Beyond the Ballot: the Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism with Steven Gardiner

In this season finale episode, Koki talks to Steven Gardiner, PRA Principal Research Advisor, to reflect on the first year of Trump's second term and its implications for U.S. democracy. While the MAGA base remains about 15% of the U.S. and Trump’s approval ratings remain low, the Trump administration has chipped away at democratic norms, maintained control over the Republican party, decimated the bureaucratic state, and is poised to interfere with the 2026 midterms and likely 2028 elections beyond through strategies of “contested authoritarianism.” 

But the highly visible actions of immigration enforcement, violations of the constitution, and nods toward White supremacy do not equate with chaos alone. Gardiner lays out how these are spectacles that mobilize, fear-monger, and deliberately normalize repression, erode democracy, and spur further political violence. He also discusses the effects of Project 2025 in action, attacks on trans rights and bodily sovereignty, and the roles of Dominionist theologies and Christian nationalism more broadly. The episode concludes by focusing on opportunities for division and dissent within the U.S. Right, along with the difficult but necessary work ahead to withstand election interference, register dissent, and continue to build the necessary power to overcome rising authoritarianism.

Steven Gardiner is Principal Research Advisor and formerly Research Director here at Political Research Associates. He has been researching writing in opposition to the politics of bigotry, violence, and authoritarianism since the early 1990s. In 2004, Gardner received a PhD in cultural anthropology from Cornell University. Since earning his doctorate, he has taught more than 20 different courses at eight universities in the United States, Pakistan, and the UAE. 

Episode Resources

• Political Research Associates, “Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days: Authoritarian Gains and Consolidation,” The Public Eye, 2025.  
• Katherine Stewart, “Burning Down the House: What’s Behind the U.S. Antidemocratic Reaction?” The Public Eye, 2025.  
•  Political Research Associates, “‘Do Not Let Grief Harden into Despair’: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 1,” Inform Your Resistance, 2025. 
• Political Research Associates, “‘It's Never Just About Gender’: Gender and Authoritarianism: PRA Analyzes Trump 2.0’s First 100 Days, Part 2,” Inform Your Resistance, 2025.