In 2017, historian Timothy Snyder published On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, a study of what he refers to as "America's turn towards authoritarianism."
Now, he's sounding the alarm even more loudly, warning that former President Donald Trump will cause the end of the republic as we know it in the wake of a Supreme Court decision granting him sweeping immunity protections.
This week, the nation's highest court ruled that Trump may claim immunity from criminal prosecution for some of his actions during the final days of his presidency—particularly for his role before, during, and after the Capitol riot—a decision expected to further delay his federal trial on charges he attempted to overturn the 2020 election results.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Snyder said:
"Unless Trump loses, America ends."
You can see his post below.
And in follow-up posts, he explained why:
"The Supreme Court has made this clear. As has Trump himself. Over and over."
"Our enemies know this. Which is why they all, without exception, support Trump."
He concluded with the following observation, encouraging Americans to rely on each other as we face whatever comes next:
We have no excuse not to know this. And once we know it we can act. Each of us doing what we can, trusting one another, making contact."
"We can do this. If we each do what we can, this republic will go on, and this republic will get better."
You can see his posts below.
Snyder has issued a warning for years about the threats Trump poses to the country and in 2021 said that Trump's claims the 2020 election was stolen had relied on “personal charisma and signals to his followers and a few people in the Justice Department and hope.”
At the time, he noted that a Trump 2024 campaign would have “institutional machinery” behind him, warning that the January 6 insurrection was merely a "trial run" for a successful coup attempt:
“What we know historically is that a failed coup is a trial run for a successful coup. Usually, when you fail in a coup, something happens to you — and Mr. Trump, nothing has happened to him.”
Many have echoed his warnings.
Trump's legal team believes that this ruling might significantly undermine special counsel Jack Smith's case, arguing that any communications Trump had with then-Vice President Mike Pence or Department of Justice officials could now be considered official, thus inadmissible at trial.
The legal team also suggested that this decision could benefit Trump in the classified documents case, although initial interpretations may not necessarily dictate the outcome of that legal process.
The Court clarified that unofficial actions are not immune, and has remanded the case back to District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine what constitutes an official act versus a private one.
Moreover, the majority emphasized that official acts cannot be used as evidence in a potential trial, which could complicate Smith's efforts to establish Trump’s motive and other critical aspects of the case against him. Trump's team also is trying to make the case that his criminal conviction for falsifying financial records should be nullified as well. Trump's sentencing hearing in the case will now be held on September 18.
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