Have we passed peak Trump? | Kenneth Roth

Since Trump returned to the White House, the checks and balances of US democracy have proved remarkably resilient

Have we reached peak Trump? Is it possible that we have arrived at a moment, a mere four months into his second term, when the president's capacity to do harm is diminishing?

That is undeniably a provocative question. Like any US president, Donald Trump remains immensely powerful. It is early days; he can still cause plenty of damage - and certainly will.

Trump's attacks on the restraints on his power should be viewed not in isolation, but as part of a deliberate scheme to build an autocracy. Each step matters. He is attacking not just big law or Ivy League universities but democracy.

Early opposition is important because resistance becomes harder over time as checks on presidential authority weaken.

The temptation to save one's own skin should be resisted because it plays into the autocratic strategy of divide-and-conquer. A collective defense works best.

Appeasement may seem like a way to calm the bully, but bullies see it as weakness, an invitation to demand more.

Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, is a visiting professor at Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. His book, Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments, was published by Knopf and Allen Lane in February