The playbook is being written in real time. While Americans debate whether Trump's second term represents an authoritarian threat, activists from Hungary, El Salvador, and Turkey—who've watched their own democracies erode—are sounding urgent alarms. Their message is clear: it's happening faster than you think, and the warning signs are unmistakable. The Guardian's recent interviews with these frontline democracy defenders reveal not just what's coming, but what Americans are still failing to see—and the critical strategies that could make the difference between resistance and capitulation.

Why It Matters

The warnings come from countries with distinct but instructive trajectories:

Hungary under Viktor Orbán (2010-present):

  • Systematic capture of judiciary, media, and civil society
  • Constitutional manipulation and electoral rule changes
  • European Parliament declared it a "hybrid regime of electoral autocracy" in 2022
  • Recent opposition surge with Tisza party now polling ahead of Orbán's Fidesz

Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2002-present):

  • Gradual consolidation from the prime minister to the executive president
  • Mass imprisonment of political opponents and journalists
  • Power concentration accelerated dramatically after the 2007 re-election
  • Current protests combining street activism with conventional politics

El Salvador under Nayib Bukele (2019-present):

  • "Mano dura" approach with emergency powers and due process suspension
  • World's highest incarceration rate with widespread rights abuses
  • High approval ratings despite deteriorating basic services
  • Mass exodus of journalists and opposition figures

These cases demonstrate common patterns: second-term acceleration, institutional capture, and the critical importance of economic grievances in enabling authoritarian consolidation.

What Happened

The Guardian interviewed three prominent critics from countries that have experienced democratic backsliding under authoritarian leaders:

  • Stefania Kapronczay from Hungary, former head of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, warns that Trump's power consolidation is happening "much faster" than Viktor Orbán's, with private companies and institutions showing surprising compliance

  • Ece Temelkuran, Turkish author of How to Lose a Country, emphasizes that second-term autocrats feel "more ruthless" and behave as if there are no boundaries, noting it took Erdoğan 15 years to accomplish what Trump did in 100 days

  • Claudia Ortiz, Salvadoran opposition deputy, stresses that opposing authoritarians requires making "people the center of your narrative," not just fighting the autocrat, while warning never to underestimate how quickly power can be centralized

All three emphasize the need for long-term resistance strategies, grassroots organizing, and addressing economic concerns that create fertile ground for authoritarian appeals.

A Closer Look

The interviews reveal three critical blind spots in American resistance thinking:

The Speed Problem: Kapronczay's observation that Trump's consolidation is happening "much faster" than expected challenges the assumption that democratic erosion is always gradual. When she notes the "surprising" compliance of private companies and institutions, she's identifying a uniquely American vulnerability—the ready capitulation of corporate power to perceived political winners.

The Second-Term Acceleration: Temelkuran's insight that "second time, they feel more ruthless" explains Trump's immediate post-election behavior. The "me and the country" conflation she describes is already visible in Trump's rhetoric about political opponents and his treatment of dissent as treason.

The Narrative Trap: Ortiz's warning against making "authoritarian leaders the center of your narrative" exposes a fundamental flaw in resistance strategies. How much energy is being spent reacting to Trump's daily provocations instead of building alternative visions?

Critical questions emerge:

  • Why are American institutions proving more fragile than those in countries with weaker democratic traditions?
  • What economic grievances are being ignored while focusing on constitutional concerns?
  • Are resistance movements making the same mistakes these activists warn against—organizing "fancy panels that normal people never go to"?

The voices being ignored: Working-class Americans whose economic insecurity created the conditions for Trump's appeal, and international experts whose lived experience with democratic collapse offers crucial strategic insights.

Call to Action

The warning is clear—now comes the choice. These battle-tested voices offer a roadmap, but only if Americans are willing to abandon comfortable assumptions and learn from those who've walked this path.

Essential actions:

  • Listen beyond your bubble—what economic grievances are driving support for authoritarianism in your community?
  • Build coalitions that address real material needs, not just constitutional abstractions
  • Prepare for the long game—this isn't a single election cycle fight
  • Study these international cases—their strategies, failures, and hard-won wisdom

The most dangerous response is the one these experts warn against: assuming American institutions will hold, underestimating the speed of change, or building resistance movements that "normal people never go to."

Democracy isn't defended in think tanks or cable news panels—it's defended in communities, workplaces, and streets by people willing to organize for the long haul. The question isn't whether authoritarianism can succeed in America, but whether Americans will learn from those who've already fought this fight.

From Silence to Sound

These testimonies embody Silence to Sound's core mission: amplifying voices that mainstream discourse ignores. While American media focuses on daily Trump drama, these international perspectives offer strategic wisdom from the frontlines of democratic resistance.

Their message challenges American exceptionalism—the dangerous belief that "it can't happen here." As Temelkuran urges: "Drop the arrogance, drop the exceptionalism." This isn't about abandoning American ideals, but learning from those who've fought similar battles.

The activists' emphasis on listening to people's real concerns rather than lecturing them about abstract democratic principles reflects Silence to Sound's commitment to elevating overlooked perspectives. When opposition movements fail to address "pocketbook issues," they cede ground to authoritarians who exploit economic grievances.

Most importantly, their long-term perspective counters the reactive, news-cycle-driven resistance that often burns out before achieving change. Real democratic defense requires "patience and stamina" for what Temelkuran calls "the long game."