Chapter 130: Strong Leader

484     only 57 percent . . . considered democracy to be their preferred . . .  Open Society Foundations, Open Society Barometer: Can Democracy Deliver? September 2023, www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/e6cd5a09-cd19-4587-aa06-368d3fc78917/open-society-barometer-can-democracy-deliver-20230911.pdf, 6, 19.

484     About a third . . . “having the army rule or a leader ‘who does not bother’ . . .”  Open Society Foundations, Open Society Barometer, www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/e6cd5a09-cd19-4587-aa06-368d3fc78917/open-society-barometer-can-democracy-deliver-20230911.pdf, 17.

484     “mass migration, wokeism . . .” FPÖ youth wing, promotional video, quoted in Agence France-Presse, “Alarm over Austria Far-Right Party Video as Its Support Soars,” France 24, September 1, 2023, www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230901-alarm-over-austria-far-right-party-video-as-its-support-soars.

484     “a positive approach to . . .” Herbert Kickl quoted in “Alarm over Austria Far-Right Party Video as Its Support Soars,” www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230901-alarm-over-austria-far-right-party-video-as-its-support-soars.

484     below . . . gave his homecoming speech “Alarm over Austria Far-Right Party Video as Its Support Soars,” ww.france24.com/en/live-news/20230901-alarm-over-austria-far-right-party-video-as-its-support-soars.

484     exhibited images of . . . Pierre Drieu la Rochelle and . . . António Salazar  “Alarm over Austria Far-Right Party Video as Its Support Soars,” ww.france24.com/en/live-news/20230901-alarm-over-austria-far-right-party-video-as-its-support-soars.

484     “Men need violence. Men need competition” James Pogue quoted in Ezra Klein, “Opinion: The Ezra Klein Show: MAGA’s Big Tech Divide,” New York Times, January 28, 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-james-pogue.html.

484–485 “If men don’t have a project to go to war . . .”  Pogue quoted in Klein, “Opinion: The Ezra Klein Show: MAGA’s Big Tech Divide,” www.nytimes.com/2025/01/28/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-james-pogue.html.

485     more likely . . . to get their news on social media platforms  Emily Tomasik and Katerina Eva Matsa, “1 in 5 Americans Now Regularly Get News on TikTok, Up Sharply from 2020,” Pew Research Center, September 25, 2025, www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/09/25/1-in-5-americans-now-regularly-get-news-on-tiktok-up-sharply-from-2020/; Channel 4, Gen Z Trends, Truth and Trust, January 2025, assets-corporate.channel4.com/_flysystem/s3/2025-01/Gen%20Z%20Trends%20Truth%20and%20Trust_0.pdf, 12, 13, 29; Cameron Hickey, “TikTok Played a Key Role in MAGA Radicalization,” Wired, March 3, 2021, www.wired.com/story/opinion-tiktok-played-a-key-role-in-maga-radicalization/; David Gilbert, “TikTok Pushed Young German Voters Toward Far-Right Party,” Wired, July 16, 2024, www.wired.com/story/tiktok-german-voters-afd/.

485     the least likely to have lived through . . . dictatorships  In Latin America, studies have shown that “generations that have lived under authoritarian regimes tend to support democracy more than those that have only lived under democracy. The explanation for this difference is the vivid memory the older generations still have of living under repressive authoritarian regimes.” Mario Fuks et al., “Socialization and Political Regimes: The Impact of Generation on Support for Democracy in Latin America,” Brazilian Political Science Review 12, no. 1 (2018), www.scielo.br/j/bpsr/a/XkTHBvKbkKRgwTLmhpFLcsQ/.

485     71 percent . . . preferred democracy as their form of government  Open Society Foundations, Open Society Barometer, www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/e6cd5a09-cd19-4587-aa06-368d3fc78917/open-society-barometer-can-democracy-deliver-20230911.pdf, 19.

485     “the most important challenge facing their country”  Open Society Foundations, Open Society Barometer, www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/e6cd5a09-cd19-4587-aa06-368d3fc78917/open-society-barometer-can-democracy-deliver-20230911.pdf, 7.

485     ahead of climate change, inequality . . .  Open Society Foundations, Open Society Barometer, www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/e6cd5a09-cd19-4587-aa06-368d3fc78917/open-society-barometer-can-democracy-deliver-20230911.pdf, 7.

485     “people who believed corruption to be . . .”  Open Society Foundations, Open Society Barometer, www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/e6cd5a09-cd19-4587-aa06-368d3fc78917/open-society-barometer-can-democracy-deliver-20230911.pdf, 32.

485     skewed younger  Open Society Foundations, Open Society Barometer, www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/e6cd5a09-cd19-4587-aa06-368d3fc78917/open-society-barometer-can-democracy-deliver-20230911.pdf, 32.

485     30 percent or lower Such countries include Italy, the U.S., Russia, Germany, Mexico, the UK, Brazil, Ukraine, Poland, France, Colombia, and Argentina. Open Society Foundations, Open Society Barometer, www.opensocietyfoundations.org/uploads/e6cd5a09-cd19-4587-aa06-368d3fc78917/open-society-barometer-can-democracy-deliver-20230911.pdf, 31.

485     “ethnic antagonism” . . . “concerns about the political power and claims on . . .” Larry M. Bartels, “Ethnic Antagonism Erodes Republicans’ Commitment to Democracy,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) 117, no. 37 (September 2020), www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2007747117, 22752.

485     “strongest predictor” of “antidemocratic attitudes”  Bartels, “Ethnic Antagonism Erodes Republicans’ Commitment to Democracy,” www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2007747117, 22752.

486     “the most typical antidemocrats were . . .” Bartels, “Ethnic Antagonism Erodes Republicans’ Commitment to Democracy,” www.pnas.org/doi/epdf/10.1073/pnas.2007747117, 22754.

486     “the coolest dictator in the world”  Nayib Bukele, Twitter bio, quoted in “Fears for Democracy in El Salvador After President Claims to be ‘Coolest Dictator,’” The Guardian, September 21, 2021, www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/21/fears-for-democracy-in-el-salvador-after-president-claims-to-be-coolest-dictator.

486     vowed to be a dictator on “day one”  Fox News,   Sean Hannity interview with Donald Trump at Davenport, Iowa, town hall, December 5, 2023, accessed on Rev.com, video, www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/n-yXIR0AGefvvPNGoCTG1y2NKaY1usX00MMaeuK4y5PtSs7rBV5fBbbvAu81HCAIAHvaaSGNmPMQ8mzrK7Ccx3oaJXQ, 19:09–19:13.

486     “After that, I’m not a dictator. Okay?” Fox News, Hannity interview with Trump at Davenport, Iowa town hall, www.rev.com/transcript-editor/shared/n-yXIR0AGefvvPNGoCTG1y2NKaY1usX00MMaeuK4y5PtSs7rBV5fBbbvAu81HCAIAHvaaSGNmPMQ8mzrK7Ccx3oaJXQ, 19:16–19:18.

486     three-fourths . . . “good” for the country if . . . “dictator for a day” Philip Bump, “Three-Quarters of Republicans Back Trump Being ‘Dictator for a Day,’” Washington Post, February 7, 2024, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/02/07/trump-dictator-authoritarian-democracy/.

486     “Sometimes in life we all need . . .”  The Young Turks, “This Trump Supporter Is Really Into Paddles and What People Do with Them,” YouTube, December 24, 2023, youtu.be/Urm-giuYbOs?si=ks_6bP6zmTc_zzwE, 0:10–0:19.

486     “And this country does need a little bit of that . . .”  The Young Turks, “This Trump Supporter Is Really Into Paddles and What People Do with Them,” youtu.be/Urm-giuYbOs?si=ks_6bP6zmTc_zzwE, 0:20–0:24.

486     44 percent . . . as “a strong leader who should be given the power . . .”  “Democracy at a Crossroads: How Americans View Trump’s First 100 Days in Office,” Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), April 23, 2025, prri.org/research/democracy-at-a-crossroads-how-americans-view-trumps-first-100-days-in-office.

486     81 percent  “Democracy at a Crossroads: How Americans View Trump’s First 100 Days in Office,” prri.org/research/democracy-at-a-crossroads-how-americans-view-trumps-first-100-days-in-office.

486     “It is necessary to dismantle . . .” Vox, “Agenda Spain, 2023,” quoted in Max Griera, “Meet Far-Right party VOX’s ‘Patriotic’ Vision for Spain,” Euractiv, June 23, 2023, www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/meet-far-right-party-voxs-patriotic-vision-for-spain/. See also Vox, Agenda España, 2023, available at www.voxespana.es/agenda-espana, 19.

486     signed a law that cut . . . from 262 to 44, on the pretext of . . .  “El Salvador Consolidates Local governments, Opposition Warns of Power Grab,” Reuters, June 14, 2023, www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-consolidates-local-governments-opposition-warns-power-grab-2023-06-14/.

486     dominated by Bukele’s party, cut . . . from 84 to 60  “El Salvador Consolidates Local governments, Opposition Warns of Power Grab,” www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-consolidates-local-governments-opposition-warns-power-grab-2023-06-14/; and Nelson Renteria, “El Salvador Slashes Size of Congress Ahead of Elections,” Reuters, June 8, 2023, www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-slashes-size-congress-ahead-elections-2023-06-07/.

486     cut the number of ministries in half Valen Iricibar, “Milei’s Reduced Cabinet Sworn in Without Press Present,” Buenos Aires Herald, December 10, 2023, buenosairesherald.com/politics/mileis-reduced-cabinet-sworn-in-without-press-present.

486–487 dissolved . . . the Ministry of Women, Genders, and . . .  Noël James, “Women This Week: Milei Administration Dissolves Argentina’s Ministry of Women,” Council on Foreign Relations, June 14, 2024, www.cfr.org/blog/women-week-milei-administration-dissolves-argentinas-ministry-women; and Daniel Cholakian, “Cultural Resistance in the Face of Javier Milei’s Policies,” North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA), February 23, 2024, nacla.org/cultural-resistance-in-the-face-of-javier-milei.

487     pared down . . . and combined them . . . into the new Ministry of Human Capital  Associated Press, “The Inauguration of Javier Milei Has Argentina Wondering What President It Will Get,” NPR, December 10, 2023, www.npr.org/2023/12/10/1218430385/the-inauguration-of-javier-milei-has-argentina-wondering; Iricibar, “Milei’s reduced cabinet sworn in without press present,” buenosairesherald.com/politics/mileis-reduced-cabinet-sworn-in-without-press-present.

487     More than 40,000 . . . lost their jobs  “Milei Has Cut 48,000 Public-Sector Jobs Since Taking Office,” Buenos Aires Times, May 28, 2025, www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/milei-has-cut-48000-public-sector-jobs-since-taking-office.phtml.

487     rocketed . . . up to 53 percent . . . up from about 42 percent  Almudena Calatrava, “Argentina’s Poverty Rate Spikes in First 6 months of President Milei’s Shock Therapy,” AP News, September 26, 2024, apnews.com/article/argentina-poverty-milei-economy-crisis-f766deb9302aa4ddde1bb9ae26aaf7af.

487     closely followed . . . meeting with President Milei multiple times Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, “Argentina’s Milei Is a VIP at Mar-a-Lago as Trump, Musk Embrace His Attacks on Government Spending,” Money Report, NBC 5 Chicago in partnership with CNBC, November 15, 2024, www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/money-report/argentinas-milei-is-a-vip-at-mar-a-lago-as-trump-musk-embrace-his-attacks-on-government-spending/3601675; and Jesus Mesa, “The Man Who ‘Chainsawed’ His Federal Bureaucracy Has Advice for Elon Musk,” Newsweek, November 20, 2024, last updated, November 22, 2024, www.newsweek.com/javier-milei-elon-musk-doge-efficiency-lex-fridman-1988947.

487     on these “deep chainsaw” cuts  Elon Musk, X, January 25, 2025, 8:46 a.m., x.com/elonmusk/status/1883149407551717476, archived at archive.today, January 26, 2025 capture, archive.ph/2Mt6w.

487     “This is awesome”  Musk, X, January 25, 2025, x.com/elonmusk/status/1883149407551717476, archived at archive.ph/2Mt6w.

487     established . . . the “Department of Government Efficiency”  Donald J. Trump, “Establishing and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’” The White House, January 20, 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/.

487     tasked . . . through maximizing “governmental efficiency and productivity” Trump, “Establishing and Implementing the President’s ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’” www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/establishing-and-implementing-the-presidents-department-of-government-efficiency/. 

487     until a falling out with Trump  Lois Beckett, “Elon Musk Announces Exit from US Government Role After Breaking with Trump on Tax Bill,” The Guardian, May 28, 2025, www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/29/elon-musk-announces-exit-from-us-government-role-after-breaking-with-trump-on-tax-bill.

487     eliminated . . . triggering mass layoffs of federal workers  Jennifer Clarke, “What Is Doge and Why Has Musk Left?” BBC News, May 30, 2025, www.bbc.com/news/articles/c23vkd57471o.

487     nowhere close to DOGE’s stated goals Clarke, “What Is Doge and Why Has Musk Left?” www.bbc.com/news/articles/c23vkd57471o.

487     significantly reduced the aid work of . . .  Christopher Flavelle et al., “Musk Targeted FEMA: Storm-Battered Communities Are Paying a Price.” New York Times, March 27, 2025, www.nytimes.com/2025/03/27/us/politics/musk-fema-immigrations-doge-freeze-aid.html; and Amy Schoenfeld Walker et al., “What Remains of U.S.A.I.D.?” New York Times, June 22, 2025, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/06/22/us/politics/usaid-foreign-aid-trump.html.

487     gutted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau  Chris Megerian, “Nearly 90% of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Cut as Trump’s Government Downsizing Continues,” Associated Press (AP) News, April 17, 2025, apnews.com/article/donald-trump-doge-cfpb-elon-musk-456b747c367fccbcf3b74d2893cd1a35.

487     closed the federal agency that mediates labor disputes  Michael Sainato, “Doge Shutters Federal Workplace Mediator Agency After Trump Order,” The Guardian, March 26, 2025, theguardian.com/business/2025/mar/26/doge-labor-agency-fmcs-trump-order.

487     sought to eliminate the Department of Education  Laura Meckler et al., “Trump Preps Order to Dismantle Education Dept. as DOGE Probes Data,” Washington Post, February 3, 2025, www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/02/03/trump-education-department-dismantling-executive-order-draft; and Annie Nova, “How Elon Musk’s DOGE Took Over the Education Department, One Office at a Time,” CNBC, February 12, 2025, www.cnbc.com/2025/02/12/trump-doge-education-elon-musk-cuts.html.

487     similar efforts around the world  See   “DOGE Is Going Global: Elon Musk Is Inspiring Right-Wing Efforts Abroad to Gut Government Programs,” Democracy Now! April 30, 2025, www.democracynow.org/2025/4/30/elon_musk_doge_paris_marx.