The recent launching of an air strike campaign by the United States and Israel against Iran has the international and domestic community alike holding their breath, and it only confirms long-held concerns about President Trump’s style of governing; he is an aspiring dictator, and his dreams may soon be realized. Political scholars studying democratic erosion have outlined common tactics used by autocrats to gain power in the modern day, as well as potential warning signs for up-and-coming tyrants, and Trump fits the bill.

               A very common yet extremely subtle method of autocratization described by Nancy Bermeo (2016) is executive aggrandizement, or the systematic breakdown of checks and balances placed upon the executive branch of government to consolidate power and allow the leader to do as they wish. What sets this method apart from others, is that it requires no regime change to take place, and it is all done with legal precedent, so it is often hard to recognize before it happens (Bermeo 2016). The Brookings Institute has pointed out several examples of executive aggrandizement during both Trump administrations so far, including his “Schedule F” executive order allowing him to fire tens of thousands of civil service employees back in 2020. This order led to a large majority of Trump’s opposition to be forced out of office and replaced by allies (Williamson 2023).

               Trump’s attack on Iran without Congressional approval is also considered by some to be executive aggrandizement, as there is a lack of proof that there was an imminent enough threat to allow the President to supersede Congress’s initiatory powers, according to Representative Thomas Massie, Republican from Kentucky. Many Trump supporters cite the War Powers Resolution of 1973 for his authority to attack Iran, but the law only allows this authority under certain circumstances, including a declaration of war or national emergency. However, the resolution sponsored by Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna of California intended to halt operations in Iran was narrowly rejected by a vote of 219 to 212 (Jimison 2026).

               This attack also affirms Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt’s warning signs of aspiring autocrats outlined in their 2018 book How Democracies Die. These authoritarian indicators were devised by analyzing current and former dictators in the world, and their behavior leading up to their seizure of power (Levitsky, Ziblatt 2018). Forgoing Congressional approval to strike Iran and the willingness to use violence in the disarmament of Iran are two of the four indicators noted by Levitsky and Ziblatt: “Rejection of (or weak commitment to) democratic rules of the game” and “Toleration or encouragement of violence.” This is just using the example of the Iran strike. Trump’s toleration of the war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people and threats of legal action against media outlets critical of his decisions also fall comfortably in these parameters, along with countless other policies and decisions.

               Now, what can be done? If everything Trump is doing is technically legal under certain interpretations of legislation, how can he be stopped without violating the democratic ideals the Constitution is supposed to protect? Levitsky and Ziblatt also propose that political parties should act as gatekeepers to isolate wannabe dictators and keep them from drumming up support from the public. American parties should work towards distancing themselves from the more extremist factions within their ranks and weeding them out to prevent their rise to power. Although difficult, gatekeeping has been seen to be successful in other democracies, including Belgium and Finland, who resisted the rise of antidemocratic extremism sparked by the European economic crisis in the early 20^th century.

Works Cited

Boxerman, Aaron, et al. “Iran Live Updates: Trump Calls for Overthrow of Tehran’s Government after Strikes.” The New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026, www.nytimes.com/live/2026/02/28/world/iran-strikes-trump.

Bermeo, Nancy. “On Democratic Backsliding.” Journal of Democracy 27, no. 1 (2016): 5-19. https://dx.doi.org/10.1353/jod.2016.0012

Williamson, Vanessa. “Democratic Erosion: The Role of Executive Aggrandizement.” Brookings, 30 Oct. 2023, www.brookings.edu/articles/democratic-erosion-the-role-of-executive-aggrandizement/.

Jimison, Robert. “House Turns Back Bid to Restrict Trump’s War Powers in Iran.” The New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026, www.nytimes.com/2026/03/05/us/politics/trump-war-powers-iran-house-vote.html.

Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. How Democracies Die. London, Penguin, 16 Jan. 2018.

El Baz, Lama, and Dina Smeltz. “Republicans Favor Trump Approach to Israel-Hamas War.” Globalaffairs.org, 2025, globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/republicans-favor-trump-approach-israel-hamas-war.

Gerstein, Josh. “Trump Is Still Going after the Press in Court. Here’s Where His Lawsuits Stand.” POLITICO, Politico, 4 Mar. 2026, www.politico.com/news/2026/03/04/donald-trump-media-lawsuits-00812525.