Donald Trump has vowed to eliminate hundreds of workers across federal agencies if he becomes president again. Consolidating power and placing friends in key roles are textbook autocratic maneuvers, but they also are not new in the United States. This episode revisits the story of Louisiana Governor Huey Long, who sought to take over the apparatus of government in his state, just as illiberal leaders have done in other countries.

This is the third episode of Autocracy in America, a new five-part series about authoritarian tactics already at work in the United States and where to look for them.

Autocracy in America is produced by The Atlantic and made possible with support from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, an academic and public forum dedicated to strengthening global democracy through powerful civic engagement and informed, inclusive dialogue.

Music in this episode by Tellsonic (“Time Traveller,” “Desert Whispers”), Spectacles Wallet and Watch (“Secret Agents”), Howard Harper-Barnes (“Mysterious Forest”), J. F. Gloss (“Mysterious Figures”), Luella Gren (“Sleep Forever”), Ruiqi Zhao (“Ancient Spells”), and Rob Smierciak (“Mystery March”).

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