chairman of the Federal Communications CommissionBrendan CarrOrban has sued numerous independent media outlets and attacked the funding of Hungary's state broadcasting system, transferring control of both entities to loyal oligarchs. With dissenting voices suppressed and judges willing to ignore his blatant violations of Hungarian electoral laws (such as disenfranchisement, manipulation of electoral districts, and contesting the results in districts that support the opposition), Orban has been able to win all elections.

I applied a practically identical scenario.Vladimir PutinSeveral years earlier: having gained control over the judicial system and Russian media, he was able to suppress the new and fragile democratic institutions of the country and intimidate the Rada (State Duma).VenezuelaHugo ChávezandNicolas Madurothey also followed a nearly identical scenario.

As soon as these steps are completed, and Trump, Musk, and their billionaire and theocratic allies finish dismantling our system and intimidating the media, there will likely be no turning back. This is why Putin is so confident that Trump will dismantle our traditional alliances and bring the U.S. closer to Russia once he has solidified his power. Over the weekend, he told Russian media that soon Trump will be as powerful as he is: "And all of them, you will see – this will happen quickly, soon – everyone will rise to the feet of the master and wag their tails. Everything will fall into place."

Nevertheless, there are two countries that should be mentioned, which can serve as examples for the USA, as they tried to go down this path, but their efforts were interrupted, bringing them back to democracy: these arePolandandSouth KoreaIn Poland, the "Law and Justice" party of Andrzej Duda was unable to destroy independent media, despite managing to seize judicial power and manipulate election rules in its favor. Thanks to the fact that about 70 percent of Polish media remained in independent hands, the party lost power in the 2023 elections, and Poland is returning to democracy. Similarly, in South Korea, the right-wing president...Yoon Suk-yeolHe attempted to declare a state of emergency and ban the opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). However, he initially failed to seize the independent media in South Korea, and people took to the streets demanding his arrest; he is now in prison.

All of this highlights the importance of independent media — from the oldest publications likeThe New Republicto new, but rapidly developing platforms, such asSubstack...and all of us who are actively fighting to protect the neutrality of NPR and PBS. The American Revolution was a national endeavor: conservatives like Hamilton, liberals like Thomas Paine, military leaders like Washington, and intellectuals like Jefferson and Adams all joined the struggle. Lincoln's project and other anti-Republican movements demonstrate the commitment of true conservatives to democracy. An increasing number of liberals, military personnel, law enforcement officers, and intellectuals across the spectrum are actively participating in efforts to save and revive our republican system. We are the moments of our generation.

We've been through this before; we can do it again. But it will be tough, considering we're up against one of the richest people on the planet. However, as long as we have independent media and a strong commitment to freedom, not everything is lost yet.