Ask A Genius 1488: Fears of Entrenched Authoritarianism in Trump’s Second Term
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/08/13
In a conversation between Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen, the two explore concerns about America’s trajectory under Donald Trump’s second term, with J.D. Vance positioned as a potential successor. Jacobsen, reflecting on his recent trip to New York City for the UN Commission on the Status of Women, describes a shared unease among activists about traveling in the United States due to fears of detention, surveillance, and harassment. They discuss the influence of religious nationalism, anti-science sentiment, and foreign interference, alongside the generational divide fueling political extremism. Jacobsen warns of ideological entrenchment that could impact democracy for years.
Rick Rosner: So, I have a question for you for the next session.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Go ahead.
Rosner: Some people in America—liberals—fear for the country, fearing that we will not avoid entrenched fascism or authoritarian government. Trump has three and a half more years. If Trump does not survive that time, then he has J.D. Vance to replace him, who is as bad as Trump—maybe not as dumb, but creepy and dangerous in his ways.
Jimmy Kimmel even got Italian citizenship in case he wants to move to Italy to get away. How do you feel, as a Canadian who pays attention to America, about our chances of dodging entrenched authoritarianism in six or seven months?
Jacobsen: I remember telling you this before. I went to the Commission on the Status of Women in March in New York City. I went alone. I had an assignment to go there for two weeks to do coverage, and as far as I know, all those pieces have been published.
When I was there, I was having a reasonable time, but I felt uneasy—partly because it was America, partly because it was New York City. Then, on one of the last days, I ran into a youth delegation from the United Nations Association of Canada. I am a member, and this was their youth delegation.
We started talking—it was one Muslim woman and two African Canadian women. We spoke and conducted interviews, and we each independently concluded that we felt uneasy about travelling to the United States, even three or four months into Trump’s second term.
We were uneasy and felt unsafe because we were not sure—being activists, human rights workers, or journalists—whether we might be detained or at risk of being detained. More pertinently, we wondered if our devices would be tracked or hacked. The latter seemed more likely than the former, but detention could precede that.
So, in terms of chances, there is a visceral sense of unease. There is open rhetoric about an idealized past that never existed, projected forward as something to return to. Moreover, it is often fueled by male resentment, frequently emanating from churches, to politicize it. That is a dangerous admixture because religious psychology often makes it hard to receive new input outside the religious frame—the hermeneutical lens for understanding the world.
So, the chances—because that is the main population—are lower than they could be to get out of it. However, that ultimately depends on whether Trump lives to the end of his term and whether the forces in the United States that are the main problem can be addressed. There is foreign interference in terms of culture, but the main problem is this inchoate, disorganized collection of anti-science people and religious zealots.
Rosner: When you say foreign interference, are you talking primarily about Russia propagandizing?
Jacobsen: Confucius Institutes.
Rosner: But China is doing the same thing?
Jacobsen: There are different ways. Moreover, every country does it to everyone. However, this category of anti-science lunatics, stray misogynist patchworks, religious zealots—often Christian—is particularly problematic. Some of the most extreme are holding onto old patriarchal norms from the boomer generation and maybe older, wanting to maintain the America they grew up in.
However, they grew up during the most significant and consistent period of economic growth in recorded human history. It was a lucky time to be alive. Harking back to that period is an attempt to impose a frame on the world that no longer fits. Moreover, young people—Gen Z—are already being severely impacted by these dynamics.
Rosner: That said, the impact can be redirected. Some Gen Z members can end up aligning with the worst right-wing extremists. We saw that in the election.
Jacobsen: Well, some left-wing extremists chant “From the river to the sea” at protests, not realizing—or ignoring—that it means removing Jews and throwing them into the ocean.
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