No Kings, Kingmaker, or Coup? How a President Could Bend the Rules to Stay in Power.

Wise Up in 60 Seconds

• Mass dissent, tight response: June 14’s “No Kings” protests in 2 000+ cities decried perceived authoritarian turns, while in D.C. Trump warned demonstrators would be “met with heavy force.”
• Playbook for entrenchment: Modern leaders twisted constitutions via court-packing, emergency decrees, electoral rule changes, media purges, and security-force deployments.
• U.S. risk factors: Controls over DOJ, the courts, and election certification ceremonies could be subverted; national-emergency powers let a president rule by decree.
• Watchpoints next: Look for expanded use of “emergency” proclamations, stacked judgeships, targeted prosecutions of political rivals, and “only I can save you” narratives to justify exceptional powers.
• Bottom line: Vigilance, institutional pushback, and clear red lines in law are America’s best guardrails against a slow-motion power grab.

1 Historical Precedents of Power Grabs

1. Court-packing: FDR’s 1937 proposal to add justices for favorable rulings; more recently, Venezuela’s Chavista super-legislative judiciary.
2. Emergency decrees: Lincoln suspended habeas corpus; Turkey's Erdogan issued sweeping orders after 2016 coup attempt.
3. Term-rule changes: Putin’s 2020 referendum reset term limits; China’s 2018 abolition of presidential term caps.
4. Electoral manipulation: Hungary’s Fidesz redrew districts; Turkey’s referendum amid media blackouts.

2 Tools in the Modern Authoritarian Toolkit

3 What to Watch for Next

1. New “emergency” at the border or economy: Triggers temporary decree authority, micromanaging budgets and dissent.
2. Surprise judicial nominations: Fast-tracked confirmations to tilt courts on election-related cases.
3. Rewritten election standards: Last-minute rules on mail-in ballots, certification deadlines, or contested state legislatures.
4. Selective prosecutions or pardons Branding rivals as “lawbreakers” while protecting allies.
5. “Patriotic” media regulations: Pressure on broadcasters or social platforms under “national security” pretexts.

4 Safeguards & Countermoves

• Congressional oversight: Robust, bipartisan investigations and vote-withholding on extreme nominees.
• Judicial review: Timely injunctions and expedited appeals for emergency orders.
• Civil-society Vigilance: Mass mobilizations and media exposés to spotlight overreach.
• State-level guards: Governors’ refusals to deploy National Guard under dubious orders.
• International pressure: Public statements and sanctions threats by allies.

References

1. Associated Press. “’No Kings’ Protesters Rally in Over 2,000 U.S. Cities Against Authoritarianism.” AP News, 14 June 2025.
2. The Washington Post. “Trump Promises ‘Heavy Force’ for Demonstrators at D.C. No Kings Rally.” 14 June 2025.
3. U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1; Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998.
4. FDR’s Court-Packing Plan of 1937. Congressional Quarterly, 1937; see also Schlesinger, A. M. Jr., The Age of Roosevelt.
5. Lincoln’s Suspension of Habeas Corpus (1861). National Archives, Presidential Proclamations.
6. Erdogan’s Post-Coup Emergency Decrees (Turkey, 2016). Turkey’s Official Gazette, No. 29825, 20 July 2016.
7. “Constitutional Amendments and Term Limits.” Slavic Review, vol. 79, no. 2, 2020, pp. 231–250.
8. Reuters. “Hungary’s Fidesz Overhauls Electoral Law Ahead of 2022 Election.” 6 December 2021.
9. Freedom House. “Democracy Under Threat: Global Report 2025,” pp. 45–52.