Some might react too strongly to the word "coup," but another term might be more accurate: "Orbanization."
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán didn’t take power through a military coup—he systematically dismantled democratic systems while maintaining the outward appearance of democracy. Over time, his government:
* Purged independent civil servants and replaced them with loyalists.
* Gained control of media platforms to shape public discourse.
* Undermined legal checks on executive power through judicial and procedural manipulation.
* Shifted state functions into private hands, where oversight is weaker.
We may be seeing similar patterns emerging in the U.S.—not with tanks, but through institutional capture and elite influence.
The good news? Unlike military coups, this type of democratic backsliding can still be resisted peacefully. But the window for effective resistance does close with each passing institutional change.
Similar activity was observed in Poland for a long time. The country was split half-half between the ruling party that strived to deconstruct the democractic institutions and a weak, fragmented left that was unable to win enough votes to re-gain power.Loyalists were put in power, including the president of the state.
Poland is still repairing the damages done to the court system, media landscape, and other state organisations and organs.
The learning, whether Weimar Republic, Hungary, Poland et cetera is: A change in power is not a problem unless the party in power is out to destroy all that enables other players to keep power in check and allow for a future peaceful political transition.
The U.S. has a different political culture and norms than E.U. states. Will will see how things will turn out.
There were some adults in the room during his first administration that prevented his worst inclinations. It wasn't from a lack of trying. Now the GOP controls all 3 branches of government and stacked SCOTUS who have already ruled in favor of autocracy by granting presidents blanket immunity while in office. Now Trump is solidifying power and installing loyalists in every key position of power possible. They are violating the Constitution and rule of law. This is a coup. There's no other way to put it. The Nazi's took control of Germany without firing a shot. They were elected.
But always keep in mind, politics is just a means to an end for these people. Remember how all the Silicon Valley techbros currently supporting the coup used to claim to be liberal and progressive? The 'culture wars' were invented by them to keep us distracted and divided. They're playing both sides of the fence against us while we blame the other side of the fence.
Exactly, fascists are neither left or right : they only care about the Party (and in practice, certain people in it) being in power, not the disenfranchised workers, small bourgeois, or industrialists (much less free markets) they made promises to, and will accordingly pander to or drop them only as much as it serves them.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán didn’t take power through a military coup—he systematically dismantled democratic systems while maintaining the outward appearance of democracy. Over time, his government:
* Purged independent civil servants and replaced them with loyalists.
* Gained control of media platforms to shape public discourse.
* Undermined legal checks on executive power through judicial and procedural manipulation.
* Shifted state functions into private hands, where oversight is weaker.
We may be seeing similar patterns emerging in the U.S.—not with tanks, but through institutional capture and elite influence.
The good news? Unlike military coups, this type of democratic backsliding can still be resisted peacefully. But the window for effective resistance does close with each passing institutional change.