Brown professor Corey Brettschneider on the presidents who have threatened democracy and the citizens who fought back

Political Roundtable

Presidential threats to democracy are nothing new. Our second president, John Adams, outlawed dissent and tried to prosecute his critics. Andrew Johnson’s presidency featured threats against his perceived opponents, and Richard Nixon engaged in a criminal conspiracy. But there are some key differences in our current moment. In a recent decision, for example, the U.S. Supreme Court expanded presidential power, and groups aligned with Donald Trump, like the Heritage Foundation, have ambitious plans for remaking the federal government. As Democrats wrestle with doubts about President Joe Biden, what is the outlook for American democracy? Are the traditional checks and balances of our system out of whack? And does the way in which Americans responded to overreaching presidents in the past offer clues for the future? This week on Political Roundtable, I’m going in-depth with Brown University political science professor Corey Brettschneider, author of “The Presidents and the People: Five Leaders Who Threatened Democracy and the Citizens Who Fought to Defend it.”

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